STAY > Le Méridian, Melbourne

The Le Méridien hotel sits at the top of the city in what was once a theatre, cinema, live music venue and a legendary nightclub. The former Metro sat empty for years waiting for a major redevelopment and that came in a totally different direction with the French hotel brand opening a smart new venue.

Designed by Melbourne architects Peddle Thorp, the hotel has kept the original art deco facade of the building but behind the facade it is an entirely new 12 storey building that now fills the site. There are 235 rooms which range from smart to lavish (and priced accordingly) there is a ground floor cafe at the reception area and in the basement a restaurant and cocktail bar.

SLEEP >

Each of the two hundred and thirty five rooms feature the signature Le Méridien beds, have huge 55 inch LCD TVs and have quality bath amenities from New York brand Malin + Goetz and bath salts from Australian brand Orana. Windows run floor to ceiling and the higher rooms have excellent views, either over the pool or towards East Melbourne.

Bathrooms are quite opulent each with a deep bathtub and showers that have both the ceiling mounted rain shower as well as a wall mounted shower head.

There is a hint of making these rooms a little more personal with books, coffee pod machines and signature cocktails, there is a wooden retro desk in keeping with the deco styling.

The suites have a seperate living and dining area that have a smartly appointed kitchenette, of course they also have some of the best views over the city from the higher floors.

EAT >

Dolly is the hotel’s ‘subterranean’ restaurant and while it is difficult to compete as a hotel restaurant in a city which has made fine dining an art form, Dolly does make a very good show of being up to the challenge. The food is under Chef Christian Graebner who describes it as ‘inventive European dining’ and the setting at smart marble tables and banquets are very stylish.

WORK OUT >

Perhaps the smartest thing about the Le Meridian is the 18m pool and pool deck which has expansive views over the Melbourne Parliament building and across to Fitzroy Gardens.

The hotel has a smart fitness centre that faces towards the pool with free weights, treadmills and various equipment. It is not the largest hotel gym but it is quite functional for getting a workout in during a work trip or working off a weekend indulgence.

DRINK >

The bar is downstairs next to Dolly the restaurant, it is a big space and they make all the usual cocktails with appropriate flair and attention. On the night we were there it felt that it was a lacking a little soul and the cocktail bar space gets a little lost in the restaurant. The service which was professional seemed a bit more caught up with the restaurant but that might just be teething problems.