The opening date for the first Australian outpost of popular hotel chain The Standard has finally been announced. StandardX Melbourne will launch in Fitzroy on August 8 (it was initially slated to open in February). The hotel will also be the world debut of the group’s StandardX brand, billed as the “rebellious younger sibling of The Standard”.

The first Standard hotel opened in Hollywood in 1999, spawning a group of properties famous for their nightlife venues, rock’n’roll aesthetic and glamorous turns in cultural touchpoints like Sex and the City. The StandardX will maintain that glamorous star-spangled spirit, though at a lower price point (rooms start at $260 a night) and with a more relaxed energy; instead of encouraging guests to stay in and party, it’s designed for offering the perfect launchpad from which patrons can explore their surrounds.

While there won’t be a Fitzroy version of the Boom Boom Room – the famously debaucherous nightclub at The Standard’s New York High Line location – the Melbourne hotel will boast The Roof, a guests-only Mexican-inspired bar and diner at the top of the building, and Thai restaurant, Bang, focusing on local produce and led by chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya (Sofitel Adelaide, W Hotels, Aman and Six Senses Resorts).

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The design of each of the 125 rooms – which start in size at “Cozy King” all the way up to the 48 square-metre “Suite Spot” – blends the urban grittiness of Fitzroy with a contemporary blue-and-white palette, and comforting touches like Frank Green french presses, high thread count sheets and works by local artists. Prices start at $260 per night.

Melbourne interior design firm Hecker Guthrie has overseen the interiors, beginning at the hotel’s signature revolving doors, which lead to an open space with columns wrapped in macrame by Melbourne artist Sarah Parkes (aka Smalltown), and furnished with custom and antique furniture.

Following the launch of StandardX Melbourne, the group aims to expand the brand to Bangkok and then further afield.

StandardX Melbourne opens on August 8.

standardx.com/melbourne