A spectacular new hotel is about to make its mark in Melbourne. Crown Metropol will be Australia’s largest hotel – yet it promises to be distinctive, fresh, vibrant and unmistakably modern.

Located opposite the brand new Melbourne Exhibition Centre, the 658-room hotel features a wave-like unique shape and boasts a striking futuristic design, created by internationally renowned Bates Smart, the architecture team behind Melbourne’s ultramodern Federation Square.

The stunning, futuristic podium entry will prominently feature a bluestone, diamond-shaped pattern in the floor of the lobby, while all hotel rooms will have a Manhattan, boutique-style feel; the suites will enjoy dramatic city views and the studios sweeping views across the bay.

Crown Metropol will also be home to Melbourne’s only sky-high day spa, relaxation and rejuvenation floor on level 27, while on the top floor the open-to-the-public 28 Sky Bar is expected to soon become a favourite city oasis.

Crown Metropol will also have its own exclusive restaurant offering: the much-anticipated Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant, the chef’s first venture in Australia.

The 300-seat signature venue will be situated on level one, with guests also able to enjoy the Gordon Ramsay experience in their room, selecting from an impressive room service menu designed by the chef and prepared by his esteemed team.

Estimated to cost AU$300 million (£150 million), Crown Metropol will enjoy more than 340,000 guests annually and is scheduled to open in early 2010.

The new hotel is a demonstration of the confidence in the future of Melbourne as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations and is the latest in a series of world class, five-star properties to open in the city. Already this year Hilton South Wharf, InterContinental The Rialto and the massively refurbished Grand Hyatt Melbourne have expanded Melbourne’s luxury hotel portfolio.