W Hotel: Melbourne's new five-star hotel contains subtle nods to its city

When a guest checks in at Melbourne's new W Hotel there'll be no towel swan adorning the bed but instead one of Victoria's most potent historical symbols in the form of a Ned Kelly helmet resting against the pillow.

The recognisable steel helmet with eye slit worn by the bushranger in the late 1800s has been reimagined as a playful leather and faux fur fascinator, the popular headpiece choice for spring racing, with one in each of 294 rooms and 29 suites in the hotel that opened to guests last Thursday.

Part of the $1.25 billion Collins Arch complex on the street of the same name, but with a deliberate Flinders Lane address, the city's laneway culture is one of numerous vignettes captured within the hotel whose design has been overseen by architecture and interior design group Hachem.

"The hotel is a subtle nod to Melbourne and its stories rather than an in-your-face experience," says the group's founder Fady Hachem of the four-year project that centred on the joy of discovery.

"Each space exhibits its own personality. Just as Melbourne's laneways exude different personalities, so does the design. As you walk through each space, the design takes on a different persona, it shifts attitude, so your experience also shifts, which makes for a very engaging experience. This is something us Melburnians pride ourselves on with our city."

The hotel's suites, dubbed "WOW" and "Extreme Wow" and reflecting the W brand's youthful outlook, include bold, offbeat designs and luxury bathrooms of Cote D'Azur marble, one of many types used throughout the hotel.

The "Fabulous" rooms with a robe on one side and luxury vanity on the other resemble the newspaper kiosks of the 1960s while tartan carpets have been inspired by the city's fashion and textile industries.

The Melbourne bluestone foyer's soaring lenticular piece of Australian flora and fauna by Rus Kitchin is among the work by local artists featured, along with Lucy Lucy's aquatic mural Piscine Molitor at the entrance to WET indoor pool area, curved like the Yarra with gold roof, gold chairs and DJ booth overlooking the vast space.

Meanwhile, restaurant Lollo, overseen by chef Adam D'Sylva, has a separate entrance, as does underground cocktail bar Curious. Patrons enter via Market Street, down a spiral staircase into a cocooned space with timber beams formed in a parametric sequence.

The W, 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Rooms from $369 a night. Phone (03) 9113 8800, see marriott.com.au