Want to take advantage of Marriott STARS benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked. This is valid for paid stays at BVLGARI, EDITION, Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and St. Regis.
A couple of months ago, I wrote about a hotel that’s in the pipeline that might just become one of Australia’s best city hotels. I wanted to provide an update on this, as the hotel has now started accepting reservations.
In this post:
Basics of the new Ritz-Carlton Melbourne
The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne is expected to open in “early 2023,” and as of now is accepting reservations as of May 1, 2023 (though I imagine that timeline has the potential to be moved forward). This will be Australia’s tallest hotel, and it also looks like it could be one of the country’s best city hotels. The concept was first announced back in 2015, so this hotel has been a long time coming.
The 257-room five-star hotel will be at the very top of an 80-story building on Lonsdale Street, so will feature great views of the city and Port Phillip Bay. Guests staying at the hotel will be whisked up to the very top floor of the building, where the lobby is located, and then the rooms are below that (but the lowest room is on the 65th floor, so all rooms should have amazing views).
The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne will feature a variety of amenities, including a 79th floor club lounge, a signature restaurant and lobby bar (details remain to be seen), a heated indoor infinity pool and deck, a spa, and a gym.
I’m a sucker for hotels that are at the very top of skyscrapers. My first thought is that this hotel gives me Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong vibes (though the hotel isn’t quite as high up). I know some people don’t like having to take two elevators to get to their guest room, but in my opinion it’s a small price to pay for a lobby and rooms with amazing views. Admittedly Melbourne’s skyline isn’t quite as iconic as Hong Kong’s.
Below you can find some renderings of this beautiful hotel
Ritz-Carlton Melbourne rates & points requirements
Now that the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne is accepting reservations, we have a sense of what pricing and points requirements will be like, at least initially. For what it’s worth, entry level rooms at the hotel are 44 square meters (473 square feet).
For those paying cash, rates seem to start at around 550 AUD (~370 USD) per night, though there’s obviously quite a bit of variability depending on the day of week, time of year, etc.
Ritz-Carltons are known for their amazing club lounges, and club rooms are consistently quite expensive. This property is no exception. Club rooms seem to consistently cost an extra 600 AUD (~400 USD) per night over standard rooms.
If you are going to book a cash stay at any Ritz-Carlton, I’d highly recommend doing so through the Marriott STARS program, so you can receive complimentary breakfast, a $100 property credit, a room upgrade, early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability), and a welcome amenity. The Marriott STARS rate should be equal to whatever the standard flexible rate is when paying cash. Ford and his team are happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at [email protected]
For those redeeming points, the cost is roughly what you’d expect. Marriott Bonvoy has dynamic award pricing, so the price in points varies by night. I value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so redemption rates seem fair, with an average cost of somewhere around 50,000 points per night for a standard room.
Ritz-Carlton brand expanding nicely in Australia
It’s impressive to see the pace at which the Ritz-Carlton brand is growing in Australia. Several years ago there weren’t any Ritz-Carlton properties in Australia. Then in 2019, the Ritz-Carlton Perth opened, marking the brand’s first property “down under.”
In addition to the new Melbourne property, Ritz-Carlton is also expected to open a property in Gold Coast in 2026. Of course it’s anyone’s guess if that timeline sticks, or if the project gets rebranded before the hotel ever opens, given how these kinds of things go.
A Ritz-Carlton Sydney has also been in the works for years, but there’s an ongoing dispute as to whether or not that will happen.
Bottom line
The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne is expected to open in early 2023, and is now accepting reservations for stays as of May 2023 (though it may still open before that). This will be Australia’s tallest hotel, as it’ll be located in an 80-story building, and should be the city’s new best hotel. I’m excited to learn more details, and to check this out!
What do you make of the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne?
*The Gold Coast, not “Gold Coast”.
All you do is talk about is fancy hotels, when are you going to review the negative motel 6 in parker arizona, you snob
Yawn. I'm sure the hotel will be nicely appointed, the service top-notch, and the amenities appropriately luxurious. From those three standpoints, this is great news.
At the end of the day, though, it's still Melbourne, one of the world's most vastly overrated cities. Forgettable geography, a food scene that's mostly hype (and that doesn't offer much different from what you can get in any other large city), and - the CBD aside - a...
