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Located in Melbourne’s CBD, The Next Hotel is the latest flagship project for the global chain and a central protagonist in Woods Bagot’s freshly minted 80 Collins precinct.
Woods Bagot’s brief was to position and define the Next Hotel brand within this city-redefining precinct. The result is a sophisticated sanctuary for travellers to stay and work that also offers a sense of immersion in Melbourne’s local culture.
With an entrance on Little Collins Street, the 255-room hotel features multiple food and beverage offerings – including an anchor restaurant, a distinctly Melbourne ‘hole in the wall’ ground floor café and cocktail bar.
Rooms nod to the ‘Paris end’ with detailed stitching, textured fabric and leather. The presence of open elements and framing reference a stable’s ‘tack wall’. Coloured cabinet linings and tables reference the lacquer finish of Chinese cabinets, while the use of deep reds and jade greens conjure the luxury of the Orient in the 1800’s.
Talk to Bronwyn McColl about Hotels
The site’s location – close to Chinatown and within Melbourne’s designer fashion district – was a rich contextual source for the design team. Stories of the earliest occupants of Chinatown as the original ‘business traveller’ were woven into the design via references to their trades. Bespoke ceramic lights, Chinese-inspired custom rugs and richly coloured joinery elements pay homage to ceramicists and furniture makers.
Woods Bagot also uncovered the site’s fascinating past as a Horse Bazaar in the 1800s – trading horses to those trying their luck in the Goldrush. This historical pastime is referenced with multiple material and detail choices that draws on horse riding and stables.
The Next Hotel enhances the continual activation of 80 Collins, providing connections with retail laneways and upper-level retail and reception areas and creating a truly mixed-use precinct.
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