Fitzroy is Melbourne’s epicentre of cool, where old-school pubs and indie stores sit alongside gay bars and Victorian terrace houses. No wonder that when The Standard team was looking for the place to launch the very first property for its new brand, The StandardX – billed as a “rebellious younger sibling” to the global boutique-hotel marque – they chose this lively borough.

Don’t let the hotel’s rusted exterior fool you – this is a new build created by local firms Woods Bagot (exterior) and Hecker Guthrie (interiors). Distinctive touches lending character to the compact guest rooms include cheerful striped carpeting, tiny fluoro artworks and the fluted-glass bathroom walls that provide privacy without getting in the way of the natural light. But it is the hotel’s public areas that are the most inviting, with their blend of vintage and custom furniture and chunky macramé by artist Sarah Smalltown that adds texture to the lobby’s cement pylons.

The StandardXThe StandardX

When it comes to food, chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya serves up Thai street fare at BANG restaurant, both for dinner (think pa tong ko doughnuts with blue swimmer crab) and breakfast (coconut-fried eggs and mango sticky rice sit on the menu alongside less challenging choices, including porridge and fruit plates). End the day with a glass or two of natural wine, sourced from a boutique grower in Victoria, at the guests-only The Roof, from which you can admire the glitter of the city’s skyline.

BANG restaurant at The StandardXThe Roof at The StandardX

The hyperlocal sensibility of The StandardX, Melbourne, puts it in the vanguard of a new wave of hotels where homegrown design talent is firmly front and centre. Sitting at the “Paris end” of Russell Street, Melbourne Place – which threw open its doors in November – enlisted the design talents of Kennedy Nolan and a team of local artisans to create cosy rooms that offer a sensory respite in the heart of town.

The softly glowing colour palette teams with jarrah-wood features to create a sense of warmth, while a wealth of custom pieces rewards closer inspection. Look for lighting by both Ross Gardam and Volker Haug; stools by Zachary Frankel; and ceramic basins by Robert Gordon, as well as artworks by Melbourne-based Sudanese artist Atong Atem.

An equally top-notch team is behind the food and beverage offerings, including Nick Deligiannis (ex-Audrey’s) who delivers Mediterranean-influenced breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner at the rooftop restaurant Mid Air. (Early risers will be delighted to learn that service starts at 6:30am.) Hospitality power couple Sunny and Ross Lusted have designed a Portuguese-inspired restaurant, Marmelo, that is very different from their Sydney outlet, Woodcut. Also part of their portfolio is the atmospheric basement bar, Mr Mills.

Melbourne Place

Next out the gate will be 1 Hotel Melbourne. Set to open this coming April, this is the first Australian outpost for the boutique brand that puts nature to the fore. Part of the new Northbank development on the Yarra riverside, the hotel’s biophilic design by ODO melds recycled and reclaimed timber from heritage wharves and sheds, with a colour scheme inspired by the nearby Dandenong Ranges. Guests can also connect with nature at the waterfront restaurant as well as the 3,500 square metres of parkland that form part of the Northbank Precinct.

1 Hotel Melbourne

And that’s not all. Across the river in Southbank, the Hannah St Hotel is currently scheduled for a September 2025 unveiling. The property will cover 10 storeys of the new Queensbridge Building, where facilities will include a lap pool, a large-scale gym and a work club complete with soundproof podcasting rooms.

Details are still scarce but given the calibre of the other boutique properties managed by TFE Hotels – including Brisbane’s celebrated The Calile Hotel, Auckland’s sustainability-focused The Hotel Britomart and Sydney’s brand-new The Eve Hotel – expectations are high.

The forthcoming Hannah St Hotel

Photos credits: © 1 Hotel Melbourne, © The StandardX, Sean Fennessy, Photo FloodSlicer Pty Ltd