Yawn. I'm sure the hotel will be nicely appointed, the service top-notch, and the amenities appropriately luxurious. From those three standpoints, this is great news.
At the end of the day, though, it's still Melbourne, one of the world's most vastly overrated cities. Forgettable geography, a food scene that's mostly hype (and that doesn't offer much different from what you can get in any other large city), and - the CBD aside - a lot of sprawling, low-rise neighborhoods without much character. I've never understood why Americans and Europeans make trips of 20+ hours to visit Melbourne when there are so many more rewarding options close by.
I suppose I'd find Melbourne impressive if I'd never been to a city before, but that's about all I can say for it.
Under $400 USD per a night? This seems like a massive bargain in both cash and points. Sign me up!
Let's be real. Melbourne seems to be under renovation at the moment. Why? ...because if you build it, they will come. I worked the opening of the Park Hyatt in melb wayback in 1999. It was a dead period in Australian tourism & visitor numbers. Then we built it up, and helped contribute into melb becoming a 'livable' and highly visited city. We did it once, actually we did it many times in history, we will do it again. We are Melbourne, Australia.
Actually i change my mind. I love australia and the ritz.
Pity about the location.
It is not in the middle of the CBD.
Pretty dead at night too, and the nearby King St / Bourke St / Lonsdale corners are very shady. ( Homeless, drug addicts hang around there and it can be very rowdy during the weekends)
Agree totally on location. King Street can be super busy and seedy at night.
As a Perth resident very happy another Aussie city is getting a Ritz-Carlton as ours is amazing!
Beautiful hotel but in a completely forgettable city except for the graffiti, homeless and garbage everywhere.
Spoken like a true insecure Sydneysider.
Someone has a case of the envies!
I’m here for the intra-Aussie smack-talk!
So true. We were reluctant transplants to Melbourne for work, but we’ve realised it’s far superior to Sydney in almost every way. Nobody is obsessed with money or real estate, or what car you drive, or being the flashiest person on the block. Sydney is fake, and hollow, and populated by fake, angry people. Melbourne is the real deal. Sydneysiders can keep their humid, cockroach-ridden, cultural wasteland full of poseurs.
Ploise. What do you reckon? It’s nice, it’s different, it’s unusual. :-)
Mate - couldn't have just said it rains all the bloody time??
In Sydney? Yes. We have a lot of cloudy days in Melbourne, by far the most of any big Australian city, but the rainfall average of 650 mm (25 inches) is about half of Sydney’s 1200 mm (47 inches). And bear in mind that so far in 2022, Sydney has had more than 2000 mm (79 inches).
Hi Regis,
Sadly you are right, especially post Covid lockdowns.
Melbourne has been destroyed by a left wing state government and city council. Can't believe that they are planning to open a drug injection room in the CBD too.
Appears your comment did not age well, son : “…destroyed by a left-wing government” that just got re-elected in a SECOND DANSLIDE. It burns you, doesn’t it? It BURNS.
Melbourne is a fabulous city, but unfortunately the Ritz Carlton will be in one of the least desirable locations, right opposite Southern Cross station. The western side of the city is far away from the more salubrious ‘Paris end’ so it’s quite a peculiar location for such a premium property. Nonetheless, Melbourne is one of the easiest major cities to navigate, so it won’t necessarily be a deal breaker.
It is correct that the...
Melbourne is a fabulous city, but unfortunately the Ritz Carlton will be in one of the least desirable locations, right opposite Southern Cross station. The western side of the city is far away from the more salubrious ‘Paris end’ so it’s quite a peculiar location for such a premium property. Nonetheless, Melbourne is one of the easiest major cities to navigate, so it won’t necessarily be a deal breaker.
It is correct that the owner of the Grand Hyatt (arguably the very best location in Melbourne) is currently assessing redevelopment options as the building is now more than 40 years old.
I tend to agree, Tony, but things seem to have changed post covid. The Paris end of the city has been decimated by the pandemic, a massive number of cafes and restaurants have either closed or only open on some days of the week and for lunch onwards. All of my usual breakfast spots have now closed.
I stayed on the other side of town, and agree it is less attractive and also suffers...
