A 'First Feel': How Hannah St Hotel Expresses Melbourne's Creative Culture
VICTORIA: Melbourne is a city that doesn’t just welcome you, it draws you in. From the moment you wander down its graffiti-laced laneways or sip a flat white in a tucked-away café, you feel the pulse of a place that thrives on creativity and culture. This is a city where art spills onto the streets, where live music echoes from hidden bars, and where every meal feels like a culinary discovery.
On December 1, Melbourne’s newest luxury hotel, Hannah St Hotel, isn’t just opening its doors - it’s opening a window into the city’s creative heartbeat. With creatives like Interior Designer, David Flack and his team from Flack Studio; and artists Justene Williams and Jazz Money amongst those contributing to the aesthetic, it’s clear Hannah St Hotel is staking its claim as a cultural hub, blending bold design, local art, and community-focused experiences in a way Melbourne hasn’t seen before.
A Neighbourhood You Feel: In Southbank, where the Yarra hums with cyclists, street performers, and coffee-sipping locals, Hannah St Hotel is carving out a new kind of luxury. This isn’t a hotel that simply provides a bed; it’s a place where Melbourne’s creative spirit takes centre stage. From curated art installations to live cultural programming, the hotel offers a “backstage pass” to the city’s most compelling music, dining, wellness, and shopping experiences—all within walking distance of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct, which is in the midst of a $1.7 billion transformation.
“Hannah St Hotel is about culture at its core: the art, the design, the people, the local stories. Guests aren’t just visiting Melbourne, they’re feeling it.” says Peter Minatsis, the newly appointed General Manager of Hannah St Hotel.
"As someone who has worked across the hospitality industry for many years, I’ve seen hotels that impress with luxury and service but what excites me most about Hannah St Hotel is its commitment to culture.”
"This isn’t just a place to stay. It’s a guide, a tastemaker, a backstage pass to Melbourne’s creative soul. We want our guests to discover the city by living like a local, exploring hidden gems, experiencing art and music off the beaten track, and immersing themselves in the very pulse that makes Melbourne unique. It’s hospitality with insider knowledge, curated to offer experiences that stay with you long after you leave."
Developer Tim Price of Time & Place, agrees and references the 15-minute neighbourhood concept that defines Southbank’s walkable, connected design when describing how important local culture is for the hotel. “By embedding Hannah St Hotel into this urban fabric, it becomes more than accommodation; it’s a gateway to the city’s cultural heart and an integral part of a thriving, sustainable precinct,” he said.
Art, Design, and a Distinctly Local Lens: Inside Hannah St Hotel, art isn’t just decoration—it’s the vibe. The building hums with energy, shaped by collaborations with Flack Studio and Australian-based artists who infuse the space with creativity and local storytelling.
Every element is designed to connect guests to Melbourne. Local design office, Flack Studio, has curated interiors that merge functionality with cultural storytelling, while bespoke bronze sculptures like the Queensbridge Owl, by local sculptor, Joelle Mayberry, marks one entrance to the Queensbridge building - a bold sentinel welcoming guests into Southbank’s urban tapestry.
“The hotel’s artworks are as layered and diverse as the materials in the building,” says David Flack, Founding Director of Flack Studio. “Each piece speaks to Melbourne’s energy, its creativity, and its urban pulse—so guests feel the city as soon as they walk in.”
From Justene Williams’ ‘Mirror Sheila’ - a futuristic-sculpture-cum-foyer-guardian, to Marion Abraham’s contemporary take on the romantic pastoral portrait in the lift lobby, to Jazz Money’s custom poem, These Infinite Beginnings, which manifests in various materials, including light and sound, across the building, Hannah St Hotel functions as a living gallery. Other artists - including Mia Boe, Kat Shapira Wood, Claudia Terstappen, Isadora Vaughan, Victoria Stolz, Jo Duck, Georgia Spain, Mikala Dwyer, and Hannah Gartside - add layers of texture and narrative throughout the hotel, reflecting Melbourne’s diverse creative DNA.
“As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, ‘Live Like a Local’ experiences will continue to shape the most interesting hotels,” says Peter Minatis. “From curated art and hidden experiences to playful touches - whether it’s recording in our onsite podcast studio, sipping a spritz in the Parisian-inspired terrace that nods to the city’s garden culture - our next cultural flex is always around the corner. Stay tuned.”
Whether you're in town for the festivals, the tennis, or the food, Melbourne offers a rich, ever-evolving experience that lingers long after you leave, and Hannah St Hotel offers a great base to explore the best of the city. Visit hannahsthotel.com.
URBAN REVEL PACKAGE
Melbourne’s newest neighbourhood hotel, Hannah St Hotel, has confirmed it will open its doors on 1 December 2025, inviting locals and travellers alike to dive into the city’s creative pulse. To mark the occasion, the hotel launches its Urban Revel package, a curated stay designed to immerse guests in the neighbourhood’s character.
The package includes:
• Overnight accommodation in a Local Room
• Daily breakfast for two
• Two signature cocktails
• 12pm late check-out.
Priced from A$489 per night, inclusive of taxes and fees, the Urban Revel package offers a chance to experience the hotel’s bespoke interiors by Flack Studio: think king beds, plush robes, minibars, premium coffee machines with locally roasted beans, writer’s desks, and other handcrafted touches that give each stay a distinctly local feel.
