A former theatre, cinema and live music venue, Parisian-born, Le Méridien Melbourne pays homage to its theatrical past in almost every aspect of the hotel, and you’ll feel it from the moment you walk through its doors.
Traveller: Kirstie Bedford
Room: 1114
Address: 20 Bourke Street, Melbourne City
Date: July 2023
Price range: From $345 – $2,000
Best for: Couples or friends looking for an urban escape
The Signature factor
Slip into the heated pool on level five (it’s 27 degrees Celsius year-round) and swim laps to views of Parliament House. You may even hear the dulcet tones from a nearby theatre performance, you are after all right in the middle of the theatre district.
The concept
From arrival where you’ll enter the hotel to café bar, Intermission, the theatre starts, and it’s a musical you’ll want to be a part of. The ground floor lobby bar has nostalgic green marble benchtops, theatre lighting, and menu boards reminiscent of the stage and screen.
There’s mid-century-inspired furniture, polished natural stone and terrazzo, and fluted chrome. Start the day with breakfast here and when the sun goes down, have a flute of champagne before you head downstairs to Dolly, the hotel’s main restaurant named after the dolly zoom camera technique pioneered during Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece Vertigo.
First impressions
You’re in the ‘Paris’ end of town and it feels it. The Princess Theatre is a mere two-minute walk away, as is Her Majesty’s Theatre and some of Melbourne’s best restaurants. Parliament House with its grand colonnaded frontage sits like a guardian over Bourke Street. And inside, opulence is everywhere from the soft mulberry-hued banquette seating, rich timber panelling and shimmering chrome touches.
Le Méridien rooms
All 235 rooms have Malin + Goetz bath amenities, signature Le Méridien beds, 55-inch LCD TVs, signature bottled cocktails by The Everleigh Bottling Co., and a personal coffee machine with artisan coffee pods. After all, you are in Melbourne. High room floors have floor-to-ceiling views over the pool and out to the east of Melbourne, while lower levels immerse travellers in Melbourne’s bustling laneways or the historic red brick and stained-glass façade. Choose a suite and you’ll have a black stone kitchenette, premium Smeg appliances, luxury barware, a selection of art books, oak board games, and Yamaha MusicCast 500 turntables with a selection of vinyls from artists such as Prince and James Brown, who once performed on-site.
My room is on the eleventh floor (there are twelve floors) with views to the fifth-floor pool, terrace and bar area, Le Splash. Airforce blue velvet chairs give a nod to the brand’s Air France origins, and it has a spacious, modern marble bathroom with double sinks and an oversized shower.
Top suite
The Palace Suite has two bedrooms and views across Parliament House. There’s a black stone kitchenette with premium Smeg appliances, a table for eight, and a lounge area with a selection of art books, beautifully crafted oak board games, Yamaha MusicCast 500 turn-tables and a selection of vinyls from artists such as Prince and James Brown, who once performed on-site.
On my plate
We dined at the downstairs restaurant, Dolly where it’s all soft mulberry-hued banquette seating, and luxuriant deep red carpet. Each dish draws on classic European cuisine whilst showcasing seasonal local produce. We had a four-course degustation. Act One was Coffin Bay oysters with champagne sorbet; Act Two was a pretty dish of Tasmanian cured salmon roulade with leek ash, poached king prawn, buttermilk, chilli oil, chive and fennel pollen. The Main Act was a succulent Beef Wellington – Director’s Cut of O’Connor grass-fed beef tenderloin, prosciutto, silver beet, mushrooms and Dijon mustard. We finished with the Grand Finale, which lived up to its name – a Bombe Alaska fittingly with popcorn and salted caramel ice cream and rum-torched meringue.
I wish I could take home
That Bombe Alaska…
Staying in
Swim, dine and repeat. Each of the three food and beverage outlets has a very different feel. A take on a traditional cinema experience at Intermission, the moody, basement-level Dolly, or vibrant Le Splash with its quintessential Melbourne skyline views.
Stepping out
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to theatre in Melbourne, and here, you are mere steps from multiple theatres. Think MAMMA MIA!, Jersey Boys, Hairspray, MATILDA The Musical. When you’ve exhausted the onsite eatery options, there are myriad of exceptional restaurants on your doorstep. Slip down almost any laneway to find everything from authentic Asian to fine dining. Try Bodega Underground, a late-night taqueria and underground mezcaleria in the basement of the Crossley Hotel, or The European for a culinary trip to old-world Europe with a mix of cuisines from France, Italy and Spain.
Before booking
Check the theatre schedule!
Insider tips
Ask about the sauna, it’s open 24/7 and check there aren’t any events taking over the pool area while you’re there.
If only
I had more time to soak up the views in the pool. At a consistent 27 degrees, there’s no excuse not to dive in.
Final verdict
Le Méridien has tastefully reflected its past interweaving a touch of theatre in the décor, food and the dramatic feel as soon as you enter this perfectly positioned property. It’s a place where even if you’re not theatrical-minded, you’ll happily play your part.
Where to find Le Méridien Melbourne
20 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
