February 15, 2023 | By Graeme Kemlo
We have been writing about the imminent arrival of The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne for a couple of years and, having been privy to a sneak peek on Sunday as part of a pre-AIME famil, the truth is it delivers a new five-star experience – if not better.
Melbourne will celebrate the opening of its own iteration of this global brand next month.
The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne general manager, Antony Page, proudly showed off the grand ballroom of the new property, which will have capacity to host up to 550 in banquet, and announced that the space had already received a number of bookings. Page said the hotel’s firm opening date would be March 23, preceded by the traditional Marriott 10-day soft opening.
Business events will be well catered for. The ballroom, with its 7m high ceilings and a squadron of chandeliers, is the crown jewel in The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne’s impressive offering. In another tip of the hat to Melbourne, the ballroom takes inspirations from another iconic city institution at one end and at the other offers vehicle access and one suspects it might be the site of a few car launches before long.
The dedicated conference floor has generous pre and post event spaces that can be reconfigured to suit client needs.
Lead-in rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne are a generous 44m2, up to 48m2. We visited an executive suite of 96m2 featuring a separate bedroom, living room and study. Although we didn’t see it, the largest suite covers 250m2.
Uniquely positioned at the western edge of the CBD on Spencer Street, the view from Level 80 reception reveals a cluster of city skyscrapers that will take on the colours of the day as the sun sets behind you.
With still more five-star hotels, such as Shangri-La, to open in Melbourne and a major refurbishments announced for Crown Towers, The Ritz-Carlton certainly raises the bar.
