Invitations arrived this week for the launch event on June 19 at which Lord Mayor Nick Reece will formally open the hotel across the Yarra River from Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
Described as a “mission-driven luxury hotel”, guests invited to the launch are invited to contribute to 1 Hotels’ “1 Less Thing” initiative by bringing one gently used item of clothing to help support those in need in the community.
Part of a development known as Seafarers, a new riverfront parkland beside the hotel is being handed to the city by the developers, Riverlee.
Australia’s first property from the rebranded Starwood Hotels, 1 Hotel is positioned as a sustainable hotel focused on nature and wellness, making extensive use of recycled timbers and repurposing a 100 year-old goods shed on the riverbank.
1 Hotel Melbourne has 277 hotel rooms and a 900-seat event space that incorporates elements of the old goods shed. The building also contains about 120 private residences.
The 1 Hotel concept was developed by Barry Sternlicht, who built the original Starwood Hotels and Resorts into a portfolio of more than 1,300 hotels across 100 countries before selling them all to Marriott International in September 2016.
The mixed-use Seafarers development may be a pointer to future developments for Melbourne.
Although its opening has been delayed, the long-awaited Shangri-La hotel overlooking the Royal Exhibition Buildings to the north of the city features both a 500-room hotel and 325 private apartments. While residents moved in to the development during 2023, the hotel is still shuttered pending a fit-out by its Malaysian-based developer.
Also announced for Melbourne is a twin tower complex near the Shrine of Remembrance, named STHBNK, consisting of a 202-room Four Seasons hotel and 789 apartments, which, at the last update, were due for completion by 2029.
