VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, 2021-Nov-30 — /Travel PR News/ — One of Melbourne’s finest historic hotels, Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne, has been reimagined with a modern look that pays homage to its turn-of-the-century origins.
The 340-room hotel, centrally located on Melbourne’s bustling Flinders Street, has just completed a multi-million-dollar refurbishment program that has seen the lobby, restaurant and 320 hotel rooms transformed. Importantly, the hotel’s interior designers were also tasked with ensuring there was design continuity between the hotel’s heritage tower (built in 1912) and the newer CTA wing (built in 1922 and extended in the 1990s).
Penny del Castillo from Studio del Castillo (formerly In Design International) said the building’s architectural features, the elegance and grandeur of the public spaces set the style for the design whilst modern technology – including digitally printed, carved carpets and 3D printed wallpaper designed to look like trompe l’oeil – were used to deliver on brief.
“In designs like these, there has to be an element of understanding and respect for what’s gone before,” she said. “So, ours was not an attitude of seek and destroy. Rather, we salvaged what we could of the original features – like the lovely stained-glass windows in the Travellers’ Lounge – to get the absolute best end result.”
The whole idea, Penny says, was to make the guest feel like a part of history… with all the mod-cons.
“We were over the moon with the possibilities when presented the opportunity to “do over” almost the entire hotel room stock^,” she said. “And we jumped at the chance to turn the F&B space into a dining destination that would do Melbourne proud.”
Natural lighting and local photography feature strongly in rooms that are designed to exude a certain elegance and decadence of bygone times. Think plush, quilted velvet headboards, custom-designed, multi-purpose desks and beautiful detail in the mirrors and soft furnishings.
Guest feedback was also considered as swing doors on the bathroom were replaced with barn doors for a more efficient use of the functional space available. A brass track system added a touch of luxury to the design theme.
The lead-in ‘Commerce Room’ category pays homage to the Commercial Travellers Association who commissioned the original building in 1912. The 22sqm rooms, which feature contemporary design yet retain their old-world charm, start from $189/night. The hotel’s Yarra View Perkins rooms feature hints of brass and marble, and offer a sense of intimate luxury, whilst at the other end of the scale, the spacious 50sqm Tompkins Master Suite boasts a living room, master bedroom with king bed and spacious bathrooms and retail at $489/night.
In the kitchen, Executive Chef Gianni Pisu is crafting a modern menu to match the rebranded 110-seat* Mr Tompkins restaurant, which is scheduled to open in Feb next year.
Giovanni left his family restaurant in Sardinia Italy on a journey to taste and cook with all the flavours of Europe. In an effort to learn English, he moved to London where he made his mark working as a Head Chef at Jamie Oliver in London. Whilst working at Jamie Oliver is one of Giovanni’s proudest achievements in his career, he has also had another brush with fame being part of one of the finalist teams on Gordon Ramsey’s show “Best Restaurant in Italy”. Chef Pisu joins Rendezvous direct from Crown Plaza Auckland.
In-house guests can take advantage of in room service; visit The Travellers Bar (open Thursday to Saturday), or indulge in the Rendezvous’ famous High Tea service, which is is available on Saturdays and Sundays.
TFE Hotels’ Group Chief Operating Officer, Chris Sedgwick, said that whilst the tourism sector in Victoria had been hit hard by Covid restrictions, the addition of the refurbished Rendezvous Melbourne to the city’s room stock, would be a strong part of Melbourne’s recovery story.
“”There’s been a lot of hard work that’s gone into this project under, what has been, extremely trying conditions,” he said. “And we look forward to welcoming back our loyal guests who love the Rendezvous for its superb location, the grandeur of the hotel and the friendly hospitality of our team, alongside new customers who want to come back and experience the romance of Melbourne city post lockdown.”
The Rendezvous Melbourne is owned by Far East Hospitality and operated by TFE (Toga Far East) Hotels. In line with the Melbourne refurb, the Singaporean-owned Rendezvous brand is also set to undergo a staged brand refresh in Australia, which will see a new-look logo, colour palette and ad campaign designed to inspire guests to connect with the city.
^20 x Heritage Hotel Rooms were restored in 2015.
*These numbers do not take into account Covid restrictions in Melbourne.
EDITOR’S NOTES
A brief history of the building…
What’s in a name: Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne can be shortened to Rendezvous Melbourne after first use.
Image Gallery: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/t2hL7RYR6w
Website: https://www.rendezvoushotels.com/
Opening special: Romance the City with a stay in a beautifully refurbished Commerce room and $50 F&B credit per stay, complimentary self-parking and a 1pm late check out for those that love a lie in from $228.40.
ABOUT RENDEZVOUS
The Rendezvous brand by Far East Hospitality embraces romance – of the past, the present, and life. The brand inspires conventional travellers to connect with the city, explore the culture, and create moments to cherish for the rest of their lives.
Rendezvous’ well-sited hotels, imbued with old-world charm, offer guests an ideal base to connect with the city and encounter the best that it has to offer. Each stay becomes a deep dive into culture that make the world a fascinating place to fall in love with. When life is romanced, guests transport themselves from the mundane every day to re-connect with their inner selves and awaken their wanderlust as the world comes alive with the sights and sounds of the arts, culture, heritage, and shopping surrounding each property.
CONTACT:
Jodi Clark
TFE Hotels (Director of Communications)
+61 499 900 658
Email: jclark@tfehotels.com
Source: TFE Hotels
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