Southern style: the best luxury hotels in Melbourne
When only five stars will do, these local hangouts offer all the glamour and indulgence you seek, plus a whole lot more.
Melbourne is Australia’s capital of coffee and culture; a city brimming with architectural wonder, fashionable neighbourhoods, and a thrilling events calendar that rarely allows a moment’s rest. Repeat visits are also essential.
Whether sipping aromatic blends in a hip Collingwood or Fitzroy cafe, seeing a Broadway show at Her Majesty’s Theatre, or enjoying the back and forth ballet of the Australian Open, the Victorian capital can always be relied on to dazzle, delight and surprise.
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of luxury Melbourne hotels, with properties from the avant garde to those breathing new life into century-old establishments. There are more on the way too, including The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne and Shangri-La Melbourne.
Ready to find your next favourite address? In no particular order and by no means a complete list, these are some of the best five star hotels Melbourne has to offer.
Crown Towers Melbourne
Claiming pride of place on the Yarra River’s glorious Southbank promenade, Crown Melbourne is all about great food and fabulous entertainment. It’s home to some pretty stellar hotels too, of which Crown Towers is its shining star.
Within the 43-storey hotel are 482 chic rooms and suites, each styled in a soothing palette of cream, sand, gold and grey. As you’d expect, views are to die for, as are the tantalising array of dining options on offer throughout the wider complex.
Conservatory Buffet will fuel you up to explore Melbourne’s famous laneways and galleries, while the lavish TWR Bar will get you into the mood to kick in into the wee hours. Alternatively, you can indulge at one of Crown’s other restaurants, like Rockpool or Bistro Guillame.
Executive and Premier Club Suite guests enjoy access to the Crystal Club – an exclusive haven with wing-backed chairs and a sunny open-air terrace. Complimentary breakfast and evening canapes round out the experience.
Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street
Built in 1931 and imbued with a mix of architectural styles from Gothic to Italian Romanesque, the Equity Chambers stands out amid Melbourne’s sea of historic buildings. After a major refurbishment, it’s now also home to one of the city’s most lavish hotels: Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street.
Accessed via a discrete laneway adorned in street art, the high-end address retains much of its 1930s charm – coffered ceilings and ornate plasterwork – while also enjoying a sheen of modern convenience, notably in its 244 guestrooms.
Right on the tram line and a short walk from Bourke Street Mall, the hotel provides a central base to explore Melbourne, whether that’s visiting Fed Square, the Queen Victoria market, or exploring the trendy inner suburbs.
Of course, there’s plenty onsite as well.
On top of a well-equipped gym, the Hilton has two great dining options: The Douglas Club cocktail bar, and Luci Restaurant, which transports diners to a golden era of Art Deco style as it plates up Australian cuisine with a liberal splash of Italian flair.
Hilton Honors Diamond members and guests in higher-category rooms also enjoy access to an executive lounge, otherwise known as The Queen Adelaide Lounge.
Hotel Chadstone
Though its full name may be a bit of a mouthful, Hotel Chadstone Melbourne MGallery by Sofitel is a particularly charming addition to the city’s hotel-scape. Its location is unrivalled for those seeking to indulge in a little retail therapy too.
Located outside the CBD in the thriving inner-city suburbs, Hotel Chadstone is linked to the Chadstone shopping complex, where you’ll find the likes of Montblanc and Chanel.
The hotel boasts 250 beautiful rooms and suites, not to mention the Altus rooftop bar and Italian restaurant Pastore, plus an inviting swimming pool and day spa: Holism Retreat. The latter offers restorative spa treatments, together with yoga and meditation.
For something a little different, Hotel Chadstone invites guests to glow-up their wardrobe with its Style This Way package. Complete with a night’s accommodation and breakfast for two, guests can enjoy a personalised consultation and shopping experience with a stylist.
InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto
Back in the CBD and if the walls of InterContinental Melbourne could talk, they'd speak of over 130 years of growth and change. Because though the hotel has only been around since 2008, the two historic buildings it occupies have long played pivotal roles in Melbourne’s lineage.
Behind the neo-gothic facade and 9-storey glass-topped atrium – a fitting showcase for the grand old brickwork and windows – lies 253 contemporary rooms and suites, in addition to a light-filled gym, indoor pool and the fabulous Botanic Wellness Spa.
Alluvial Restaurant, Bluestone Bar, Market Lane Cocktail Bar and Ronnie’s eatery are at hand to sate the appetite and thirst of guests, while Club InterContinental also offers breakfast, evening drinks and more for those staying in Club level rooms.
