The team behind celebrated Melbourne venues Hazel, Dessous, Lilac Wine, Liminal, Molli, Heide Kitchen, and Square One Coffee Roasters is set to open five new venues in Hannah St Hotel this summer.
Hannah St Hotel is a $150 million collaboration between Time & Place, Hickory, MaxCap Group, and TFE Hotels set in Southbank’s Queensbridge Precinct. It boasts 188 rooms designed by Flack Studio (the name behind Sydney’s Ace Hotel and Troye Sivan’s house of Architectural Digest infamy).
The Mulberry Group Founder Nathan Toleman came on board through a connection he had established with Tim Price from Time & Place and Michael Argyrou from Hickory some years ago, when they were regulars at his venues Three Bags Full and Top Paddock.
“To now be collaborating with them and with TFE Hotels on something of this scale and significance feels incredibly special. This project is about trust, shared values, and a shared belief in what Melbourne hospitality can be,” says Toleman.
The group is hoping to reflect Melbourne’s lauded cafe culture, culinary creativity, and warm hospitality in the venues.
“At The Mulberry Group, we’ve always believed in using hospitality as a force for good,” says Toleman. “Hannah St Hotel gives us a platform to express that at scale. Allowing us to create something creatively ambitious, socially meaningful and commercially strong.”
The five venues will include:
- Hannah St Coffee: A hole in the wall café serving Square One Coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and salads;
- Coupette Corner Bistro and Bar: An all day European bistro for early breakfasts, long lunches, after-work drinks, and late meals;
- Terrace Lounge and Propeller Residency: A 10th floor lounge with panoramic views for long lunches, and cocktails and music at night;
- Bar Hannah: The lobby bar with cocktails, a curated wine list, and refined snacks;
- And finally, The Carriage Lounge: A calm retreat for a pre-dinner glass of wine, a late night whisky, or an intimate chat.
Toleman has a background in hotels, having studied Hotel Management at William Angliss College, before running hotels in Melbourne and Cairns. He went on to co-found iconic Melbourne’s cafés like Top Paddock, The Kettle Black, and Higher Ground, before moving into his group’s current stable of restaurants.
“I’ve always dreamed of returning to hotels,” says Toleman. “To me, they represent the ultimate intersection of service, design, and human connection. What I’ve learned over the past two decades is that hospitality, when done well, is deeply meaningful. It can change how people feel, how they connect, and even how they see themselves.
“Hannah St is a chance to bring all of that together under one roof, everything I’ve learned, loved, and intentionally crafted blended into one building.”
The restaurateur hopes the hotel will capture the same sense of wonder and excitement he felt when visiting hotels and restaurants around the world, like Ett Hem in Stockholm, Chiltern Firehouse in London, and Chateau Marmont in LA, but with a Melbourne heartbeat.
The five venues are set to open in Hannah St Hotel at 19 Walker Street Southbank this summer, with exact date TBA.
For exclusive hospitality news every Tuesday and Thursday, subscribe here or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
