‘Storytelling’ hotel MACq01 opens in Hobart, Tasmania
Luxury hotel pays tribute to Australian island's host of weird and wonderful historical characters
What is it? Hobart’s newest luxury accommodation, and the world’s first “storytelling hotel”, according to its owners.
Back up a second. What exactly is a storytelling hotel? Good question, and one Australians have been scratching their heads over since the project was announced. Tasmanians have a reputation for oddball initiatives and the name alone of this project hints at something unconventional. With Federal Group’s clout attached, expectations have been high: the masterminds behind seven-star Saffire Freycinet (two hours up the road) would surely produce Tasmania’s next big luxury success, locals reasoned.
So, what’s it like? Allow us to answer that with a story: in the early 1800s, this pristine island was considered the loneliest place on Earth. Britain’s worst criminals were sent here, ostensibly to contemplate their crimes but really to establish colonial rule and carve a new civilisation out of an isolated wilderness. Tasmania would become the home of a frontier town, Hobart, which attracted scoundrels and saints – personalities as extreme as the circumstances.
