Built in 1913 as headquarters for the Commercial Travellers Association of Victoria, this Edwardian Baroque landmark now pairs heritage details with contemporary rooms and two very different dining spots. With the Yarra, Southbank and Melbourne’s laneways close at hand, the city is yours to dip in and out of – with a rather grand address to come back to. Here’s why you should take a step back in time at this heritage stay.
Breathing new life into the former travellers’ clubhouse
An imposing figure on Melbourne’s skyline, the building began as a meeting place for The Commercial Travellers Association who occupied the building until 1976. Architect Harry Tompkins designed the eight-storey headquarters in an Edwardian Baroque style with a grand entrance and stained-glass details that made the clubhouse feel like a civic landmark.
Its visitors included some notable names. The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, visited in 1920, and the Duke of Gloucester played billiards there in 1934. Decades later, the building appeared in Stanley Kramer’s 1959 film On the Beach, which was shot in Melbourne. Today, the address has become a luxury stay, but its history is visible in the architecture.
Look closely and the building’s decorative language continues beyond the rooms, from the entrance spaces to the shared interiors. This history forms the backdrop to ordinary parts of a city break: arriving, taking a pause between plans, or returning in the evening.
Stained glass and high ceilings set these rooms apart
Here, the past and the future perfectly contrast each other: high ceilings, antique armchairs and writing desks, and stained-glass windows sit alongside marble ensuite bathrooms and modern pendant lights. Elegant flower arrangements and a rich colour palette of burgundies and browns make every room feel refined yet inviting – exactly the right energy after a long day of exploring the city.
The height of glamour is the Tompkins Suite, named after the hotel’s architect. With a separate living area, a dressing room, seven-metre ceilings and a private balcony overlooking Flinders Street Station, it’s the pinnacle of heritage luxury.
Two dining rooms, two different moods
Dining at the hotel gives you a choice between a restaurant with a contemporary Australian outlook and a bar with a more classic feel. Mr Tompkins also takes its name from the building’s architect and has all your favourite breakfast classics. On select evenings, it becomes the setting for 7 Paintings: a seven-course, 2.5-hour dinner show inspired by famous artworks, with painting and riddles folded into the experience.
Ms Ava shifts the mood towards a sophisticated tipple with signature cocktails and a food menu that brings together pub classics with slow-cooked beef rendang and a standout tiramisu brownie. The name nods to actor Ava Gardner, who stayed at the hotel while in Melbourne for the filming of On the Beach, and you can even find the actress immortalised in The Ms Ava cocktail, a stylish twist on a classic martini.
Flinders Street puts the city within easy reach
The hotel’s central address makes it simple to move between Melbourne’s cultural landmarks, riverside paths and dining streets. Flinders Street Station is a short walk away, and the free tram zone makes getting around the central city straightforward. Cross towards the Yarra for Southbank’s promenade and arts venues, or head north into the laneways for cafés, galleries and late dinners.
The hotel’s old clubhouse days may be long gone, but it still makes a fine place to pause between city plans – and pick up where Melbourne left off.
