Melbourne's Accommodation Scene Gets a New Address: Urban Rest Melbourne Opens on Lonsdale St with an Australian-First

Urban Rest, the Australian-founded flexible living operator, launches Urban Rest Melbourne after a multimillion-dollar renovation. Located at 23-33 Lonsdale Street, Urban Rest Melbourne offers modern, oversized apartments, a brand new residents' lounge, digital check-in, and a state-of-the-art fitness and group training centre by Conditn. The launch will also see the property become the first mixed-use asset in the country to combine co-living and short-term accommodation in one building, offering a truly flexible living model.

Melbourne has a striking new fixture on its skyline with the launch of Urban Rest Melbourne, a 149-key apart-hotel in the heart of the Theatre District. The newly renovated property features oversized studio, one, two,  and three-bedroom apartments with kitchens, laundries, and sweeping views of Melbourne. Guests will enjoy a brand new residents' lounge on the ground floor, with space to work, dine and connect, along with private meeting areas and self-serve luggage storage.

The property will also be home to the debut of Wunder Living by Urban Rest, a new long-term co-living brand that will occupy 8 floors within the building. The dedicated floors for long-term residents will feature a mix of fully furnished studio and one-bedroom apartments, with monthly rates inclusive of all utilities, including wifi, a first for the CBD market.

New Apartments. New Standards.

Each fully equipped apartment has been reimagined with modern furnishings designed to make short city breaks or longer work trips feel seamless. Digital check-in and secure access make arrival as effortless as the stay itself. Every one, two,  and three-bedroom apartment comes life-ready with a private kitchen, laundry and balcony, plus all the essentials needed to cook and clean, no matter how long guests choose to stay.

Beyond the apartments, guests will enjoy a brand new boutique residents' lounge on the ground floor, with plenty of space to meet, work, dine or relax. Dedicated meeting areas can be arranged for larger groups, making the property a perfect choice for corporate offsites.

"Urban Rest Melbourne is the most ambitious project we've delivered in our home market to date," said David Whelan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Urban Rest. "Every apartment has been rebuilt around how people actually want to live and work today, not how hotels have traditionally told them to. This is what the next generation of corporate and leisure accommodation looks like in Melbourne."

Fitness by Conditn 

Guests will also enjoy free access to the onsite gym and group fitness studio, operated by Conditn and just a short lift ride from their front door. It's the first offering of its kind in a Melbourne apart-hotel, giving every guest complimentary access to both the gym and group fitness classes throughout their stay.

Introducing Wunder Living

Alongside the relaunch, Urban Rest is introducing Wunder Living, a new long-term living brand designed for residents who want the flexibility of a lease without giving up service, design or convenience. 

The launch represents both a first for Urban Rest, but also a first for Australia, with Urban Rest Melbourne becoming the first mixed-use asset in the country that combines co-living and short-term accommodation, offering a truly flexible living model.

Eight levels of the building will debut as Wunder Living's first home, offering studio and one-bedroom apartments on long-term leases, with monthly rent inclusive of all utilities and wifi, removing the friction that typically comes with long-term renting in the city.

“Wunder Living is a natural next step for Urban Rest," said Brenden van Blerk, Regional General Manager APAC at Urban Rest. "We've built a platform that can flex across an entire asset, not just a single format, and Lonsdale Street proves it. Short stays, extended stays and long-term living can all sit under one roof, operated to one standard. That's where we see the flexible living category heading, and we intend to lead it."

One Platform, Every Length of Stay

The Lonsdale Street relaunch is a live demonstration of what Urban Rest's technology and operating platform can do at scale: activate a single asset across corporate travel, leisure stays and long-term residency, all under one roof. For developers and property owners, it signals an operator that can do more than run rooms, it can run an entire building.

Urban Rest offers premium and flexible accommodation solutions across the living sector. An industry-leading technology platform allows Urban Rest to partner with developers and property owners as both a brand and operating solution, powering boutique stays made for the modern corporate traveller. Operating a portfolio of over 80 properties across Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and with a network of over 1,000 blue-chip corporate clients, Urban Rest is reimagining business travel, bringing comfort, consistency and joy to how people travel for work.