Home » News » Melbourne gets a spruce up with Sofitel refurb and an innovative ‘Skyfarm’

10 December, 2021

Melbourne gets a spruce up with Sofitel refurb and an innovative ‘Skyfarm’

The Melbourne CBD will see some big changes with a public rooftop car park transforming into the Melbourne Skyfarm (featured image) and Sofitel Melbourne undergoing a $15m refurbishment of its 360 guest rooms.

According to Sofitel, the transformation promises to bring the ‘live the French way’ essence to life.

The refurbishment will be unveiled in March 2022, just in time for Melbourne’s festival of major events.

Each refurbished room boasts new beds, new furniture, new carpet, and repainted walls.

General manager of Sofitel Melbourne Clive Scott expressed his excitement about the new look for the iconic hotel.

“We have created every room with its own design mood; the bed head, the unique chair or the art on the wall, everything has been created saying out loud… Let’s French It!” said Scott.

“The hotel is looking forward to welcoming guests in early 2022 to not only enjoy the new rooms but also to live the refreshed service culture exemplifying French ‘Joy de Vivre,’.”

To celebrate the refurbishment, the hotel is offering the ‘So Cultural’ package, which includes overnight accommodation, breakfast for two in No35 restaurant, and two tickets to a Melbourne cultural experience like the Gabrielle Chanel Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Van Gogh exhibition at The Lume Melbourne.

Skyfarm rooftop garden (supplied)

The city is also set to get an innovative rooftop urban farm in its Seafarer’s precinct, directly overlooking the Yarra River.

2000 square metres of what was once a rooftop car park has been transformed into an urban farm, with works continuing over the next 12 months.

When complete, this inner-city oasis will feature a farm, nursery, orchard, environmental education space, cafe, and event space.

When fully completed in the second half of 2022, Melbourne Skyfarm will be opened to the general public and is set to be a hot destination for tourists and locals.

The Skyfarm was initiated by a group of Melbourne-based sustainability companies including urban farming company Biofilta, The Sustainable Landscape Company, and nature regeneration and protection group Odonata, with the support of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and City of Melbourne Urban Forest Fund.

Featured image: supplied

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Biofilta cafe Clive Scott environmental education space event space Gabrielle Chanel Exhibition live the French way mcec Melbourne CBD melbourne convention and exhibition centre Melbourne Skyfarm Melbourne’s festival of major events National Gallery of Victoria No35 nursery Odonata orchard Peter King rooftop farm Seafarer’s precinct sofitel sofitel melbourne The Lume Melbourne The Sustainable Landscape Company Van Gogh exhibition Yarra River