TRAVEL

Stellar hospitality group Como has outfitted a Perth architectural gem in palatial suites and serene amenities.

Perth’s Como The Treasury hotel is a sanctuary in the city.

Luxury hotel group Como has attained an almost devout following among style-savvy travellers for its collection of bespoke wellness retreats set amid restorative natural splendour, yet the brand’s first Australian offering is an oasis of a different kind. Como The Treasury is a sanctuary in the city, occupying the historic State Buildings in the centre of Perth. An urban block comprising three Victorian-era landmarks, which have at various stages hosted the WA Treasury, Post Office and offices for the premier and cabinet, the site has been spectacularly re-imagined by Kerry Hill Architects as a cultural precinct with a plethora of bars and restaurants. Lofty proportions and a mood of restrained elegance make this the perfect foil for Como, with the hotel and holistic health centre offering a salubrious respite from the city while embracing the cosmopolitan setting.

Accessed via a stylish lobby, where the State Buildings’ grand bones contrast with contemporary pieces by Bassamfellows and Moroso, the 48 guestrooms range from expansive City Rooms to positively palatial suites, each tessellating within the original structure so that no two share the same configuration. With high ceilings and vast windows overlooking St George’s Cathedral and modernist gem Council House, these light-filled spaces are swathed in a calming palette of limed oak, leather, burnished brass and, in the enormous bathrooms, lashings of creamy travertine. The quietude affected by this minimalist scheme belies extraordinary attention to detail – from bedside bottle openers by Fort Standard to Como Shambhala amenities – and exudes a gravitas befitting the site.

The serenity continues downstairs at Como Shambhala Urban Escape. Informed by Eastern and Western traditions, Shambhala is an essential element of the coveted Como experience, here offering facial and body treatments, beauty care, massage therapies and yoga. Almost akin to a conversion experience, the spa’s soothing asceticism and holistic wellness therapies are reinforced by the vitamin-rich, largely vegetarian fare comprising Como Shambhala cuisine, which is available to order in-room and at Post, a lively contemporary bistro adjacent to the ground-floor Postal Hall. More upscale dining can be found at the fourth floor’s Wildflower, with a seasonal ‘farmer-andforager-driven’ menu matched by sweeping Swan River views.

And for those who’ve seen the light and can’t quite leave the hotel’s nourishing ethos behind, founder Christina Ong shares 147 signature recipes from the Como Shambhala kitchen in her book The Pleasures of Eating Well. Both the tome and The Treasury prove that city life needn’t preclude a little food for the soul. comohotels.com/thetreasury