Ovolo South Yarra blends retro flair with modern Melbourne

Melbourne’s bustling inner suburb of South Yarra will gain a fresh new hotel next month, with the opening of the 123-room Ovolo South Yarra on April 8.

Situated on Toorak Road near Chapel Street, the property takes pride of place amid the area’s famed shopping and dining district, while also being a short walk to South Yarra Station: with easy links to Melbourne's CBD and then onwards to Melbourne Airport.

Ovolo South Yarra will offer everything from “micro-hotel rooms” through to Rockstar Suites, with the property itself taking bold design cues from disco and retro glamour.

Blending accents of chrome with bursts of colour and featuring a number of integrated modern art installations, the hotel draws upon ‘retrofuturism’, as designer Rachel Luchetti explains:

“Retrofuturism explores the themes of tension between past and future, and the nostalgia of those eras is appropriated with integrated modern art installations and collaborations with local and international artists.”

Guests planning to explore all that Melbourne has to offer may find the hotel’s smallest rooms more than adequate, being designed to meet a traveller’s essential needs within a minimal footprint.

The larger Groovy rooms and suites instead provide more space to relax, while all guests at the hotel who book direct enjoy perks such as a complimentary minibar, free daily breakfast and evening drinks, and free WiFi.

Alternatively, check-in to a Rockstar Suite and enjoy the benefits of space paired with a music-themed design, complete with your own turntable.

The hotel will also offer 24-hour gym access, a self-service laundry, and an on-site vegan restaurant and bar, Lona Misa, specialising in plant-based dining with a Latin flair, in partnership with chefs Shannon Martinez and Ian Curley. 

“Ovolo South Yarra will set the scene for an extraordinary hotel experience embodying Ovolo’s philosophy of connecting with its customers emotionally and will complement the local cultural scene through its art, design and unique restaurant concept,” said Girish Jhunjhnuwala, founder and CEO of Ovolo Hotels.

Rooms start at $279 per night, with car trips between the hotel and Melbourne Airport typically taking 25-45-minutes.

Ovolo South Yarra adds to the chain’s growing portfolio of hotels, now spanning Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, as well as its home base in Hong Kong – soon to be joined by Mamaka Kuta Beach Bali in Indonesia, being part of the By Ovolo Collective.

Also read: Hilton returns to Melbourne, on Little Queen Street

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.