Grand Hyatt Melbourne Spectacular Living Grand Event
The World Loves Melbourne was invited to a spectacular night at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, with influencers and bloggers from across Australia such as @notquitenigella, @mrpaddintonbear, @sheis_sarahjane, @stylemelbourne, @msihua and @zeboy, @aaravenous, @bridemagazine, @stylehunteraust and @urbanslistmelbourne enjoying a memorable party that was all about "living grand"! Arriving in a limo we were soon settling into Moet in the lounge, before heading upstairs to the function space for a heady lavish event...
In its quest to help guests unlock the extraordinary in every moment, the Grand Hyatt brand has unveiled Living Grand for the Holidays, a global program highlighting seasonal traditions around the world and the many ways that Grand Hyatt hotels celebrate them. Living Grand for the Holidays kicks off with a global event series spanning three continents with three events in three cities, Melbourne, Berlin and New York, inspired by the local, seasonal celebrations and traditions in each city. In addition to the events, the Grand Hyatt brand takes an in-depth look at how travelers worldwide will experience world-class services, amenities, and a vast array of culinary offerings at Grand Hyatt hotels around the world. With thousands of events hosted during the holiday season and unique traditions brought to life, Grand Hyatt hotels take pride in providing an abundance of possibilities for Living Grand in ways both big and small.
“By definition, the Grand Hyatt brand celebrates grandness in service, design and hospitality,” said Ilan Weill, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Melbourne. “And this holiday season Grand Hyatt Melbourne will be the destination for spectacular experiences that make every moment memorable.”
Grand Hyatt Melbourne hosts the first of three spectacular Living Grand for the Holidays events this month. On December 11, Grand Hyatt Melbourne highlighted its bold event ideations with the creation of a summer-meets-winter wonderland featuring an exclusively curated menu inspired by seasonal flavors and holiday traditions. Guests, including top style, food and travel influencers and bloggers from Melbourne and Sydney, experienced a series of extraordinary moments in Grand style. A surprise appearance from the Melbourne Opera was just one of many interactive elements created for the event.
“Our aim is to surprise, delight and astound our guests with the unexpected and the extraordinary, from bespoke menus to inventive presentation to the transformation of our event space,” continued Weill. “This is Living Grand, Melbourne style.” It certainly was! Check the stunning dining arrangement above, with convivial ambience as we enjoyed cuisine with a sense of theatre.
Christmas Bon Bons with Lobster, crispy potato, watercress, mayonnaise and the Tasmanian salmon tartare, lemon creme fraiche, Yarra Valley salmon roe, sorrel was theatrical and sumptuous.
From extravagant affairs to lavish dinners and unexpected in-room delights, Grand Hyatt hotels curate astounding moments and infuse unparalleled grandeur into every experience around the world. As travelers and local guests prepare for their holiday celebrations, the Grand Hyatt brand took a deeper look at trends in travel, celebration, cocktails, wine and dining at its properties around the globe.
Chef preparing the incredible Edible Vegetable & Herb Garden served in pots.
The holiday season is a special time of year when Grand Hyatt properties serve as a backdrop where travelers and locals alike connect to experience unique global traditions. As an international hub of excellence, the Grand Hyatt brand found:
- Unique traditions are celebrated worldwide during guest travels ranging from the Loi Krathong festival of lights in Doha to special New Year’s Day Toshi Koshi soba noodles in Tokyo and a special holiday high tea in Kuala Lumpur.
- The most sought-after New Year’s events range across Grand Hyatt properties with unique themes like “retro hits” in Berlin and a “circus fête” in Dubai to the transformation of indoor areas into magical snow globe wonderlands in Seoul.
- Traditional holiday fare is available to diners around the world with the most popular dishes in many corners of the globe including variations of roasted and smoked turkey, duck in exquisite Peking and confit preparations, specialty Christmas goose as well as delicacies of the sea.
- The most popular libations are wine and champagne followed by the mojito and martini.
When we were told we were being served Billy Tea I wasn't sure what to expect. The Billy Tea with Heirloom tomato tea, lemon thyme bouquet, miniature tomato clouds was a triumph with a delicious broth with subtle bush flavours.
Chef Jason Oven gave us a background behind the courses and philosophy of the meal. Living grand!
The main course of Smokey Underglass was again presented with a keen sense of theatre, featuring Australian aged lamb saddle, eggplant, smoked yoghurt, pomegranate, mint, lemon and pinenuts. We were also served Black garlic pannacotta and chick pea rillete. The lamb was perfectly tender and the accompaniments were served with imagination.
Smokey Underglass lived up to its name!
We also enjoyed the damper - another nod to all things Australian.
With spirits high the advent of Melbourne Opera took us completely by surprise. Their performance was dramatic as we launched into an incredible section of this spectacular evening.
Suddenly the lights flashed behind us and snow started to fall. a troupe of dancers then entertained the partygoers with a winter wonderland spectacular.
GAs the snow fell we were drawn to Christmas trees with hanging edible decorations...
And then sophisticated ice cream with liquid nitrogen and Belvedere vodka hit.
Living grand!
We were then invited to fill stockings with various sweets at Santa's Candy Bar, eliciting the child in us all.
As if this wasn't enough, we went into pleasure overdrive with hot caramel poured over chocolate to reveal further layers and balls of chocolate inside...
What an evening! Thanks so much to Grand Hyatt Melbourne and Grand Hyatt for an astonishing evening!
As travelers and local residents take part in the holiday celebrations and events at Grand Hyatt properties around the world, they are also encouraged to embrace the spirit of generosity and participate in philanthropic offerings to support local organizations hand-selected by the hotels. Guests and Grand Hyatt colleagues alike make donations of not only their time, but also a vast array of holiday items from building ginger bread houses with children in Berlin and donating turkeys to feed the homeless in San Diego, to raising funds to build libraries in China. The staff at Grand Hyatt Melbourne spread some festive cheer and rally together to donate toys and gifts as part of a Christmas appeal for The Royal Children’s Hospital. In total, Grand Hyatt colleagues are expected to volunteer more than 20,000 hours across nearly 800 projects by the end of the year.
For more information about Living Grand for the Holidays and the Grand Hyatt brand’s remarkable properties visit www.grandhyatt.com, www.facebook.com/grandhyatt, or the new Grand Hyatt Instagram page at instagram.com/grandhyatt. #LivingGrand
About Grand Hyatt
Around the world, Grand Hyatt hotels unlock the extraordinary in every moment by creating experiences beyond expectation. Located at the crossroads of local culture and global business within major gateway cities and resort destinations, each Grand Hyatt hotel is uniquely designed to reflect its own distinct environment and provides a hub for travelers and locals alike. Grand Hyatt exemplifies the pursuit of life lived grandly offering guests superior service, first-class accommodations and an abundance of options within a multicultural backdrop of dramatic architecture and innovative design. Grand Hyatt properties boast inventive restaurants, luxury spas, fitness centers, and business and meeting facilities. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2015, the Grand Hyatt brand stands to make every moment memorable through their commitment to #LivingGrand every day. For additional information or to make a reservation, please visit www.grandhyatt.com.
Grand Hyatt Melbourne Living Grand for the Holidays Event Partners
Trumpet Events – www.trumpetevents.com
Style By Nature - www.stylebynature.com.au
Dann Event Hire - www.danneventhire.com.au
Hyper Group - www.hypergroup.com.au
Melbourne Opera - www.melbourneopera.com
Southern Beat Productions - www.southernbeat.com.au
Staging Connections - http://www.stagingconnections.com
Annabelle Eve – www.annabelleeve.com