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1 Hotel Melbourne exterior
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1 Hotel Melbourne indoor pool
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1 Hotel Melbourne River Suite
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Crane Bar & Lounge
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From Here by Mike restaurant
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Bamford Wellness Spa
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1 Hotel Melbourne lobby lounge
Melbourne’s last remaining heritage goods shed from the city’s shipping heyday has been transformed. Now the architectural centrepiece of 1 Hotel’s latest installment, the restored Goods Shed No. 5 has been decked out with abundant plant life and natural materials from timber to stone flooring. Says the brand: “The hotel is also designed to foster connection, creativity, and community, buzzing from day to night with chef-led dining, wellness experiences, and a dynamic lineup of “happenings” from sound baths and DJ sets to zero-waste cocktail workshops.” Sustainability is also a key pillar of the brand.
Where am I sleeping?
From the dried moss adorning my door to the half-dozen plants around the room (there are over 7000 in the hotel), my River Reserve King feels like a five-star hotel crossed with a treehouse, a vibe enhanced by the rustic throw rugs, plentiful dark wood and earthy tones; you feel greener and more sustainable just standing in your room. 1 Hotel Melbourne really walks the sustainable walk with a filtered water tap and glasses replacing plastic bottles, chalk-and-slate instead of notepads and an in-room dining menu via a QR code burned into a piece of wood. The view is out onto the Yarra and the famous crane.
The hospitality situation
Crane Bar & Lounge takes up the main space in the revivified Goods Shed No. 5 – which was broken down into 2000 pieces, taken away and reassembled – with a DJ set up in the corner and Neighbours cafe, a grab-and-go dining option open by day. The Upstairs lounge is the more grown-up cocktail nook (try the Japanese martini with nori-infused Forty Spotted gin, sushi brine, sesame oil and some freeze-dried kimchi on the side). From Here By Mike is Sydney-based chef Mike McEnearney’s first hotel collab and offers a provenance-led menu that celebrates Victorian purveyors. Highlights might include slow-fermented flatbread topped with almond ricotta and mushroom nduja “XO” or a grilled Port Phillip Bay southern calamari cooked in and its own ink.
First impressions
In 1 Hotel Melbourne the passion for sustainability surrounds you from the moment you walk through the doors. NSW-based artist Jamie North’s organic sculpture – representing urban lifestyle and nature – brackets the Farm Table, where guests can grab a fresh piece of fruit on arrival. Above the reception desk is a tapestry by Portuguese-based artist Vanessa Barragão, made of 60 kilograms of textile waste that was headed to the landfill; the wooden desk below it was hewn from a fallen tree found in nearby Flagstaff Gardens. The granite wall to the right is made of offcuts that were also landfill-bound, and to the left is a desk made from bluestone pavers saved from the original precinct. There is also a huge “happenings” board listing everything on during your stay, from food and beverage offerings to a DJ playing in the adjacent bar.
Relax and revive
The hotel pool area at 1 Hotel is a well-designed haven with lap pool, spa, steam room and sauna, and it’s a kid-free space after 5pm. Next door is the Bamford Wellness Spa with a retail space packed with the Bamford body and skincare ranges that you also find in your room. As a bit of a spa sceptic, I was shocked by just how different my deep-tissue massage was. It was rigorous and intuitive, and quite possibly the best massage I have ever had.
Our conclusion
Melbourne’s new 1 Hotel bangs a very loud drum in the wellness and sustainability space, and it more than delivers, making it one of the most exciting new offerings in the city’s hotel scene.
Discover Melbourne
This feature originally appeared in Issue 10 of Dream by Luxury Escapes.
