Interstate travel is a little tricky right now. The next best thing: play tourist in your own town with a CBD staycation.

And next month there’ll be a new destination to try – W Melbourne, one of the city’s newest luxury hotels, opens on February 4. It’s by Marriott International, which is also behind a slew of other hotel and resort brands.

The Flinders Lane hotel is part of Cbus Property’s $1.25 billion Collins Arch precinct, which will bring four new restaurants and bars to Melbourne.

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There’ll be 294 guest rooms, running from cosy kings all the way up to the 15th-floor presidential suite, which has an old-school jukebox and a 40-square-metre balcony overlooking the Yarra. The furnishings and design elements draw on Melbourne’s heritage, but with a contemporary finish.

W Melbourne’s flagship restaurant is Lollo, a day-to-night diner with Coda and Tonka executive chef Adam D’Sylva at the helm. He’ll be working with hotel executive chef Jihun Kim on a menu that highlights Australian produce in unexpected ways.

From a secret laneway entrance on Market Street, you’ll be able to descend into cocktail lounge Curious, where overhead timber beams create a “cocoon-like” feel. The signature drinks draw on Melbourne’s lively fashion, art and coffee scenes. A Curious Ristretto – a riff on the Espresso Martini – will be sealed with beeswax and incorporate nutmeg smoke.

Lollo and Curious will open on February 4, while the two other dining destinations are slated to open in May.

Warabi will be an intimate Japanese restaurant with space for just 30 diners (with a private dining room for 10) focusing on seasonal produce paired with sake, whisky and beer, and Culprit will be an all-in-one cafe, wine bar and deli.

On the 14th floor you’ll find a fitness centre, and an indoor pool with a gold-adorned ceiling, an adjoining bar and a DJ booth. Conference, meeting and event spaces will also be available.

This is the second W Hotel in Australia, following the opening of W Brisbane in 2018. Another is set to open in Sydney’s Darling Harbour later this year.

W Melbourne opens at 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne on February 4.

marriott.com.au