1 Hotel to open mid-year at Seafarers

Reservations are now being accepted for landmark waterfront property 1 Hotel Melbourne, which is poised to open its doors this July.

This marks 1 Hotels’ highly anticipated entrance into the Australian market, bringing an award-winning blend of sustainable luxury and nature-inspired design to the heart of Melbourne as part of developer Riverlee’s Seafarers project.

Located on the south-western edge of Melbourne’s CBD at 9-11 Maritime Place, Docklands, 1 Hotel Melbourne offers prime access to some of the city’s most celebrated attractions, including Marvel Stadium, the Royal Botanic Gardens, South Wharf and world-class theatres.

The hotel features 277 guest rooms, including 36 suites, a soon-to-be-announced signature restaurant, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and a wellness spa.

Since launching in 2015, 1 Hotels has placed sustainability at the core of its global expansion, with properties fitted with efficient smart thermostats and sustainably sourced materials.

The brand also strives to incorporate elements of the natural world and the site’s history into its hotel designs.

The centrepiece of the Melbourne hotel is the heritage-listed Goods Shed No. 5, the last of the unrenovated goods sheds in what was once Melbourne’s busiest port.

The striking asymmetrical façade features floor-to-ceiling windows with lower glazing that echo the panels of the goods shed and upper panels that reflect the rippling surface of the Yarra River.

A similar design philosophy has been applied to the interiors, with more than 2000 living plants throughout the building, bedheads made from reclaimed timber railway bridges, live-edge furniture, and doors featuring preserved moss panels.

“At 1 Hotels, we believe that luxury and sustainability can and should go hand in hand,” the company’s founder Barry Sternlicht told Southbank News.

“With 1 Hotel Melbourne, we’ve created a waterfront destination that immerses guests in nature while celebrating the city’s rich legacy and forward-thinking spirit,” he said.

“This hotel isn’t just about where you stay – it’s about how you feel, how you connect, and how travel can inspire a deeper commitment to the world around us.”

The hotel will also be home to the Seafarers Event Space, a 1000-square-metre riverside venue that can accommodate up to 900 guests. Additional meeting spaces, including a boardroom and a relaxed lounge, offer flexible options for both corporate and social gatherings.

The hotel will be managed by Starwood Hotels, which currently operates 1 Hotels around the globe.

Starwood Hotels CEO Raul Leal said the opening of the Melbourne hotel was an “exciting milestone” in bringing the company’s mission-driven hospitality to Australia.

“From reclaimed materials and immersive biophilic design to thoughtfully curated wellness offerings, this property is a testament to our dedication to sustainability and the extraordinary guest experiences that define 1 Hotels,” he said.