The celebrated property, Melbourne Place, in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD will be reimagined and relaunched as Hyde Melbourne Place, marking the group’s debut in Australia, set to officially open under the Hyde flag on May 2, 2025.
The hotel will offer a fresh and unique experience for locals and travellers, blending contemporary design with Melbourne’s synonymous cultural essence. Hyde, which has expanded its global presence to cities like Miami, Dubai, London, and Johannesburg, brings its bold vision for lifestyle hospitality to Australia. Hyde Melbourne Place will feature a variety of guest rooms and public spaces that reflect Melbourne’s renowned artistic and cultural vibrancy. In the coming weeks, full details on the hotel’s design features, music-led programming, and guest experiences will be revealed.
Hyde Melbourne Place will join Ennismore’s trio of flagship openings in Australia this year – Hyde Perth, Mondrian Gold Coast, and 25hours Hotel Sydney The Olympia – marking the group’s highly anticipated debut in the country.
Jodi Brown will help further cement Hyde’s commitment to excellence in its Australian debut. With over 14 years of experience in the hospitality sector across various hotels and resorts throughout Australia, including a strong presence in Melbourne, Jodi brings proven leadership, deep industry insight, and a passion for creating extraordinary hospitality experiences.
Melbourne Place has already been recognised as one of the city’s most exciting new destinations, recently earning a coveted spot on the Condé Nast Traveller Hot List 2025. Celebrated for its distinctive design, central location, and connection to Melbourne’s creative pulse, the property’s next chapter under Hyde promises to build on this strong foundation, introducing bold new experiences while honouring the cultural vibrancy that defines it. With its bohemian aesthetic, playful spirit, and deep roots in music and design, Hyde Melbourne Place will offer guests more than just a stay, it will be a full sensory experience.
Originally designed by the renowned Melbourne-based architecture studio Kennedy Nolan. Known for their distinctive approach that blends urban sensitivity with bold, expressive forms, Nolan has ensured that every element of the hotel reflects a coherent and uniquely Melbourne character.
Hyde Melbourne Place will be part of Dis-loyalty, Ennismore’s game-changing travel and food membership that gives members up to 50% off 100+ hotels globally. Find out more at Dis-loyalty.com.
I recently returned from the HICSA Hotel Conference in India, and once again, I was reminded why India continues to be one of the world’s greatest breeding grounds for hospitality talent.
Every time I attend HICSA, I leave inspired, not just by the conversations around investment, development, and growth, but by the depth of talent the country consistently produces. There is something fundamentally different about how hospitality is perceived in India.
In markets like Thailand, where we operate at Soho Hospitality, sourcing strong local talent has become increasingly challenging post-COVID. Fewer young people are entering the industry. Experienced professionals are harder to find. Demographic trends, including aging populations and declining birth rates, are shrinking the pipeline. Hospitality in many markets is no longer seen as an aspirational career path.
India tells a very different story.
Hospitality remains a respected profession. There is a steady flow of well-trained, English-speaking graduates entering the workforce each year from institutions across the country. More importantly, there is pride in service. There is ambition. There is hunger to grow.
At Soho Hospitality, we are fortunate to have Indian team members across multiple brands, from operations to leadership. Many of them started in junior roles and, through sheer grit, discipline, and commitment to excellence, have grown into management positions. That progression is not accidental. It reflects both strong foundational training and a deeply ingrained service mindset.
One moment during my recent trip stayed with me.
While checking out of The Oberoi New Delhi, I had to skip breakfast to catch an early flight. As I was leaving, a waiter ran after me with a thoughtfully packed takeaway breakfast he had arranged on his own initiative. I hadn’t asked. There was no system prompting him. It was instinct.
It was a small gesture, but it was unforgettable.
That moment perfectly captures what separates good hospitality from great hospitality. Concepts matter. Interior design matters. Branding matters. At Soho Hospitality we talk a lot about experiences by design, about precision, storytelling, and detail. Ultimately, it is people who bring those experiences to life.
Service from the heart cannot be fabricated. It comes from culture. It comes from training. It comes from values passed down through institutions, mentors, and leadership.
India does not just have scale. It does not just have growth. It has the cultural fabric, the education infrastructure, and the human capital to continue leading the global hospitality industry.
As the industry evolves, with AI reshaping content, guest expectations rising, and operational pressures intensifying, the markets that will win are those that continue to invest in people.
In that respect, India is not just participating in the future of hospitality. It is helping define it.
Rohit Sachdev – CEO, Soho Hospitality
