After five years of planning and development, Yarra Hotel Group sets a date for the grand opening of its new multi-faceted venue, Strato Melbourne. Located on the 40th floor of the opulent Oakwood Premier Melbourne property, Sky Bar Melbourne sits high in the heavens, offering guests a dining and bar experience like no other. The venue showcases glamorous furnishings, a decadent restaurant, elegant lounges to enjoy classic wines and cocktails and multiple exclusive VIP function spaces. In addition to its extraordinary views reaching far over Port Phillip Bay, across the Yarra River, the CBD skyline and beyond, Sky Bar Melbourne expects to provide guests with a quintessential Melbournian experience and an excellent reason to revisit the CBD post-pandemic.

THE VENUE

Arriving at 202 Normanby Street in Southbank, guests will go up to Strato Melbourne via a private entry in the stunning lobby of Oakwood Premier Melbourne. Upon arriving at the 40th floor, guests will step out into projection artwork that shines across the floor and mirrored walls. Developed by the team at The Sequence Group, this foyer projection is an immersive concept showcasing 16 different loop videos of Melbourne from a bird’s view. The impressive entrance allows guests to experience the height of Sky Bar from the moment they arrive at the venue, acting as a glass floor above the bustling city.

To the left of the foyer is the main Sky Bar Lounge, hosting up to 70 people, and on the right sits a 5-star restaurant called Strato. Above both areas sits Level 41, an exclusive dining space dedicated to supporting special occasions, private functions and V.I.Ps who need privacy with a view.

Sky Bar Lounge boasts a 16-metre stone bar with an illuminated glass brick frame and a star-like chandelier made of glass dripping from the ceiling. Attached to the main lounge is an alfresco terrace, perfect for warmer nights, resembling the famous rooftops in New York City. With 7-meter tall glass windows, guests will enjoy views of the city skyline whilst enjoying appetizers, seasonal cocktails, wines and locally crafted beers.

Strato, the restaurant, is romantically modern, seating up to 60 guests and providing exceptional views of Port Phillip Bay. The restaurant has its own bar, made from a stone benchtop and filtered glass bottom that is subtly lit. Within the restaurant sits five concave booths separated from the main dining area, a perfect option for date night.

An additional V.I.P. area is on the north side of the venue, between the main lounge and the restaurant. Guests can choose between tallboy furniture for a stand-up event or request a long table for a sit-down dinner to host their function. Sheer curtain drapes allow V.I.Ps some privacy during their function, and if not in use, this space opens up more room within the main lounge.
“We couldn’t be

more excited to open SkyBar Melbourne and for people to experience this exquisite venue!” says Norman Khan, Managing Director of Yarra Hotel Group and HOSPMEN. “Our vision for this venue has been to show off our amazing city in all its glory – from the spectacular city skyline to showcasing local artists, foods, wines, beers and distilleries. The past 18 months have been hard, and dining out is dearly missed. We have put much effort into making Sky Bar Melbourne an entire experience. The venue has been developed by a team of people passionate about hospitality.

Guests will see this from the moment they step out of the elevator! We’re proud to provide a bucket list experience for locals and travellers, and we see Sky Bar Melbourne as the perfect place to absorb the best this incredible city offers.”

STRATO, THE RESTAURANT.

Strato is a 5-star restaurant aiming to take guests on a journey where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary. The menu is best described as contemporary modern Australian, boasting locally sourced, Victorian ingredients and native Australian seasonal produce. The concept of the menu is based on five elements; the atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), the cryosphere (ice and permafrost), the lithosphere (earth’s upper rocky layer) and the biosphere (living things). Creative cooking techniques will bring seemingly everyday ingredients into exciting food creations, and patrons can expect a little theatre in presenting their dishes with promises of smoke, vapour, embers, levitation and nitrogen.

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