As an IHG hotel, members of the IHG One Rewards loyalty program can earn points and unlock exclusive perks from complimentary room upgrades to reward nights at discounted rates.
The Langham, Melbourne
A local outpost from one of Asia’s leading luxury brands, The Langham Melbourne is all about old-world elegance. Though every one of its 388 rooms is divine, the suites perhaps best embody this ethos with deep armchairs, rich drapery and fresh floral arrangements.
Pastel pink abounds in the private apartment ‘The Residence by Kerrie Hess’, made in collaboration with the Australian artist and illustrator, but the hotel’s true hero is the Chairman’s Suite: a serene sanctuary with majestic views and multiple sitting areas.
No Langham stay is complete without some RnR and Chuan Spa is ready to soothe and restore. Alternatively, you can work up a shine in the fitness studio, or soak some rays in the 15-metre outdoor pool (if the city's infamous weather is on your side, that is).
Those craving sweet or savoury bites would also be wise to book in for Afternoon Tea – a staple of all Langhams and plated to perfection here in Melbourne. If you still have room, Melba Restaurant and Aria Bar & Lounge are well worth a visit.
Pan Pacific Melbourne
Commanding impressive views of the Yarra and perched right next door to both the convention and exhibition centres in South Wharf, Pan Pacific Melbourne is a perfect combination of luxury and convenience. It’s not just for business travellers either.
Each of its 396 rooms and suites feels warm and inviting; natural timber finishes, textured wallpaper and sheer curtains parting to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows are just a taste. Elegant bathrooms and included perks like free wifi complete the package.
As a member hotel of the GHA Discovery loyalty program, which unites 35 global brands under one banner, Pan Pacific guests can earn ‘Discovery Dollars’ on each dollar spent, as well as enjoy perks like double room upgrades once they reach the (very accessible) higher tiers.
Guests checked into Pacific Club rooms and suites enjoy access to the hotel’s executive lounge: Pacific Club. Buffet breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening canapes are just a handful of the privileges.
QT Melbourne
Theatricality runs to the very heart of Melbourne. Bewitching stage shows, thought-provoking festivals… there’s never a dull moment to be had. QT Melbourne plays up to this with aplomb, stealing the scene with dramatic decor that revels in the excess.
Concrete ceilings and oak parquetry floors, brushed-slate bathrooms and tan leather lounge chairs create an inviting, industrial-chic aesthetic in each of its 188 rooms – be sure to check out the QT Corner King – but it’s the public areas where the hotel really shines.
Under the steady hand of Executive Chef Paul Griffiths, Pascale Bar & Grill plates up delicate entrees and grand mains in a setting best described as ‘over-the-top’.
A sleek red marble counter and mint stools, velvet lounges with lips and eyes… it’s ridiculous, but it works.
Alongside Pascale is the moody yet unpretentious Bar 133, while the hotel summit offers the appropriately named Rooftop at QT – tailor-made for seductive soirees in the moonlight.
Much like its siblings in Sydney and Auckland, it’s a hotel you’ll check into once and return to again and again.
W Melbourne
Entering any W Hotel is like a trip down the rabbit hole into Wonderland: modern, vibrant and always just the right level of outrageous. That’s W Melbourne to a tee, from its technicolour lobby to guest rooms with walls that look like a zipper coming undone.
Inspired by the street art of iconic Flinders Lane, the hotel features 294 bold rooms and suites with names like Cozy, Wonderful and Fabulous. The best in the house? That would be the Extreme Wow Suite: a 127 sqm penthouse engrained with nightclub-esque style.
As expected from a Melbourne hotel, dining, cocktails and coffee are all top-notch. Standouts are ‘Curious’, shaking up sensational cocktails and music (its cascading timber ceiling also needs to be seen to be believed), and Lollo from Chef Adam D’Sylva.
When it’s time to detox, make your way into the state-of-the-art FIT gym, or float your ails away in the WET pool. The latter is conveniently home to a bar too, just in case you find yourself getting dehydrated...
Beyond Melbourne, Australia is home to impressive hotels and resorts, not to mention regional hideaways where stillness and serenity form the welcome soundtrack of your next holiday.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Mar 2015
Total posts 94
Not sure why the Sofitel n Collins isn't included.
29 Mar 2017
Total posts 30
100% agree. My favourite in Melbourne for a long time, recent renovations have brought them back up to standard.
From the list, The Hilton is fantastic and the Langham is completely overrated.
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