Hilton Hotels & Resorts Returns To Melbourne

Hilton, one of the fastest-growing hospitality companies in the world, today announced the opening of the 244-room Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street. The hotel’s location on the corner of Little Queen and Bourke Streets, provides easy access to the city’s recreational and cultural attractions. Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is owned by international hotel owner and developer M&L Hospitality and managed by Hilton.

“It is with immense pleasure we announce the return of our flagship brand Hilton Hotels & Resorts to Melbourne, with the opening of the stunning Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street. The hotel is set to be an icon of Melbourne’s CBD with its reimagining of the heritage Equity Chambers building,” said Heidi Kunkel, vice president, operations, Australasia, Hilton. “Melbourne is a priority destination for Hilton and the hotel joins DoubleTree by Hilton Melbourne–Flinders Street, also owned by valued business partners M&L Hospitality. Our commitment to the city is further evidenced by our development pipeline, which includes Hilton Garden Inn Bundoora expected in 2022, and DoubleTree by Hilton Box Hill and Hilton Melbourne Square, both expected in 2024.”

Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is conveniently located in the heart of Melbourne’s vibrant arts, theatre and dining precincts, is on the doorstep of the city’s key business districts and has easy access to public transport. The hotel is also within walking distance of Bourke Street Mall and Federation Square and a short tram ride from popular tourist attractions such as the National Gallery of Victoria, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Melbourne international airport is 23 kilometers from the hotel.

Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street’s heritage building was formerly the Melbourne Equity Chambers, built in 1931, which was renowned for its architectural style and Italian Romanesque and Gothic detailing. In its reimagining, architecture and design studio Bates Smart has respected the building’s Old World charm by restoring original features, then injected new life into the site adding a modern six-level extension, and a new 16-level tower.

The setback position of the Bourke Street entrance creates prominence to the grand building façade, whilst the inclined laneway leads to the hotel’s porte cochere. A colourful large-scale mural by local graffiti artist Kitt Bennett, part of the Juddy Roller collective, is captured in the entrance’s angled bronze panels.

“Hilton Hotels & Resorts has been setting the benchmark for hospitality in the world’s most sought-after destinations for over a century, offering innovative guest experiences and meaningful service to meet guests’ evolving needs. With the opening of Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street, this legacy is set to continue,” said Alexandra Jaritz, senior vice president, brand management, Asia Pacific, Hilton. “Its strategic location at the centre of Melbourne’s cultural, retail and key business districts, combined with its distinctive facilities and amenities, ensures the hotel’s dedicated team members will deliver exceptional experiences for every guest,” she added.

DINING

Luci restaurant is located in the building’s former grand banking hall and is accessed via the hotel’s Bourke Street entrance. The restaurant serves contemporary Australian cuisine, and nods to Melbourne’s history of Italian immigrants and its evolution into a cosmopolitan culinary city. The menu by Executive Chef Sam Moore is designed to appeal to locals and travellers alike.

The restaurant is accompanied by The Douglas Club, an opulent lounge bar split across two rooms offering cocktails, cognacs, an extensive wine and champagne selection, and snacks.

ACCOMODATIONS & AMENITIES

Guest rooms feature custom details that celebrate the building’s design heritage as well as Melbourne cityscapes – leather wardrobe handles are inspired by vintage luggage, carpet designs mirror patterns found in the Equity Chambers facade, and prints by Roger Arnall showcase Melbourne architecture.

Modern in-room amenities include HDTV with built-in Chromecast, specialty coffee curated by Dukes Coffee Roasters and premium hotel bath products by local maker Hunter Lab. There is also a fully equipped 24-hour hotel gym on site.

MEETINGS & EVENTS

There are seven meeting and event spaces that range in size from 24 to 143 square meters. The spaces are imbued with Art Deco aesthetics and natural light, and are equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi and the latest audio-visual technology. A large open-air balcony on level five offers city skyline views and a large wall mural by Kitt Bennett.

Meetings and events are all backed by Hilton EventReady with CleanStay, which provides curated solutions for every step of an event planning process to create event experiences that are clean, flexible, safe and socially responsible. And to address the dramatic shift in how people meet and celebrate, the hotel is offering Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions for event planners.

Guests visiting Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street can enjoy peace of mind from check-in to check-out with Hilton CleanStay which ensures guests enjoy a cleaner and safer experience during their stay. The industry-defining standard of cleanliness and disinfection include a Hilton CleanStay Room Seal to indicate that a room has not been accessed since being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, additional cleaning of common areas and items, contactless check-in and flexible housekeeping options. For more information on Hilton CleanStay and Hilton EventReady with CleanStay, please visit www.hilton.com/en/corporate/cleanstay/.

Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton’s 18 world-class brands. Members who book directly through the preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Hilton Honors Points and money to book a stay, free standard Wi-Fi and an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else. Members also enjoy popular digital tools available exclusively through the industry-leading Hilton Honors mobile app where Hilton Honors members can check-in, choose their room, and access their room using a Digital Key.

To celebrate the hotel’s opening, Hilton Honors members will earn an additional 1,000 Points per night–up to a maximum of 3,000 Hilton Honors Points–for bookings from now to June 30, 2021, when booking directly with Hilton.

Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is located at 18 Little Queen Street, Melbourne VIC, 3000. For more information, or to make a reservation, travellers may visit melbournelittlequeenstreet.hilton.com or call +61 (0)3 9116 8888.

About Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street

Opening at midday on Monday, 22 March 2021, Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street joins Hilton’s 27 trading and 13 pipeline properties in Australasia across three brands, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio Collection by Hilton. Taking up residency in the historically significant Equity Chambers building – originally built in 1930 – Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street will feature 244 stylish guest rooms, including five spacious suites, a restaurant and bar, a fully equipped gym, and seven meeting and event spaces. Its central location is well situated for both business and leisure travellers with its proximity to Melbourne’s key business districts and vibrant art, theatre and dining precincts. Visit melbournelittlequeenstreet.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street on Facebook and Instagram (@HiltonMelbourneLQS).

About M&L Hospitality

M&L Hospitality is a Singapore-based real estate investment platform with an international portfolio of best-in-class hotels. Since 2009 M&L Hospitality’s portfolio has grown to 20 hotel properties across the Asia-Pacific and European regions. Its hotels are in prime, central locations in international gateway cities. M&L Hotel’s are operated by the most recognisable international brands, including Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Radisson Hotel Group.    Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street is M&L Hospitality’s second property in Melbourne with the group also developing and owning Doubletree by Hilton Melbourne – Flinders Street.