The Hilton hotel in East Melbourne was a landmark for roughly 40 years before it closed in 2014. Since then, the luxury brand has been absent from Melbourne. Until now.
Last week, the Hilton officially returned to the city with the opening of Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street. The new hotel has seen a complete overhaul of the heritage Equity Chambers building, led by award-winning Melbourne design agency Bates Smart.
The launch of Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street comes with the introduction of two new players in the city’s fine-dining landscape.
Located in the building’s former grand banking hall, Luci is a restaurant offering led by executive chef Sam Moore, former head chef at Room81 on the Gold Coast, which earned two hats in the Australian Good Food Guide under his stewardship.
The menu at Luci takes a focus on contemporary Australian cuisine, with a nod to Melbourne’s history of Italian immigration and its evolving reputation as a cosmopolitan culinary city. The restaurant is targeted at locals as well as travellers.
The opening of the restaurant is accompanied by the launch of The Douglas Club, the hotel’s bar offering. In typical Hilton fashion, opulence reigns both in the bar’s aesthetic and menu. The mood-lit, marble-clad, two-room venue offers cocktails, cognac, an extensive wine and Champagne selection, and snacks.
Both Luci and The Douglas Club are now open at Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street, 18 Little Queen Street, Melbourne.