Bates Smart unveils design for Little Bourke Street hotel

Architecture firm Bates Smart has released artistic renderings of the Little Bourke Street hotel it recently agreed to design for Singapore-based Park Hotel Group. 

Featuring a lobby lounge, concept restaurant and rooftop bar, the 319-room hotel will pay respect to the famous horse bazaar that once occupied nearby food-and-drink hub Hardware Lane with a sophisticated modern design that incorporates soft leather details, horse saddlery, tobacco-coloured textures and metal accents throughout the 23-storey establishment.

Metal accents will pay homage to the blacksmiths that once plied their trade in the local horse bazaar. Picture: Bates Smart

In keeping with the area’s laneway culture, retail units on the ground floor will “encourage social interactions and engagement with the other local restaurants and retailers”, and a gritty external facade will complement the street’s rustic red bricks.

For refreshments, guests will be able to choose between a concept restaurant on the eighth floor, a basement venue run by an independent contractor, a luxury lounge, and a rooftop bar featuring lush landscaping.

Natural timber will combine with tobacco-coloured textures to create a warm, inviting atmosphere. Picture: Bates Smart

The Park Hotel Group will manage the 319-room hotel on behalf of Singaporean developer Roxy-Pacific Holdings, which paid $33 million for the site in 2017 and received approval to demolish the six-storey, century-old building that currently sits on it late last year.

Melbourne City Council’s decision to approve the Singaporean developer’s demolition plans was met with criticism from local residents and traders, who said that the new hotel would undermine the area’s historic cultural identity.

Construction is slated to begin sometime this year and is expected to take roughly two years to complete.