Hannah St Hotel is more than a place to sleep. It’s a cultural hub and neighbourhood destination, with spaces that celebrate local creativity and invite guests to explore hidden cafés, street art corners, and other tucked-away gems around the area. The Urban Revel package is the perfect introduction to a hotel that’s as much about the city outside as it is the design inside - a genuine Melbourne experience, curated from the ground up.
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MORE ABOUT HANNAH ST HOTEL MELBOURNE
Opening this summer in Melbourne’s vibrant Southbank, Hannah St Hotel is a striking new addition to the city’s skyline. Designed by Melbourne-based Flack Studio, the hotel blends modern nostalgia with a deep appreciation for culture, community, and culinary excellence.
With 188 uniquely styled rooms, Hannah St Hotel is part of the Collection by TFE Hotels – a portfolio of one-of-a-kind properties, each committed to quality design, exceptional experiences, and connection to their community.
The hotel’s name pays tribute to Patrick Hanna, a pioneering engineer and shipbuilder from Glasgow who arrived in Melbourne in 1853. At the height of the gold rush, Hanna operated a punt across the Yarra River, connecting the emerging township of Emerald Hill (now South Melbourne) with the bustling northern docks and marketplaces. His route would eventually evolve into Kings Way – one of Melbourne’s grand avenues.
Today, Hannah St Hotel stands on a site once known as Hanna Street, a lane that quietly adopted an extra ‘H’ over time. This subtle transformation mirrors the city’s own evolution – from gold rush boomtown to cultural capital – and anchors the hotel in a rich historical narrative that continues to shape Melbourne’s identity.
What’s in a name: Hannah St Hotel Melbourne can be shortened to Hannah St or Hannah St Hotel
Developer: Time & Place
Joint Venture Partners: MaxCap Group and Hickory Group
Architect: Fraser & Partners
Interior Design: Flack Studio
Operator: TFE Hotels
Brand: Collection by TFE Hotels
Website: http://www.hannahsthotel.com
Importantly, Hannah St Hotel Melbourne is an independently owned, one-of-a-kind hotel and brand, operated by TFE Hotels. Additionally, while Hannah St Hotel shares its interior design studio, Flack Studio, with Ace Hotel Sydney, there is no brand connection between the two hotels.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Jodi Clark - TFE Hotels (Director of Communications): +61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
Rebecca Astier - Glasshouse Communications (PR Consultant working with TFE on the launch of Hannah St Hotel Melbourne): +61 417 667 042 / [email protected]
TFE HOTELS
TFE Hotels (TOGA Far East Hotels) is Australia’s International Hotel Group - headquartered in Sydney and operating in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore, and Switzerland. TFE has a portfolio of seven hotel brands - A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels and the award-winning MM:NT Berlin Lab, with more in the development pipeline.
TFE Hotels acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands we conduct business upon and pays our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We respect the Country itself, including its trees, animals, spirits, waters, skies, stars, and special sites.
ABOUT COLLECTION BY TFE HOTELS
A collection of independent and unique hotels in Australia and New Zealand, each committed to quality design, exceptional experience, and connection to their community. https://collectionbytfehotels.com/
ABOUT TIME & PLACE
Time & Place is a next generation, design-focused developer which has been in operation for 10 years. Established in Melbourne in early 2015 and expanding Into Sydney later that year, Time & Place is known for holistic, considered projects that respond to the needs of the surrounding environment and its inhabitants. Involved in 25 projects totalling $5.5bn and with a rapidly growing pipeline, Time & Place’s work spans residential, commercial, and industrial projects. Having recently acquired sites in South Melbourne, Sydney’s Surry Hills and Manly, the team has been working diligently to expand into new typologies.
Time & Place has also established several successful partnerships, entering into a joint venture with retail giant Woolworths on a site in Glen Iris, collaborating with Hickory on The Queensbridge Building and a mixed-use precinct in Alexandria, and creating the MaxCap Industrial Opportunity Fund (MIOF) in conjunction with MaxCap Group.
ABOUT MAXCAP GROUP
MaxCap Group is one of Australia’s leading Commercial Real Estate investment managers and is an established investment manager for domestic and global institutions with current Funds Under Management and Advice of circa $7.0bn, having invested more than $16bn across more than 650 transactions since inception in 2007. MaxCap’s Direct Investment team has established an enviable record of success in originating and managing high-yielding investments, particularly in the mid-market joint venture development space. The team is currently managing a diversified portfolio with a total end value of over $5bn, underpinned by partnerships with Australia’s leading private real estate developers.
ABOUT HICKORY
Hickory is a diverse delivery partner, always striving to create better places for future communities. For over 30 years, we have continually invested in researching and developing systems, people, and products to advance the capabilities of the built world. We’ve worked hard to enter new markets across developments, manufacturing, data centres, and construction. Hickory has forged a reputation as an innovative and dynamic company with a vertically integrated business that includes formwork, structure, facade, fit out, crane logistics, and manufacturing specialists. Our success is achieved through strong partnerships with our clients, exemplary values, and unrivalled excellence in project execution.