Review: First in: The StandardX, Melbourne

Why book The StandardX, Melbourne?

The Standard Group's first hotel down under and the debut of the more affordable StandardX sister brand captures Melbourne's gritty and wildly creative Fitzroy district like no other. This is the place to book if you want to tap into the neighbourhood's cultural riches and keep the party going when you return to your room.

Set the scene

Rising out from the low-slung Fitzroy suburb like a terra cotta-tinted wedding cake, the StandardX Melbourne feels as if it's always been part of the city scene. With layers of board-form concrete and rust covering the steel sheets on its facade (that will, intentionally, develop an even deeper patina as time goes by), the building fits right in with the weathered warehouses and former factories that now house many of the district's design studios and restaurants. A lipstick-red revolving door opens to the terrazzo-floored lobby, a lofty space with windows on all sides to let light — and Fitzroy's laptop-working, flat white-sipping hip young things — flow in. In true The Standard fashion, the look is tongue-in-cheek and delightfully eclectic: a chunky macrame by local artist Sarah Smalltown here, a giant pencil sharpener-shaped footrest there, and a handful of classic pieces plucked from local vintage furniture shops scattered around the plant-filled corners.

The backstory

The Standard has come a long way since hot-shot hotelier André Balazs opened the first outpost along Hollywood's Sunset Strip some 25 years ago. After Thai real estate developer Sansiri acquired a major stake in the company in 2017, a growth spurt saw Standards pop up from London to Ibiza and Bangkok to the Maldives. Along the way, though, the brand grew from a party-hard crash pad to a trailblazer in the luxury hotel scene – Michelin-hopeful restaurants, celebrity designers and all. With The StandardX Melbourne, the first hotel to open under the new StandardX label, the group makes a return to the raw simplicity of its Hollywood roots: affordable and unfussy, without an over-the-top design, a DJ booth in the lobby or laundry list of bars and restaurants. In short, a place you check in at because you want to check out the neighbourhood.

The rooms

With their snug size and minimalist designs, the 125 rooms best illustrate the hotel's back-to-basic ethos. Work desks are simple wall-mounted foldout numbers, only a few rooms have bathtubs (book the Deluxe King category if that's a must), and unlike at its party-ready Standard siblings, you won't find condoms in the minibar. In fact, the minibar is largely empty – guests are encouraged to stock up on bottled cocktails, artisanal sodas, and snacks at the mirror-clad The Box boutique downstairs.

The rooms are anything but substandard, though. Floor-to-ceiling windows and bright colour palettes — lots of white with touches of bare concrete, terra cotta, and Breton-striped carpets in cobalt blue — make them feel sufficiently airy, while beds with oversized headboards bedecked in pillowy bouclé fabric offer comfort in spades. Playful design details add The Standard touch: sideboards from powder-coated steel seemingly limp on a single chrome bulb for a leg, reeded glass-walled bathrooms come fitted with roly-poly vanity mirrors, and tiny woodworks by Melbourne-born artist Jane Sinclair brighten up unexpected corners.

The food and drink

The hotel's all-day restaurant, BANG, takes over the better part of the lobby and is the Thai-tinged playground of chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya, who grew up just a few blocks away. Drawing on his experience in kitchens at top resorts in Thailand and Bali, Garciyya spins Thai staples into hard-to-define but hyper-creative mashups of local ingredients and Southeast Asian flavours. Standouts on the dinner menu are the oxtail spring rolls, the hibachi-grilled pork skewers with charred pineapple and nam jim sauce, and the melt-in-the-mouth short ribs with tamarind and mango gel. The banana roti and Thai tea brulée are divine, so do leave room for dessert. Breakfast is also served here, with an a la carte menu that's equally creative. Knockout options include deliciously gooey Thai son-in-law eggs with eggplant curry, hearty turmeric and ginger porridge, and seasonal fruit drizzled with honey and a dollop of coconut labneh.

On the 7th floor, The Rooftop is a secret drinking den reserved for hotel guests only. At this umbrella-shaded hideout with views of the CBD's skyline glittering in the distance, bottle service is the name of the game. Expect natural wines from small-scale growers around Victoria or artisanal spirits such as pineapple and jalapeño-infused agave and yuzu gin by homegrown liquor label Departed Spirits. When the space fully opens in the summer, there'll be a small menu of Mexican street food-inspired bites, including tostadas with green peas and avocado, fried shishito peppers with cotija cheese, and chicken liver pate served with totopo chips.

The neighbourhood

This is Melbourne in all its graffitied — and gentrified — glory. On weekends, a giant vintage market takes over the street art-clad parking lot across the road, while the Rose Street Artists’ Market, selling everything from candles to prints by indie designers, pops up just next door at the same time. You'll find dozens of restaurants, from real-deal Afghan to modern Vietnamese, on nearby Brunswick St., while boutique-lined Gertrude St., a 20-minute stroll south, is one of the city's best spots to shop for made-in-Melbourne fashion and design. Trams running down Brunswick St. connect you to the CBD in about 10 minutes, while Melbourne's international airport is a half-hour drive away.

The service

The peppy young team is a reflection of Melbourne's deliciously diverse cultural makeup and represents everyone from Doc Martens-wearing punks to first-generation foreign newcomers — all with a wealth of local intel at the ready. The fact that welcome notes come signed with xxx's at the bottom speaks volumes about the easygoing vibe that lingers here.

Eco effort

Beyond the basics, such as a ban on single-use plastics, the use of locally sourced ingredients, and glass water bottles, the hotel generates part of its power through solar panels on the roof and captures rainwater to irrigate the plants around the property.

Accessibility

All floors are accessible via the roomy elevator, and there's a special entrance for wheelchair users. The ADA-adapted room comes with additional floor space and a bathroom with a shower seat and wall handles.

Anything left to mention?

Come thirsty because BANG's drinks (many of which are available for sale in The Box's fridge, too) are a particular highlight. Sippable surprises include the alcohol-free 'wines' by local label NON, hangover-busting and chlorophyll-green Plant Water, and cheekily named canned wine cocktails ("ProSexy", anyone?) developed exclusively for the hotel by Fin Wines in Yarra Valley.