Through 20 years of Fed Square’s highs and lows, the Travel Hotel has kept pace. Now one of the area’s few flagships is getting a top-to-bottom makeover, starting with its rooftop bar.
Quincy Malesovas
Federation Square has seen many changes, but Transit Hotel – home to Transit Public Bar, Taxi Kitchen and Transit Rooftop Bar – has been a staple since 2003. It’s now undergoing a phased redevelopment to appeal to Gen Y and Gen Z.
A multi-million dollar development of the site opposite Flinders Street Station has already begun, led by Studio Y which has worked on the Nick & Nora bar and Shane Delia restaurant Jayda, among others.
The rooftop bar is closed for major renovations, with work on the restaurant and public bar to follow, although both will remain open for service throughout.
“The reason we’re rebuilding the entire Travel Hotel over the next two years is to change culture,” says the venue’s executive chef and general manager, Tony Twitchett. “Our population has gotten younger. Hospitality must continue to improve.”
Despite the great efforts of urban planners, Fed Square has been selling hard for Melburnians. Its geometric structure he sneered. Its purpose has been much debated. In the last three years alone, Karen Martiniof ACMI Shujaa restaurant is closed on disputes over foot traffic; Mabu Mabuchef Nornie Bero’s ode to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cuisine, went into liquidation; and Alejandro Saravia he brought Victoria, his seasonally driven restaurant, into the co-working space. The COVID shutdown and years of blocked Metro Tunnel development didn’t help.
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But there are recent signs that the pendulum is swinging. Free concerts, sports broadcasts such as recent Socceroos World Cup matches, and similar events Melbourne’s Bakers Dozen Food and Wine Festival have drawn people back to the area. A major construction site eyesore that blocked one corner has finally been removed. New venues have opened such as the Good Nature Hotel, a revamp of the former Beer DeLuxe site.
Transport Hotel hopes to be part of this shift. Its top floor, which has been completely gutted, will be reopened with two new bars – one facing the deck and the other facing inwards – weatherproofing throughout, with a refreshed palette of red, dark wood and steel. The piano platform, a relic of its days as a jazz and live music venue, has been removed to make way for more seating that Twitchett says will offer views of the city from every point in the house.
An expanded music program focusing on vinyl DJs will give the venue even more late-night excitement, supported by a custom sound system by Martin Audio and software and venue booking agency WAT Artists.
Twitchett will continue to oversee the menu, although the focus will shift from convenient snacks to local and international tours to more American and British-inspired fare. The menu is still being finalized, but he predicts burgers and disco fries loaded with gravy and melted cheese will be among them: “The usual stuff, but dirtier.”
Cocktails will be created by bartender and drink consultant Matt Linklater, who also created the drink lists there. Healthy Food Guide Critics’ Choice listed restaurant Zareh at Collingwood and, most recently, the Taxi Kitchen below. The idea is to offer classics and subtle flourishes, such as a colada that swaps pineapple for peach.
The roof bridge is currently closed and is expected to reopen in mid-spring 2026. The Travel Public Bar, which shows every World Cup match, and Taxi Kitchen, will continue to trade throughout.
Federation Square, Melbourne, transporthotel.com.au