I tend to agree, Tony, but things seem to have changed post covid. The Paris end of the city has been decimated by the pandemic, a massive number of cafes and restaurants have either closed or only open on some days of the week and for lunch onwards. All of my usual breakfast spots have now closed.
I stayed on the other side of town, and agree it is less attractive and also suffers from way too much construction, but it does seem to have a cool vibe, and a lot of the local venues have survived (either through lower rents or the fact that it has more residential buildings)
Melbourne used to be a great city, but it has been destroyed by a left wing state government and city council. Can't believe that they are planning to open a drug injection room in the CBD too.
At Bill NDC
Sadly The Grand Hyatt Mel was sold and in its final few years from my understanding
Hopefully it comes back as a Hyatt!
Thanks for the heads up on this Sir Lucky
Melbourne is my favorite city in the world and has inspired me in every aspect of my life
My first visit was in the 90s
The people are simply awesome and they love their dining and cooking as I do.
A Cafe society
In the many hotels I have stayed at I have witnessed some of the finest hospitality and generosity...
Thanks for the heads up on this Sir Lucky
Melbourne is my favorite city in the world and has inspired me in every aspect of my life
My first visit was in the 90s
The people are simply awesome and they love their dining and cooking as I do.
A Cafe society
In the many hotels I have stayed at I have witnessed some of the finest hospitality and generosity of my lifetime as a frequent guest.
And especially the people with their joy and sense of humor who take personal interest in others in or out of Australia.
I'm back in a few weeks and cannot wait to revisit and experience since my last visit in 2019
Would try the new Ritz Carlton as I back next April as well
Hopefully its a lot better than the new Downtown Ritz Carlton NYC which I thought was completely mediocre with average decor and overpriced to the point of being absurd.
Melbourne IMO has also been a city of great value when comparing the likes of rooms/suites in London or New York etc.And right now with the strength of the dollar awesome.Enjoy it while we can!
We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne in 1989 visit. Nice corner room, club lounge, and new friends. We used United miles for Biz on B747SP
There to meet with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne as I was the mayor of Melbourne, Iowa
Next month I’ll get to experience the refreshed Sydney Intercontinental using my Abassador Weekend BOGO
A really grotty location. That end of the hoddle grid has always been a bit tawdry. Convenient location for the central police station and Melbourne assessment prison.
With any luck this guy @jason won't come back to Australia. What a stupid comment.
As other friends and colleagues have said, it’s a long way to go to get what you can get in California. Don’t worry. I won’t!
I lived in a high rise apartment building opposite this upcoming development and got no sleep at weekends due to a rooftop nightclub that operates raves all night every weekend evening and public holiday from 11pm-7am. Hopefully this hotel has better sound proofing than my old apartment or there will be lots of cranky guests when this hotel opens for people in east facing rooms.
Check out Brown Alley and their noise complaints on...
I lived in a high rise apartment building opposite this upcoming development and got no sleep at weekends due to a rooftop nightclub that operates raves all night every weekend evening and public holiday from 11pm-7am. Hopefully this hotel has better sound proofing than my old apartment or there will be lots of cranky guests when this hotel opens for people in east facing rooms.
Check out Brown Alley and their noise complaints on Google Place reviews.
https://g.co/kgs/xFGw7X (Not my review)
Once again, it seems like Marriott is only interesting in openly properties flagger under Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Edition or W. Those are the four brands it almost exclusively manages. Meanwhile, the growth for Marriott's other brands, including JW Marriott, Marriott, Sheraton and Westin, seem relegated to franchisees.
Still better than Hyatt’s expansion, which, we both lament, seems to be exclusively Aimbridge Hyatt Place/House properties, and third-tier European properties.
I think it seems that way because those properties you mention are already EVERYWHERE. There's no shortage of the luxury brands either, but those are the names they seem to be expanding, and they are the names worth advertising in their portfolio. Does anyone really care if a Westin opens in their city? I'm not on that side of the industry, but I'd also imagine from a business perspective they are making a lot more revenue from the properties that charge way more.
The properties may be "everywhere" in North America, but Marriott's full-service footprint is still pretty light in Europe.
