Victoria: Rendezvous is bringing romance back to the city thanks to a modern make-over that has seen old world grandeur and new world charm combine in one of Melbourne's finest historic hotels, Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne.

The hotel, which showcased its new look late last year, is a 'must-stay' on the doorstep of everything Melbourne is legendary for: art, culture, coffee, shopping, food, festivals, and sport. But, more incredibly, a heritage landmark that predates bitumen roads, the first electric train ride and 'must-see' icons the State Library Victoria's Insta-worthy dome and the Capitol House building.

Constructed in 1913, the original building - respectfully celebrated in the refurbishment - started life as The Commercial Travellers Association Building and was designed by architect Harry Tompkins. To this day, it is one of the finest and most distinct expressions of the Edwardian Baroque style in Melbourne and the Grand Vestibule has seen many a beaming bride twirling beneath it.

Reimagining this gorgeous hotel was nothing short of a labour of love with designers combining an eclectic mix of old-world charm and cutting-edge design.

Natural lighting and local photography feature in rooms that are designed to exude a certain elegance and decadence of bygone times.  Think plush, quilted velvet headboards, custom-designed, multi-purpose desks and beautiful detail in the mirrors and soft furnishings.  

Guest feedback was also considered as swing doors on the bathroom were replaced with barn doors for a more efficient use of the functional space available.  A brass track system added a touch of luxury to the design theme.

The lead-in 'Commerce Room' category pays homage to the Commercial Travellers Association who commissioned the original building. The 22sqm rooms, which feature contemporary design yet retain their old-world charm, start from $189/night. The hotel's Yarra View Perkins rooms feature hints of brass and marble, and offer a sense of intimate luxury, whilst at the other end of the scale, the spacious 50sqm Tompkins Master Suite boasts a living room, master bedroom with king bed and spacious bathrooms and retail at $489/night.

Sink back into the plush chairs at the newly refurbished Travellers Bar and enjoy your favourite tipple. Boasting an impressive line-up of Australian spirits, curated cocktails and locally sourced wines, the bar also has a mouth-watering food menu on offer.  The magic continues in the kitchens with an European-inspired menu and all the makings of a romantic night in, in the hotel's Mr Tompkins restaurant, which opens in March. 

Favourites like Rendezvous' legendary High Tea service will continue to be available every Thursday to Sunday.

“What's exciting is that Rendezvous Melbourne continues an important legacy as both a meeting place and piece of living history, within walking distance of everything people come to see and experience in this remarkable and romantic city,” says Regional General Manager, Stephen Moore.

Ends.

EDITOR'S NOTES
A brief history of the building…

• The Commercial Travellers Association Building was designed by architect Harry Tompkins in 1912 and completed in 1913. It is one of the finest and most distinct expressions of the Edwardian Baroque style in Melbourne. This grand classical non-domestic style, featuring a combination of Beaux Arts Classicism with a revival of English Baroque sources, was adopted as the style of choice for department stores and other large commercial establishments in Melbourne in the first two decades of the 20th Century.
• The building was the winning entry in a competition organised by the Association and judged by the well-respected Percy Oakden, an indication of the high regard in which the building was held by Harry Tompkins' architect peers.
• The Commercial Travellers Association Building is of architectural significance for several innovations, such as the use of welded wire reinforcing mesh, perhaps the first use of such material in Victoria, and "Mack" slab cement partitions, the only known use of this technology in Victoria. It was also one of Australia's earliest steel framed buildings. It comprises a basement and nine storeys. The ground floor is faced with granite. The facade above is partially rendered and partially faced with (formerly) cream glazed bricks. An unusual feature, the choice of such bricks was used to combat discolouration caused by pollution from the busy city thoroughfare and the nearby railway yards opposite. The rendered areas are treated in an ornate fashion, with exaggerated classical detailing including foliated swags, medallions, and cartouches. It features a colonnade of the second floor (also known as a piano nobile), which is supported on massive, oversized consoles. Consoles also support the cornice surmounting the facade. Oriel windows rise through the second and third floors and are topped with balconettes. There are also balconettes on the eighth floor.
• Leadlight is featured in some of the windows, mainly at the lower levels. The building is an early example of steel-framed construction, with reinforced concrete floors and a combination of terra cotta lumber and cement slab for non-structural internal walls.
• The building also boasted equipment such as a built-in vacuum cleaning plant, electrically heated service lifts, potato peeling machines, telephones in each room (the height of opulent luxury), a dish washing machine and large electric toaster. The building was also the tallest in Melbourne until the construction of the Manchester Unity Building, completed in 1932, and the first to be constrained to the new city height limit of one hundred and thirty-two feet.
• The building ceased functioning as the Commercial Travellers Association club in 1976 and fell into disrepair before being partially restored as the Duxton Hotel in the late 1990s. When commercial viability saw the Duxton close its doors, the Rendezvous Hospitality Group took on the project of meticulously restoring the hotel, retaining the elegant style of the early 1900s while providing guests with all the convenience of the 21st Century; what today is known as the Rendezvous Melbourne.

What's in a name: Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne can be shortened to Rendezvous Melbourne after first use.
Hotel Image Gallery

Website: https://www.rendezvoushotels.com/

Opening special: Romance the City with a stay in a beautifully refurbished Commerce room and $50 F&B credit per stay, complimentary self-parking and a 1pm late check out for those that love a lie in from $228.40.

­­FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jodi Clark
TFE Hotels (Director of Communications)
+61 499 900 658 / jclark@tfehotels.com
https://www.tfehotels.com/en/about/media-lounge

ABOUT RENDEZVOUS
The Rendezvous brand by Far East Hospitality embraces romance – of the past, the present, and life. The brand inspires conventional travellers to connect with the city, explore the culture, and create moments to cherish for the rest of their lives.

Rendezvous' well-sited hotels, imbued with old-world charm, offer guests an ideal base to connect with the city and encounter the best that it has to offer. Each stay becomes a deep dive into culture that make the world a fascinating place to fall in love with. When life is romanced, guests transport themselves from the mundane every day to re-connect with their inner selves and awaken their wanderlust as the world comes alive with the sights and sounds of the arts, culture, heritage, and shopping surrounding each property.

Rendezvous Melbourne is the first Australian hotel to undergo a staged brand refresh and embrace romance - of the past, the present and life.  This new-look brand inspires conventional travellers to connect with the city, explore the culture, and create moments to cherish.

WHO ARE TFE HOTELS?
TFE Hotels (Toga Far East Hotels) is an international hotel group headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria… and opening in Switzerland in 2023. It has a portfolio of five established hotel brands - Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels including The Calile Hotel, The Hotel Britomart, Hotel Kurrajong and The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins, and debuted A by Adina and Quincy Hotels in Australia in 2021.