Hotelsforlife

Hi All,

Thoughts on what the current best property is? Park Hyatt, Langham, Sofitel?

FlossieFlyer

I find the PH & Sofitel soulless.

The Langham is a bit better.

But my preference is http://www.hotellindrum.com.au/ on Flinders street or http://www.grandhotelmelbourne.com.au/

The Grand is better positioning for Public Transport but the Lindrum is quieter with more personalised service.

The other one, a bit further from the city is The Como Melbourne.

FF

Nizar

It's a coin toss between The Langham and Crown Towers.

I prefer the latter as I like more modern design, but others will vouch for The Langham's classical design.

If you decide on Crown Towers go for one of the Villas.

QPRfan

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jlfriedman

Park hyatt is starting a refresh in April, after the refresh should be a great property. Found Langham very tired

SojournsOf

The Park Hyatt in its current form is sad. So sad.

Crown Towers is nice but I don't like that side of the river / being at a casino. Agree Lindrum is nice. Not much in Melbourne.

FlyerEC

+1
Usually settle for GH , corner room / suite & " club "/ high floor with good views .

Fairly convenient location on right side of river - near / walking distance to numerous decent restaurants / shops , etc

( Do not usually stay at GH but do get upgrades here )

Baghoarder

Unfortunately our options here in MEL are all compromised. I'd pick the least worst for your needs based on these attributes:

Park Hyatt - quiet location tucked away near the cathedral
Grand Hyatt - great location on Collins St (but rooms, and especially bathrooms, are compromised)
Sofitel - probably the best views of the CBD-based hotels; about a block from the GH
Crown Towers - a bit "flash", located in the casino and on the other side of the river from the CBD (easily walkable), higher end luxury options tailored especially for high rollers so might not appeal to everyone; but does have a very good spa, pool, gym complex (was just there today, coincidentally) (but Scented would hate the la Prairie products...)
Langham - can't comment except on the location - the Southgate precinct is pretty tired and a bit downmarket these days, but on the plus side it is right next to the arts precinct - would be my choice if that was the reason I was in Melbourne
Lindrum - nice, comfortable rooms (small bathrooms) but very much a boutique urban option; avoid rooms alongside the neighbouring car park as the lights will keep you awake all night
Out of the CBD - "luxury" boutique options include the Como and the Art series hotels; not necessarily luxury but worth a look if you want something different

Travel K

I really liked Crown Towers when I visited and will be staying there again in March on my next trip. You don't have to go through the casino to get to your room and the location was great. Club Access was pretty awesome, too.

If you are okay with being out of the CBD a bit, the Lyall is suppose to be amazing, but I haven't been to it yet.

Baghoarder

I stayed in the Lyall about three years ago. It is an all-suite establishment but the layout of many suites is a bit compromised to create small separate bedrooms. I found the overall effect a bit claustrophobic. It is perfectly comfortable, service is friendly and quite good and it's a good option if you are looking at a long stay and want a full kitchen (eg for work) but I don't think it quite meets the standards of this forum.

TravelinSperry

I just completed a swing through Melbourne and stayed at the following hotels. Listed in order of preference:

1- Grand Hyatt: Best locale and huge suites with sweeping Melbourne views. Excellent gym - best in Melbourne by far. Excellent restaurant food. Decent lounge (but worse than PH).
2- Park Hyatt: great lounge, nice breakfast. Suites are not optimal and locale is outside CBD/quiet. Plus or minus depending on your preference. Cathedral across the street is pretty - but bells ring all day during events. Usable gym.
3- Sheraton: Nice room size, great locale. Decent breakfast. Doors are thin - noise can be heard. Pillows/bed not overly comfy. Tiny gym.
4- Westin: Comfy beds and pillows. Bright rooms but not large. Poor breakfast. Usable gym. Very noisy (inside and out) touristic locale which downgrades this hotel significantly for me. Even the GH which is just one block away removes the throngs of crowds and noise.
5- Intercontinental Rialto: Beautiful interior lobby. Small dark rooms. Business district (most things closed on weekends). Requires going over to Southbank for food often. Poor restaurant food. Building next door under construction.

I stayed at the Lindrum on a previous trip... would place it around #4/5. Surely not better than the Hyatts.

Peterpack

The langham is nice but i agree it is getting a bit tired

Crown towers is nice if you like the activity of being at a casino

laf747

I recently stayed at The Park Hyatt and I very happy with the hotel. While it may not be up to the standards of the PH in Buenos Aires or Tokyo I found the service to be much better than the PH in Sydney

Vaterland

Melbourne's hotel scene is awful at present; I'm always at a loss as to where to stay. The best bet of the lot, for me, has been the Adelphi. I reluctantly say this even though I dislike hotels that mainly appeal to the squealing millennial crowd ("OMG! The maid wrote a cute message on my mirror with some lipstick!!"). Yes, the Adelphi does leave messages of greeting scrawled on the room mirror, much to the shrieking delight of the pretty young things. Nonetheless, the service is acceptable, the location is perfect (especially for a walker like myself) and the decidedly uncorporate attitude is a refreshing change from the staid Sofitel. Just beware: the bathroom decor can best be described as prison chic.

I will be anxiously awaiting the completion of the Park Hyatt's desperately needed face lift.

number_6

If budget extends to AUD 1000-2000 then there are a few noteworthy suites which change the pecking order. For example Como has 3 penthouse suites that are all different and quite good (e.g. one is duplex with top floor being just a huge bathroom and sauna). Sheraton has quite nice terrace suites for outdoor space, Langham also has rooms with huge terrace (but not suites with terrace). PH terrace suites are nice but overdue for refurb as mentioned. Westin corner rooms are open-plan suites which some like, some hate. IC has some very funky rooms (e.g. turret room in historic part of building). But sadly Sydney has better luxury accom than Melbourne, perhaps reflecting the market (though as pointed out PH service in Melb is way better than PH in Sydney).