I think the real challenge is that full-service hotels are getting too expensive to operate in many markets, thanks to the combination of labor shortages and high labor costs. Providing the service and amenities at the expected standard that separate a Westin or JW Marriott from a Courtyard or Fairfield is getting very, very difficult. A...
The properties may be "everywhere" in North America, but Marriott's full-service footprint is still pretty light in Europe.
I think the real challenge is that full-service hotels are getting too expensive to operate in many markets, thanks to the combination of labor shortages and high labor costs. Providing the service and amenities at the expected standard that separate a Westin or JW Marriott from a Courtyard or Fairfield is getting very, very difficult. A good example are Norway and Sweden.
As for money, I don't know. Marriott doesn't really franchise Ritz-Carlton. There are, I believe, only two Ritz-Carlton properties franchised (Chicago and Kuala Lumpur). But the revenue and franchise fees that Marriott collects from brands that it does franchise are basically the same, regardless of cost. If anything, Marriott may make a little less money managing a property because Marriott has significantly more staff and management at a Marriott-managed property. Some of the big third-party management companies that operate franchised properties for owners are attractive for owners because they have reduced staffing and management levels thereby reducing costs.
Extremely overrated country and city, there are better hotel chains out there (if one must do a chain). Hard pass.
I think we'll give your comment a hard pass as well.
Don’t worry about him, he clearly has no idea what the average Australian thinks of the average American.
Actually, I'm very aware, having lived there and having worked with Australians around the world. Which is a big part of what colours my impression.
"Don’t worry about him, he clearly has no idea what the average Australian thinks of the average American."
How did you guys like wearing a mask while exercising outside by yourself? How was that 5km lockdown for COVID. How did you like the cops beating the people they swore to protect for protesting against these measures while allowing BLM marches to take place and with a police department in greater Sydney hosting a LGBT Pride...
"Don’t worry about him, he clearly has no idea what the average Australian thinks of the average American."
How did you guys like wearing a mask while exercising outside by yourself? How was that 5km lockdown for COVID. How did you like the cops beating the people they swore to protect for protesting against these measures while allowing BLM marches to take place and with a police department in greater Sydney hosting a LGBT Pride party during COVID.
I frankly don't care what an island of felons and their captors think of the U.S.
haha - I didnt think it would happen this late in the year, but congrats on making it into the the top 5 idiotic comments for 2022.
Looking forward to 2023!
@Jason
Or looking at it the other way: maybe it's simply beyond your resources?
My resources are pretty vast, thanks. I choose nicer, higher-end hotels in better locations.
Stay home. You’ve missed out on something spectacular. Melbourne is a lovely city and the new “Ritz Carlton” will be a bright spot in a neighborhood that is ripe for change.
It has wonderful flora and flora. The scenery is amazing . Quokkas, koala, kangaroo. Uluru. The barrier reef.
We will pass on you too.
To all the Aussies reading this, please know that the opinions of @Jason and @Jeffery Chang do not represent the opinions of many, if not most, Americans. I live in a place that long ago, said COVID, what COVID? Just a minor flu, with resulting soaring deaths. In fact, even compared to NY, in 2021 and 2022 our death rate was twice what they experienced.. The pandemic was awful by any measure. Period. Please, all...
To all the Aussies reading this, please know that the opinions of @Jason and @Jeffery Chang do not represent the opinions of many, if not most, Americans. I live in a place that long ago, said COVID, what COVID? Just a minor flu, with resulting soaring deaths. In fact, even compared to NY, in 2021 and 2022 our death rate was twice what they experienced.. The pandemic was awful by any measure. Period. Please, all move on now. It is simply laughable and xenophobic to paint a broad brush stoke of any country (with perhaps some notable exceptions such as Putin’s Russia). I have traveled extensively in California and been to AU too. Both have wonderful and not so wonderful locations. I am heading back to AU in a couple of months and am very excited about the visit, heading to the southern part of the country including MEL. I am sure we will find things to delight us. Will all be perfect? Probably not, but it is all part of the experience.
@Michael B
Well if COVID deaths are your sole metric of success then you would stand by every action the CCP has done to control COVID.
After all, what is the right to liberty (or the lives of your dogs) compared COVID deaths. All these Chinese complaining about being locked in their own apartments just didn't have the insight of Michael B.