COMO The Treasury, Perth

At A$700–$1,500 per night, this is the most expensive hotel in Perth by a clear margin. The inclusions — breakfast, mini-bar, bottled water, snacks, high-quality toiletries — mitigate the sticker shock more than at most competitors, and for the quality of room and service delivered, the pricing is broadly defensible against international peers. Where value wobbles is in edge-case charges (valet parking at $40–$50 per night, credit card surcharges, laundry pricing that borders on punitive) and when service slips: at these rates, any falter — a forgotten order, a cold coffee, a missed turndown — registers harder than it would at a four-star property.

The rooms are among the most generously scaled of any luxury city hotel in Australia. Bathrooms, in particular, are vast — freestanding tubs, rain showers with multiple heads, heated floors and towel rails, double vanities, and Como Shambhala amenities whose scent alone has become something of a signature. The design vocabulary is Scandinavian-inflected minimalism in cream and pale timber, with motorised sheers and blackouts, complimentary mini-bars (beer, soft drinks, water, snacks — no wine, oddly), Illy capsule machines, and high-quality Bemboka linens. Trade-offs are real: some guests find the furnishings under-cushioned (cane chairs, thin sofas) for the scale of the rooms, and the open-plan bathroom configuration in certain categories — with the bath visible from the bedroom and no door separating the spaces — can be awkward for anyone not travelling with an intimate partner. Street-facing rooms on Barrack Street and Hay Street can suffer noise from late-night revellers on weekends despite double glazing.

This is the property's defining strength. Staff are warm without being obsequious, attentive without hovering, and possessed of that rare hospitality intelligence that anticipates rather than reacts. Returning guests are recognised; special occasions generate handwritten notes, champagne, and Sue Lewis chocolates without prompting; requests for restaurant bookings, tour arrangements, or alternative plans when something falls through are handled with genuine initiative. The check-in ritual — seated, offered a drink, walked through the room's quirks — sets a tone that most of the staff sustain impressively over a stay. Weaknesses, when they emerge, tend to cluster around front-office volume: in busy periods the no-desk model leaves arriving guests momentarily adrift, phones occasionally go unanswered, and on rare occasions a single abrupt encounter (a curt sommelier, an over-zealous checkout reminder) stands out precisely because the surrounding standard is so high.

The Kerry Hill restoration is the hotel's aesthetic foundation and remains genuinely impressive a decade on. High ceilings, original staircases and architectural details are retained and set against a restrained contemporary palette; long, dimly-lit corridors create a processional hush that some find atmospheric and others find slightly mausoleum-like. The indoor lap pool beneath a retractable glass roof, overlooking the Town Hall rooftop, is one of the loveliest hotel pools in the country. The overall mood is serene, adult, and quietly confident — a hotel that does not need to announce itself.

The culinary ecosystem is a genuine asset. Wildflower, on the rooftop, is one of the more ambitious fine-dining rooms in Western Australia, foregrounding native ingredients and matched WA wines; Long Chim delivers David Thompson's Thai street food at a standard that would hold its own in Bangkok; Petition's beer and wine bars offer a genuinely lively counterpoint to hotel polish. Post, where the complimentary breakfast is served, is the weakest link and has been inconsistent for years — the juices, pastries, and COMO Shambhala-inflected dishes can be excellent, but service pacing and coffee temperature are recurring frustrations. In-room dining is competent but not a highlight. The precinct's semi-public nature means guests share these venues with walk-in diners, which for some adds buzz and for others dilutes the sense of exclusivity.

Essentially flawless for a central Perth base. The hotel sits on St Georges Terrace directly opposite the Cathedral and Supreme Court Gardens, a three-minute walk from the Hay Street Mall, ten minutes from Elizabeth Quay and the ferry terminal for Rottnest, and within easy reach of the train station for Fremantle. The airport is a 15–20 minute drive.