Starwood brings new Aloft hotel to Melbourne's South Yarra

Starwood Hotels and Resorts will open a new Aloft-brand hotel in Melbourne’s South Yarra district by early 2019, aptly named the Aloft Melbourne South Yarra.

The brand’s signature high ceilings and oversized windows are central to the design of the property’s 176 loft-like guestrooms, as are large walk-in showers.

Also core to Aloft and en route for Melbourne: a ‘Re:mix lounge’ and a W XYZ bar where guests can enjoy local live music as they sip drinks after work or catch up with friends, with a rooftop pool, bar and restaurant planned too.

“The Aloft brand and its ‘different by design’ approach is the perfect match for a vibrant and sophisticated city like Melbourne,” said Sean Hunt, Vice President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Pacific.

“The brand continues to experience rapid growth globally and locally here in Australia,” Hunt continues, pointing to existing plans for Aloft hotels in Perth and Adelaide, all of which are currently under construction and due to open in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.

But make no mistake, unlike Starwood’s Sheraton Melbourne Hotel on Collins Street, you won’t find the Aloft Melbourne South Yarra within the bounds of the CBD.

While the hotel’s PR team would have you believe the property “will be steps away from the city’s central business district”, in reality it’s more like a 65-minute walk:

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A better bet is to walk 600m from the hotel to the nearby Hawksburn Railway Station, from which you could catch a train to Flinders Street Station in just nine minutes.

For leisure guests and also business travellers making the most of their spare time, the hotel is better-located for the popular Prahran Market, although “nearby” attractions such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground and St. Kilda Beach are both 3-4km away.

Remaining at the hotel? Hit the ‘Re:charge’ fitness centre, grab a bite at the 24-hour ‘Re:fuel’ counter or hold your meetings in 300sqm of function rooms to be equipped with modern audio-visual hardware.

The property is expected to welcome Starwood Preferred Guest members staying in-house, although as with all Aloft-brand hotels, the complimentary room upgrades usually enjoyed by Gold and Platinum SPG members aren’t offered here.

Also read: New Starwood Aloft Dubai, The Palm hotel opening in 2017

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.