Casino - 31 May 2012

MERRYWELL, THANKYOU

The Merrywell Corner of Clarendon St & Crown Riverside, Melbourne (03) 9292 7468 or www.themerrywell.com.au   “Casual. Unpretentious. High Energy.” That’s The Merrywell, a modern interpretation of a gastronomy-driven pub now open at Crown. Scottish-born, Las Vegas-based chef Grant MacPherson and acclaimed American chef, Sam DeMarco (Sammy D) cherry-picked Melbourne for their latest venture, their first

Restaurant - 30 May 2012

THE NEW STAR OF STAR

Momofuku Seiōbo The Star, 80 Pyrmont St  Sydney  2009 www.momofuku.com/restaurants/seiobo Momofuku Seiōbo is the design work of Luchetti Krelle, set within Sydney’s new ‘The Star’ complex in Pyrmont. The brief for Momofuku Seiōbo was to create a space that reflected the Momofuku ethos, with simplicity and attention to detail at the core of the design. On

Function Space - 25 May 2012

SOMETHING SACRED

Bar100: 100 George St, The Rocks, Sydney (02) 8070 9311 or www.bar100.com.au A church, an Institute for Seamen, an art studio… a multi-level entertainment palace. Bar100 has fun with 100 George St. A drag queen hosting a trivia night. In a church. It’s the stuff that Catholic guilt is made of, and precisely what happens on

Global - 25 May 2012

THE WHYS & HOWS OF W HOTELS

Senior Vice President, Design & Innovation, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Mike Tiedy, unpacks what makes Starwood’s W brand so special. W Hotels redefined the traditional resort experience when it introduced W Retreat & Spa in the Maldives in 2006. W Retreats — of which there are now four — are different to the average

Casino - 25 May 2012

SOKYO: ENOUGH ROPE FOR PAUL KELLY DESIGN

Paul Kelly, Director of Paul Kelly Design, talks venue through his design of Sokyo. Sokyo is a modern Japanese restaurant and the original design brief from Echo management was ‘Modern Tokyo with a Wild Edge’. So you’ll find dynamic design/sharp lines combined with representations of Japanese landscape — something which totally infuses the Japanese culture.

Hotel - 25 May 2012

OH MY DARLING!

The Darling: The Star 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW 1800 800 830 or www.thedarling.com.au Sydney’s ‘most lovingly detailed hotel and spa’ shakes up the Australian scene with an international splash. It’s hard to recall such an utter transformation. The old Star City has been quietly retired (a ‘red dwarf’ perhaps?) and, supernova-like, The Star has

Local - 25 May 2012

CANBERRA TIMES

The Burbury Hotel: 1 Burbury Close, Barton ACT (02) 6173 2700 or www.burburyhotel.com.au I’m not the first one to say it, but Canberra is a peculiar place. Normal ‘rules of engagement’ don’t necessarily apply. And as you get sucked nearer the Parliament Hill vortex those rules become more and more elastic. The area I’m referring

Local - 25 May 2012

HOTEL LIGHTING DESIGN

  2B Designed Director, David Bird, first began architectural lighting design 23 years ago. He’s watched it grow in style and sophistication. He is now a leading Australian designer with vast experience in hotel lighting. When I started in this industry 20-odd years ago, there seemed to be very little demand for lighting design in

Hotel - 25 May 2012

REBIRTH OF AN ICON

Mercure Melbourne Treasury Gardens: 13 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC (03) 9205 9999 or h2086-RE02@accor.com Newly refurbished and launched on February 29th, Mercure Melbourne Treasury Gardens is the new name for a hotel that has seen a number of transformations over the 50 years since it was first built. Given the hotel’s prime position on the

People - 25 May 2012

HOTEL DESIGN

Top hotel operators are turning to psychographic profiling — relax, it’s for your own good. Next time you’re in a hotel room and think ‘sexy taps’; wake up to a great playlist; or love the fact you don’t need to bring a computer, even though you’re on business — you’ve been successfully psychographically profiled. ‘Psychographics’