Having opened in August 2024, the Standard X is still one of Melbourne’s newest hotels. Neil Porten reviews the rooms and amenities. Location: It’s 22km from the airport to the hotel in Melbourne’s inner northeast.
It took an hour in a taxi at rush hour, slightly quicker than the public transport options. Fitzroy’s time as a neighbourhood of light industry and workers’ residences was followed by a period when artists and artisans moved in, adding a smidge of glamour to the gritty core. Nowadays, the place is as quiet, genteel, buzzy, brash, or engaging as you want it to be.
It’s only a 2km walk into the CBD, or 15 minutes on the tram from Brunswick Street around the corner. Style: Industrial past meets artisan present. Exposed concrete and monolithic beams are softened with fat leather sofas, soft textile screens and a large macrame artwork sheathing a central pillar.
The ground-floor dining area furniture is an eclectic mix: tables of formica and steel, blond wood, and tiles; there are hardback chairs, tall stools and a long banquette under the window. The decor is a foreground to the brick and graffiti backdrop seen through the big windows. Price: From around $250 a night.
Perfect for: A city-adjacent escape where staying in is just as appealing as venturing out. Standard X Melbourne is a perfectly formed bolthole - intimate public spaces designed to relax in, comfortable but not large rooms, a grown-ups’ playground on the doorstep..
