Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Fitzroy will soon play host to the Australian debut of global boutique brand, The Standard Hotels, HM can reveal.
Part of an AUD$60 million collaboration with private Melbourne developer, DealCorp, the Woods Bagot-designed site will see The Standard, Fitzroy come to life as a 127-room hotel built over seven levels, with design cues inspired heavily by the local area and its long-standing industrial heritage.
The site on Rose Street, Fitzroy, was acquired by DealCorp in 2018, with planning approval for a hotel granted a year later. Local hotel advisory analysis and asset managers, Minett Prime Square, assisted the owners in the brand selection process.
One of the world’s fastest growing boutique brands, The Standard prides itself on shaking up the establishment and defying convention to deliver a unique experience. The company says its careful consideration of design, detail and service has allowed it to cultivate a reputation or irreverent and playful sensibility.
DealCorp Executive Chairman, David Kobritz, said he couldn’t be happier to bring The Standard to Australian shores.
“With the country’s focus turning to a post-COVID era, this feels like a pivotal moment for hotel and travel,” he said.
“The Standard was a natural choice for our Rose Street hotel project. Not only are our brand values aligned but they are the perfect operator to bring to a suburb like Fitzroy which has such a rich culture and history.”
Standard International CEO, Amar Lalvani, said: “The Fitzroy neighborhood in Melbourne represents exciting new territory for The Standard but at the same time feels totally familiar.”
“DealCorp’s commitment to making long-lasting contributions to its community is aligned with our own history of enhancing the neighborhoods we become part of,” Lalvani added.
Since its formation in Hollywood in 1999, The Standard has gradually expanded its hotel portfolio into Downtown LA, Miami Beach and two locations in New York City before reaching international shores with The Standard, London and The Standard, Maldives, both of which opened in 2019. Among the initial investors in the company’s maiden Hollywood hotel were movie megastars Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Benicio Del Toro along with musicians D’arcy Wretzky and James Iha – both original members of 1990s punk group, The Smashing Pumpkins.
The label has recently moved into Asia and will open its regional flagship property – The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon – at the end of 2021. Further locations have been confirmed for The Standard in Hua Hin, Thailand; Lisbon, Milan and Chicago.
The Standard, Fitzroy will be positioned right in the heart of Fitzroy’s bustling creative community, with a plethora of quirky and niche galleries, boutiques, markets, bars and cafes surrounding the new development.
Woods Bagot Principal and Regional Design Leader (Australia & New Zealand), Peter Miglis, said the hotel’s design cues called for its heart to remain local and to continue the architectural traditions of Fitzroy.
“Fitzroy’s history of corner pubs, workers cottages, grand housing and industry inspired our approach to the building’s façades,” Miglis said.
“Weathered steel and concrete are robust, timeless materials that sit comfortably straight away and, over time, will add charm as they patina.”
The Standard, Fitzroy is on track to open to guests in 2023.