From 2022 to 2025, every time I’d visit my parents – who live in the apartment building next door – I’d glance out across Docklands and check on the progress of 1 Hotel Melbourne. Another floor. More glass. A crane that appeared to be permanently parked above the Yarra (and no, I’m not talking about the Malcolm Moore variety).
But, eventually, there was a building where there hadn’t been one before. Then a logo appeared. Then people started wheeling suitcases through its front doors. It was only a matter of time before I became one of them.
Luxury hotels don’t really catch me off guard anymore. I’ve slept in enough beautifully designed rooms, eaten enough immaculate breakfasts and admired enough rooftop pools to know roughly what’s coming before I even reach reception. So, I wasn’t expecting the lobby to be the thing that initially stopped me.
It was the plants. Twenty-four of them before I’d even reached the check-in desk. I quickly gave up counting.
There are more than 7,000 living plants woven throughout 1 Hotel Melbourne, yet the greenery never feels like decoration. Instead, it completely changes the mood of the building. The incessant traffic noise from Wurundjeri Way fade, and maybe it’s all that extra oxygen but the air feels softer here, more breathable. Before I was handed my room key, I was gulping lungfuls of the fresh stuff not even seen in a 6am hot pilates class.
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The hotel sits inside the restored Goods Shed No. 5, one of Melbourne’s last remaining heritage wharf buildings. I knew the shell had been preserved because I’d watched it happen from next door. What I didn’t appreciate until I walked inside was just how much of the original building had found a second life. Timber, steel trusses, bluestone pavers, windows, even the reception desk all have a past, with more than 2,000 heritage elements reused throughout the hotel.
The little reminders start almost immediately.
There’s the water tap. Then the coat hangers. Then the refillable bathroom products. By the time I spot the little hourglass hanging in the shower, I’m actively looking for what they’ve thought of next (for the record, I failed the five-minute shower challenge.)
My River Room doesn’t have the cold, polished feel that so many luxury hotels chase. Timber dominates. The colours are earthy. Nothing feels overly precious. Even with the Yarra stretching across the windows, it’s the room itself that makes me want to slow down. Oh, and the uber comfy King size bed that practically screams, ‘Go on, lie on me’. I do what it wishes, ofc.
It would’ve been very easy to spend the rest of the afternoon horizontal. But Melbourne’s weather had turned properly miserable, which felt like the perfect excuse to hide downstairs with a cocktail instead. So, Crane Bar it was, where the restored 1942 Malcolm Moore crane still stands watch over the waterfront outside. Plenty of developers would’ve ripped it out. But it’s become part of the hotel’s identity, a reminder that this patch of Docklands had a life long before cocktails and boutique hotels arrived.
I order the ‘Mandarin Bloom’, a floral, effervescent, and refreshing concoction of botanist gin, oleo, elderflower & lemon myrtle liqueur, and creamy mandarin soda. I know it doesn’t seem like it’d pair well with a blustery evening but it did. The saltbush lamb and roasted black garlic empanada that disappeared in about four bites was just the chewy little meringue on top.
I couldn’t get too comfy though because my 7pm reservation at From Here by Mike beckoned. Seasonal Victorian produce dominates the menu here, and local suppliers get the spotlight.
I order the ‘Mandarin Bloom’, a floral, effervescent, and refreshing concoction of botanist gin, oleo, elderflower & lemon myrtle liqueur, and creamy mandarin soda.
First up was the country sourdough bread with Del Bocia salted butter (enough said). Then came the Andean Sunrise Gnocchetti Fritti, which tasted a bit like deep fried mashed potato balls to me (another win). The celeriac snitz (need to get that vege in) soon followed before my tastebuds were treated to the slow roasted lamb saddle (the clear standout). But the sticky, smokey BBQ-y, tomato-y sauce that accompanied the golden fries was a close second.
The food I’d consumed deserved a slow morning, but my half marathon training plan had other ideas. 800 metre repeats at a 5:40m/km pace was on the cards. I figured overlooking the river I’d spent years watching construction barges drift along would help me shake off the I’m-running-on-a-treadmill blues. It didn’t. At all. But the cold sweat towels scented with eucalyptus I fetched while my heart rate returned to something resembling normal sure did.
I figured overlooking the river I’d spent years watching construction barges drift along would help me shake off the I’m-running-on-a-treadmill blues.
Afterwards, I swapped my Nike Pegasus’ for the heated indoor pool I had all to myself (what a result). I could’ve opted to take either the sauna or the steam room for a spin, but I quickly remembered aforementioned super high heart rate not even 15 minutes prior and decided to give them a miss.
After a quick shower, and having well and truly earned breakfast, I grabbed an iced chocolate from the on-site café before wandering through the lobby one last time.
Funny what you notice on the second lap through a building. A textile artwork made from old fabric. Timber still carrying decades-old saw marks. Plants spilling out from corners I’d somehow walked straight past the day before.
As I carry my bags outside to wait for my car to be brought around (yes, the hotel has valet), I catch myself looking back at 1 hotel Melbourne one last time. I’ve been watching this building for years, waiting to see what it would become. I assumed the city was getting another luxury hotel. After spending a night inside it, I’m convinced the city got something much more interesting.
Why It Exists
To prove that five-star luxury and genuine sustainability can happily share the same address.
The Vibe
An urban oasis where reclaimed timber, lush greenery and heritage charm soften the edge of Melbourne’s Docklands.
Your Bed Tonight
A King River Room with Yarra views, earthy interiors and a bed that’s dangerously difficult to leave.
The Thing You’ll Brag About Later
Spotting sustainability in all the little details, from recycled paper coat hangers to a shower hourglass that beat me.
Eat / Drink This
Order the Mandarin Bloom at Crane Bar, then the slow-roasted lamb saddle (and definitely the fries) at From Here by Mike.
Steal This Local Move
Grab an iced chocolate from the on-site café and wander the lobby one last time, you’ll almost certainly notice something you missed the first time around.
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