Virgin Australia is celebrating the official launch of its new flagship Sydney lounge by offering race-goers a unique Melbourne Cup Carnival Hat Valet service.

As travellers head south for the "race that stops a nation", the airline has announced porters will be on standby in the lead-up to the Melbourne Cup to offer eligible guests a personalised Hat Valet service, ensuring premium handling of the most important part of any race day outfit.

A range of pre-flight pampering options will also be offered including blow-dries, make-up kits by Model Co and a shoe-shining service, all designed to ensure guests arrive ready for the race.

The special service will be exclusively available in Virgin Australia’s newly transformed Sydney domestic lounge. The flagship lounge now stretches across two levels, welcomes up to 500 guests and features unique design elements including illuminated bars and curved glass privacy screens.

Group Executive of Corporate Communications, Danielle Keighery said: "At Virgin Australia, we are always looking for new ways to make flying even more effortless.

"The Melbourne Cup Carnival is one of Australia’s most loved events and we are delighted to make those final styling touches a little bit easier for our guests during their stay in our new Sydney lounge.

"We know how valuable racing headwear is, with racegoers investing more than $53.3 million on fashion for the carnival last year, including more than 80,000 hats and fascinatorsi. We are looking forward to going the extra mile to ensure premium handling of the most important fashion accessory.

"Our flagship Sydney lounge now stretches across two expansive levels, featuring innovative design elements and offering sweeping views onto the tarmac. Our innovative premium kerbside entrance has also been refurbished making the check-in process even more seamless", Ms Keighery said.

The service will be exclusively offered in the premium kerbside entrance of Virgin Australia’s new Sydney domestic lounge to Business Class guests, Velocity Platinum, Gold, lounge members and alliance lounge eligible guests.

The Hat Valet service will allow eligible guests with carry-on baggage to check-in their hat box straight from the lounge, enabling them to skip the terminal. Porters will hand-deliver the hat boxes to the aircraft. Upon arrival into Melbourne, the hat boxes will be personally returned to the guest.