5 December, 2022

The Royce sets reopening date after two-year refurb

By Alexandra Coulton

Melbourne luxury hotel, the Royce, has set a date for its grand re-opening following a two-year-long complete refurbishment.

The luxury hotel’s grand re-opening will take place on 1 February 2023, unveiling refreshed spaces paying homage to the building’s unique history.

The Royce is located on the border of Melbourne’s CBD and South Yarra in a heritage-listed building designed in 1928 by the prolific Art Deco architect, Harry Norris and the leading agent for prestige cars, Kellow Falkiner.

Once one of Australia’s most prestigious automobile showrooms and the original home of Rolls Royce in Melbourne, the hotel’s latest iteration pays homage to the prestigious showroom, with an illuminated porte-cochère offering the most glamourous welcome to guests, transporting them to the hey-day of the 1920s.

Featuring 94 guest rooms across a diverse range of category option, the hotel features 18 spacious, uniquely designed suites and six two-storey loft suites featuring original cornicing that were once home to the original Rolls Royce mechanic workshop.

A render of the Royce’s new look lobby lounge (supplied)

The hotel’s new-look lobby lounge takes notes from the art-deco movement with plush furnishings in hues of navy blue and royal purple, as well as a centre-piece 14-metre tall curved marble fireplace, drawing guests’ eyes to the high ceilings above, adorned with a 2-metre wide chandelier.

From the lobby, a sweeping marble staircase leads to the balcony above and through to The Royce’s events spaces, the Library and Ballroom.

The Library features floor-to-ceiling Zebrano timber bookshelves lined with a curated collection of classics, the space will be akin to the bespoke clubs of London, suggestive of the prohibition speakeasies, and will set the evening’s tone before being whisked behind the elegantly concealed doors and into The Ballroom, a 120 person space with six grand chandeliers and walls panelled with chrome that draws inspiration from the classic Rolls Royce grill.

Lift suite (supplied)

The rooms themselves will each be uniquely designed, from the soft leather upholstery to the restored original cornices which will line the ceilings, complete with state-of-the-art responsive technology and white Italian Carerra marble bathrooms featuring hand-cut glass alcoves and Molton Brown amenities.

The royal suite (supplied)

The hotel’s restaurant will be light and airy with hues of duck egg blue and coral, taking inspiration from the delicate botanical wallpaper that lines the walls.

French doors will fold back and reveal the glass conservatory, lined with striped awnings in French grey and white, and a classic French Lattice tiled floor to match.

The hotel’s restaurant (supplied)

Just in time for the final months of summer, the hotel’s terrace will provide the perfect place to dine alfresco, or sip on a sparkling glass of champagne in the sunshine, transporting guests to the quintessential summer gardens of Britain, with heated floors and seats in place to ensure the space remains a cosy retreat in cooler months.

Featured image: The conservatory (supplied)

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Harry Norris Kellow Falkiner the Royce