FEATURED IN: TOP 10 LUXURY HOTEL GUIDE
There’s an expectation that all new multi-starred, name-brand, luxury hotels will include a checklist of benchmarks. Day spa, signature pool, ambitious and/or name chef restaurant, king-size beds, oversized marble-clad bathrooms. All are now de rigueur in upscale hotel land, their absence more notable than their presence.
The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne emphatically met all those expectations when it opened in the city’s western end in 2023. But this link of the global Ritz-Carlton chain has avoided any cookie-cutter sameness that such box-ticking exercises can bring by consciously and cleverly embracing the culture of the city it calls home.
The Melbourne outpost currently holds the title of Australia’s highest hotel (it occupies the top 17 and the first three floors of an 80-storey skyscraper), meaning that one of its signature features is the spectacular views of Melbourne and beyond, captured and highlighted via steel-framed floor-to-ceiling windows in public spaces and every room and suite.
The outlook makes it impossible to avoid a sense of place, but rather than leaving the view to do all the heavy lifting, the hotel amplifies the local inside too.
An incredible art collection, almost entirely commissioned from local artists, a food and drink offer that taps into Melbourne’s strength as a drinking and eating powerhouse, and décor that references Melbourne’s history and architecture – bluestone features, gold accents, furniture and detailing made from local timber – brings a thoroughly appealing sense of the bespoke and the personal.
It starts with the tony street-level lobby with its glimmering brass staircase, circular reflecting pool and brilliant work from First Nation artists like Reko Rennie, Maree Clarke and Djirrirra Wununmurra. Alongside the efficient, friendly service from the entrance lobby crew, the art is a fitting drum roll before the ear-popping express elevator ride to the eye-popping double-height Sky Lobby on the 80th floor.
This level also contains the wonderful Atria restaurant, helmed by former Vue de Monde chef Michael Greenlaw, who does interesting, creative but never fussy work with Australian, and especially Victorian, produce. The restaurant also features a finely crafted 19-metre-long Victorian ash bench, ideal for solo and couple dining, that directly faces the windows. It’s one of the best locations for eating breakfast in the country.
Also on Level 80, Cameo bar taps into Melbourne’s creative laneway bar culture, from excellent signature cocktails to an impressive vintage spirits program so you can drink a Martini like it’s 1955.
The most eye-catching (and Instagrammable) award must go to the Level 64 infinity pool, part of the outstanding spa offer, with its lines of lounges pulled up to the triple-height glass walls, but the rooms and suites themselves, opulently spacious, are also in lock-step with the hotel’s superb blend of spectacular and discreet luxury. Marble, timber and velvet details, original art and walk-in robes add to the sense of being in a meticulously appointed sky-high eyrie where a subtle Melbourne vibe contrasts with the not-so-subtle Melbourne view.
Even with its somewhat lo-fi (some might venture sketchy) location on the CBD’s western fringe, The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne’s charming mix of international and local know-how makes it a sure-fire winner.
All winners in the Gourmet Traveller Hotel and Travel Awards have been determined via an esteemed panel of industry experts, including Goumet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin and seasoned travel contributors Michael Harden, Lee Tulloch, Alexandra Carlton and more. Led by Hunkin, the judges and an expert team of critics also reviewed and endorsed more than 50 hotels across Australia to deliver the Gourmet Traveller Hotel Guide.
How we pick the Gourmet Traveller Hotel and Travel Awards winners
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