I didn't find a thread for the HC Melbourne so I decided to start one. Please merge if there's one already that I didn't find. I stayed here for the last few days of 2022.

Location: The location is great -- right across Southern Cross train station, which is where the SkyBus stops. The main entrance is a wooden door that is a bit hard to find. There are many great cafes in the area, including Cherry and Twigs which is right across the hotel and the Hardware Société which is just a 1 minute walk away. It's also very close to multiple trams and buses and is within the free tram zone. It's also a just a short walk to all kinds of attractions in Melbourne, including the CBD, QV, NGV, Flinders St, etc.

Check-in: Check-in was fast and efficient. I got upgraded to a deluxe room with a northeastern view as globalist since suites are all sold out. This room turned out to be perfect for fireworks watching on NYE, since it was northeast facing and I could see Docklands. They brought me a bottle of local red wine and chocolates as a welcome gift.

Room: The room itself isn't that big -- maybe around 400 sqft -- but was very new and fresh. It had a Nespresso machine and amenities by Mr Smith. The pillows are not too soft. There are no universal outlets but there are lots of USB-A plugs.



Service: The front desk people have always been very very responsive and friendly. Housekeeping, however, was not up to standard during my stay. The empty body wash bottle was not replenished for two days and trash on the chair and the vanity was not removed. One day, the empty toilet paper roll was not changed. My pajamas were properly folded on the first day but tossed on the couch the other days. The dust / hairs in the bathroom was not cleaned, and the room was not vacuumed. The pillow / blanket covers always had some sort of stain. I understand that it's likely because it's the end of the year so housekeeping might not be very attentive, but it was a bit below standard for me.

Breakfast: Breakfast is on the 25th floor. There are lots of tables but there is always a line to get in. You order your tea / coffee with the waitstaff but during 3 out of 4 of my stays, it never came. The buffet spread was pretty typical -- eggs, omelette station, bacon / sausages, mushrooms, beans, toasts / pastries (yes they had Vegemite!), fruits, and a cereal station.

One very very important thing to note is that the rooms have very very poor soundproofing and the doors are extremely heavy and slam very loudly. If you're a light sleeper not a super heavy sleeper, you will be woken up by the sound of either people talking in the hallway, the doors slamming, or upstairs / downstairs neighbours walking around both at night and in the morning. I've stayed at quite a lot of Hyatt / Marriott / Hilton hotels around the world, even lots of vintage ones (JdV / SLH), but this hotel hands-down had the worst soundproofing ever. My room was at the end of the hallway and it's still very disturbing.

Overall, it was a nice stay and I think cat 4 is the right category for this. I would not stay at this property again, however, just because of how bad the soundproofing is. I might try the Grand Hyatt next time.