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Melbourne’s new United Places is rewriting the classic hotel formula, offering a stylish stay in the city, complete with butler, writes Samantha Jones.

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Boutique Melbourne newcomer is an instant classic.

WHAT DO YOU GET when a first-time hotelier opens accommodat­ion in one of Australia’s most-visited cities? With property developer Darren Rubenstein and his inaugural hotel, United Places, you get a concept that thinks outside the square – more specifical­ly, outside the check-in desk. Instead of the reception area seasoned travellers are so used to, guests are greeted by a butler who will be as present or discreet as you wish.

Doing away with a check-in desk is just one of Rubenstein’s efforts in breaking the hotel mould. “I wanted to create a home for the like-minded traveller,” he explains. A stone’s throw from the Royal Botanic Gardens in South Yarra, and with a lobby constructe­d to elicit the atmosphere of a Melbourne laneway, you certainly could be entering your own apartment block. Design firm CARR took on the architectu­re and interiors of United Places, including the 12 one- or two-bedroom suites. “Each suite has its own personalit­y and dichotomy of spaces that create theatre and a heightened sensibilit­y. It’s all very Melbourne,” says director of architectu­re Chris McCue. This theatre comes from deep, sunken baths overlookin­g the city skyline, switch-controlled velvet curtains that separate rooms, changeable mood-lighting and indulgent showers. Hand-loomed towels and blankets, 100 per cent cotton bed sheets and amenities created in collaborat­ion with NYCbased Le Labo add to the luxury, not to mention the 200ml bottle of Sullivans Cove whisky in each suite – a serving size made exclusivel­y for United Places to encourage guests to give it a try.

Breakfast is delivered courtesy of Scott Pickett and his team at Matilda, the restaurant downstairs where you’d struggle to get a table – if you didn’t have the help of your butler, of course. 157 Domain Road, South Yarra, Melbourne; unitedplac­es.com.au

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