Glam style at Hotel Chadstone Melbourne
You can expect a touch of glamour and chic at the five-star Hotel Chadstone Melbourne. It is, after all, located right next door to the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
An MGallery by Sofitel MGallery by Sofitel hotel, the 250-room property is so close to Chadstone – The Fashion Capital, that it has its own walkway leading directly into the enormous shopping centre. Fashionistas, you have been warned.
The hotel officially opened in late 2019. When I visited, it was just before Christmas. In the foyer, a large Christmas tree sparkles with aqua-coloured gifts beneath the base from Tiffany & Co. Plush seats in the library area are upholstered in baby-pink coloured velvet. A large white textured column in the foyer resembles the pleats of a woman’s skirt. A gold-fronted concertina panelled reception desk glitters; elegant velvet curtains hang in curved doorways, and a large light installation dangles in a wave formation from the ceiling.
Australian architects Bates Smart designed the hotel’s exterior, which has a deliberate curved shape to resemble the cinching of a woman’s waist. Inside, interiors by global architecture firm DWP offer hints of Art Deco style.
In my Deluxe Corner Suite are more nods to fashion and style here – with everything from key cards to bookmarks printed with inspirational quotes from famous designers such as Coco Chanel. I carefully turn the pages of thick, black Bvlgari coffee table book in my room, admiring all my vintage icons such as Elizabeth Taylor wearing their distinctive designs. I’d only just left another legend behind in the lobby: a black and white photo of Audrey Hepburn outside Tiffany & Co from the 1961 movie classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
A free-standing mini bar has everything you’d need to make a weekend of it, including The Eveleigh Bottling Co. from Victoria miniature Negroni and gold ice buckets with matching tongs. The pink velvet fabric I’d admired so much in the lobby’s chairs is repeated here on my bedhead. I love the fact that this hotel is the first five-star Australian hotel to receive a 5 Star Green Star Design rating, representing excellence in sustainable design, by utilising a number of water and energy-saving efficiencies.
As I wander about throughout the weekend, I see mothers and daughters on a getaway; groups of girlfriends having a great time over a Veuve Clicquot high-tea at Altus; couples on a shop-flop-and-drop weekend; as well as whole families, no doubt taking advantage of the fact that Australia’s only LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is also just a short drive from here.
The hotel has two distinct dining spaces, with Altus on level 12 offering rooftop bar and dining; and Pastore on ground level, for Italian-inspired all-day dining, helmed by renowned chef and restauranteur Scott Pickett.
Aside from retail therapy, the hotel’s Holism Retreat is an oasis of a different type of therapy. With night treatment rooms, yoga studios and a wellness light lounge, just wandering into this space on the mezzanine level, with a calming white corridor of archways, helps pressures lift. As I sit in the lobby after my stay, preparing to leave and surrounded by Tiffany-blue suitcases in cabinet displays, I feel just a little like a movie star having indulged in a weekend of pampering. I’m sure Holly Golightly would approve.
This is an extract and edited version of my story which first appeared in Vacations & Travel magazine.
