Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne Launches New-Look Baroque Ballroom
MELBOURNE: More than 110 years after its foundation stone was laid, and 33 years after restoration works destroyed many of the building’s original features, Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne has debuted its new-look Baroque-inspired ballroom and conference space this week.
Hotel General Manager, Joseph Stipo, said the latest refurbishments came off the back of a multi-million-dollar hotel renovation last year, which saw the rooms, lobby and restaurant space in Melbourne’s grand lady restored to its turn-of-the-century origins.
“In its heyday, what is now the King Edward Ballroom (named after the building’s most famous visitor in Edward, Prince of Wales back in 1920), was in fact a Club Bar within the original Commercial Travellers Building,” Joseph said. “Its distinctive timber panelling was removed in a 1990s remodel but now, thanks to a design brief to bring 1900s glamour back, and new timber panelling (paired with modern brass beading), the ballroom has been restored to its former glory.”
According to Stipo, a false ceiling installed in the 90s was also removed to take full advantage of the original height of the rooms, whilst bespoke wallpaper and three enormous crystal chandeliers – each weighing over 300kg – were added to provide a touch of decadence to the Edwardian Baroque architecture.
Attention to detail is prevalent in both design and in the modern technology used.
“By design, Rendezvous Melbourne was one of the first buildings in the country to feature Australiana motifs in the stain glass windows, and etched around the pillars and in the cornice work of the hotel’s distinctive Grand Vestibule events space,” he said. “In a nod to those early design touches, the interior design team chose an earthy olive-green palette to help tie in unique heritage features, and handcrafted cornices from original moulds… albeit with 21st century LED lighting for best effect.”
The needs of modern day PCOs have not been overlooked in the facelift, with the renovation team installing dual 130” data projection screens and HD projectors, state-of-the-art lighting, Bluetooth connectivity, surround sound capability, sound proofing, and hidden rigging points to allow clients to personalise the space without disrupting guest views.
From weddings to conferences, the room offers flexibility in its design.
“Video conferencing is a crucial component of modern-day conferencing and, together with high-speed, hard-wired WIFI, will allow us to accommodate hybrid events in the space,” he said. Additionally, we have controllable LED lighting in the roof, offering a spectrum of up to 3000 colours to match any event's theme.”
According to Stipo, the space will be given a thorough work out this week as TFE Hotels’ National Sales team host a 300-strong Melbourne MICE roadshow and launch with a glamorous Moulin Rouge event.
Rendezvous Melbourne’s refurbished ballroom was the last piece in the puzzle of the hotel’s makeover, which had seen their lobby, restaurant (Mr Tompkins with Chef Eric Kwek at the helm) and 320 hotel rooms all go under the designer’s knife.
“What’s exciting is that Rendezvous Melbourne continues an important legacy as both a meeting place and piece of living history, within walking distance of everything people come to see and experience in this remarkable and romantic city,” he said.
Ends.
EDITOR’S NOTES:
• The Commercial Travellers Association Building (now the Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne) was designed by architect Harry Tompkins in 1912 and completed in 1913. It is one of the finest and most distinct expressions of the Edwardian Baroque style in Melbourne. This grand classical non-domestic style, featuring a combination of Beaux Arts Classicism with a revival of English Baroque sources, was adopted as the style of choice for department stores and other large commercial establishments in Melbourne in the first two decades of the 20th Century.
• The building was the winning entry in a competition organised by the Association and judged by the well-respected Percy Oakden, an indication of the high regard in which the building was held by Harry Tompkins' architect peers.
• The Commercial Travellers Association Building is of architectural significance for several innovations, such as the use of welded wire reinforcing mesh, perhaps the first use of such material in Victoria, and "Mack" slab cement partitions, the only known use of this technology in Victoria. It was also one of Australia’s earliest steel framed buildings. It comprises a basement and nine storeys. The ground floor is faced with granite. The facade above is partially rendered and partially faced with cream glazed bricks. An unusual feature, the choice of such bricks was used to combat discolouration caused by pollution from the busy city thoroughfare and the nearby railway yards opposite. The rendered areas are treated in an ornate fashion, with exaggerated classical detailing including foliated swags, medallions, and cartouches. It features a colonnade of the second floor (also known as a piano nobile), which is supported on massive, oversized consoles. Consoles also support the cornice surmounting the facade. Oriel windows rise through the second and third floors and are topped with balconettes. There are also balconettes on the eighth floor.
• Leadlight is featured in some of the windows, mainly at the lower levels. The building is an early example of steel-framed construction, with reinforced concrete floors and a combination of terra cotta lumber and cement slab for non-structural internal walls.
• The building also boasted equipment such as a built-in vacuum cleaning plant, electrically heated service lifts, potato peeling machines, telephones in each room (the height of opulent luxury), a dish washing machine and large electric toaster. The building was also the tallest in Melbourne until the construction of the Manchester Unity Building, completed in 1932, and the first to be constrained to the new city height limit of one hundred and thirty-two feet.
• The building ceased functioning as the Commercial Travellers Association club in 1976 and fell into disrepair before being partially restored as the Duxton Hotel in the late 1990s. When commercial viability saw the Duxton close its doors, the Rendezvous Hospitality Group took on the project of meticulously restoring the hotel, retaining the elegant style of the early 1900s while providing guests with all the convenience of the 21st Century; what today is known as the Rendezvous Melbourne.
What’s in a name: Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne can be shortened to Rendezvous Melbourne after first use.
Lead in hotel room rate: FROM $183.60. Delegate Day packages available from: $80pp.
Image Gallery: https://tfehotels.canto.global/b/GVLG4
Website: https://www.rendezvoushotels.com/
MICE OFFER: Book your next event or group booking at the Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne and you’ll be rewarded with a free Visa Card. Spend $2,500 - $4,999 to receive a $200 Visa Card. Spend $5000 - $9,999 to receive a $400 Visa Card. Spend $10,000 to $14,999 to receive a $600 Visa Card. Spend $15,000 or more and receive a $1,000 Visa Card. Terms and Conditions apply.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jodi Clark, TFE Hotels (Director of Communications)
+61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
ABOUT RENDEZVOUS
The Rendezvous brand by Far East Hospitality embraces romance – of the past, the present, and life. Rendezvous’ well-sited hotels, imbued with old-world charm, offer guests an ideal base to connect with the city and encounter the best that it has to offer. Each stay becomes a deep dive into culture that make the world a fascinating place to fall in love with. When life is romanced, guests transport themselves from the mundane every day to re-connect with their inner selves and awaken their wanderlust as the world comes alive with the sights and sounds of the arts, culture, heritage, and shopping surrounding each property.
WHO ARE 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, 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.