A rare look in the Mahogany Room at Crown Casino Melbourne

Since Crown opened at its present location in 1997, the Mahogany Room has become a Melbourne icon- an elite, private club for a select few like the higher tiers of the MCC. Any online media on the Mahogany Room could be described as vague at best, and is completely wrong and out of date in most cases, which is why we’re pleased to bring you a inside look at the Mahogany Room.

But first of all, how do you get in? The most obvious way is to become a Platinum or Black member of Crown Signature Club. The next most obvious way is to become very good friends with someone of that level. And then there are many less obvious routes to take- such as being a lower Signature Club member who qualifies in other ways (eg. Gold Select or Gold Mahogany Room Card), or being part of an invited group and so on. But it’s fair to say that few people ever get to see what’s inside the Mahogany Room, which is why we are providing some insight.

Entering the Mahogany Room is a grand affair. Located on Level 1 of the Crown Towers hotel, the Mahogany Room can be entered via the Crown Towers lobby on the ground floor, or on level 1 at the top of the sweeping staircase in the atrium. The ground floor is more grandiose with powered doors opening to reveal a large statue of the racehorse of which the room is named after- ‘Mahogany’. On level 1, it’s a more covert entry with just a small statue of a horse head.

The staff at reception are friendly and offer a range of concierge services such as cloaking, charging of electronic devices and service for the adjacent valet car park.

Inside the room, the architecture is some of the best you will see anywhere- there is a grand and luxurious feel that is well balanced with a comfortable and imitate setting. And the whole space screams privacy and exclusivity. Come in during the day and you will almost have the place to yourself, while at night things get a little busier, but you are still far removed from the chaos of the main gaming floor.

The first area to note is the non-gaming space, which features a balcony with some of the best views of Melbourne going around. Inside, there is a generous lounge and bar area with most alcoholic beverages complimentary for Platinum members and above, along with a generous range of complimentary bar snacks such as nuts, dried fruit, hot mix, biscuits and confectionery. It’s a great way to unwind and relax in elegant surroundings.

In terms of gaming spaces, there are some light slot machines / pokies just near the lounge along with classic roulette and craps. Table minimums are from $5 – $25 depending on the time of day and table although the minimum outside bet on roulette is $50 for the entire room. One interesting note is the lack of perspex guards on the roulette tables, and at the cashier window there is no cage or security bars- it’s all open which creates a more laid back feel. Further on is a large series of Baccarat tables, Pai Gow poker and a few more roulette tables. This space is more open with living walls and comfortable seating areas. During the day there is plenty of natural light thanks to large floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights.

The Mahogany Room restaurant is a review coming for another day, but it is an intimate and comfortable space to further relax. Further on is VIP slot machines, which is a small room on its own that also offers self-serve juice, coffee, tea and soft drinks. There is also a lounge space in this room. There is also a higher limit Baccarat area screened off from the rest of the room, and a few private gaming saloons.

While this is a brief description of what you can expect to see in the Mahogany Room, it really has to be experienced to get the full scope of the space, and to gain full appreciation of the architecture.