We Are Completely Enamored of This Gatsby-Glam Boutique Hotel in Melbourne

NESTLED IN THE HEART of Melbourne, just on the outskirts of the CBD, the recently refurbished Royce Hotel is a testament to the city’s golden era, a resplendent icon witnessing growth, grandeur and the changing face of the city through history.

The recent resurgence of boutique hotels in Melbourne is refreshing in the age of Airbnb (there are numerous and too many to list that have launched in the southern Australian city in the last two years), but to see this sort of boutique offering emerge via a restoration of a building as remarkable and as storied as this is nothing short inspiring.

Melbourne, once the wealthiest city in the world during the 1850s gold rush, exuded an air of opulence and grandeur well into the turn of the last century. It was a place where hoteliers reigned supreme, wealthy business owners flaunted their new luxury cars or real estate, and it was in buildings, just like The Royce, where the city’s wealthy elite unwound in a mesmerizing playground of hedonistic adventure. 

Built in 1928, The Royce’s heritage-listed building proudly showcases its old-world charm through a sandstone facade that whispers tales of a bygone golden age. 

But step through the automatic glass doors in 2023, and as the result of a meticulous two-year renovation, its internals have not just been restored, they’ve been enhanced with a grandiose vibrancy. You can almost taste the history in the interior design and the deliberate guest flow experience created from the lobby to lift.

As you approach the lobby and front desk, you immediately feel like you’ve walked into a party hosted by Jay Gatsby. You’re greeted by not just staff but also other guests. Like you’ve joined an exclusive country club and are being embraced with gusto.

Marble columns meet flamboyant and glitzy chandeliers, and peacock taxidermy takes pride in the lobby overlooking velvet lounges and a serenading 1920s jazz soundtrack. 

The 94 rooms, each with their own style and views of either St. Kilda Road or the Botanical Gardens, do exactly as they say on the brochure. This is your luxury home away from your mundane home. The grey timber parquetry floors, soft interiors and free-standing bathtub make me question why I want to venture beyond these four walls and explore the rest of the hotel.

But the genuine pleasantries happen in the newly restored Showroom Bar downstairs. Once a Rolls Royce Showroom, the space was initially commissioned by racehorse owner, motoring buff and pioneering car dealer Charles Kellow. His car salon was his pride and joy, and even after the building was drafted into military service in 1940, it survived the post-war modernity boom, and the space is now a celebrated reminder of Melbourne’s roaring 1920s.

The Showroom’s decor and crystal and marble-lined bar have elevated all its previous glamor of a Hollywood Hills-style mansion. We’re greeted at the bar by a finely dressed mixologist in a black vest, who pours us two glasses of Taittinger Champagne before we can even sit down. We’re asked if we want another, and despite the A$193 per bottle price tag, I feel strangely compelled to say yes. 

Today, Rolls Royce cars are replaced by private dining booths situated on The Showroom’s floor, with plenty of distance between them so diners cannot hear each other. It was almost as if the designers knew this would still be a room for secret Melbourne dealings and under-the-table handshakes.

The Royce Hotel casts a stunning glow against the Melbourne skyline as day turns into night. Once a hub of gold-laden dreams, the city unfolds in the glowing windows as our five-course dining experience is served with typical Melbourne hospitality. Exceptional, as always.

In the heart of Melbourne, where history and modernity entwine, The Royce Hotel is more than just a luxurious accommodation—it is a living chronicle of the city’s journey through time. At the risk of sounding like too much of a hypeman, it’s my genuine feeling that you don’t just stay at The Royce; it stays with you. And when you walk through to the new Conservatory space on the ground floor—billowing textiles on the ceiling and terracotta tiles against the bar—you’ve officially become part of its story and everlasting narrative. 

roycehotel.com.au; doubles from A$370

Images courtesy of The Royce Hotel, Melbourne.

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