QT Melbourne – first impressions

Well, there is the bunny in the bathroom to start with.

The adjective ‘quirky’ is in dire straights of being overused at this property – in fact throughout the whole chain of these hotels, present in almost all Australian capital cities.

This outpost of the chain is at 133 Russell Street Melbourne – so convenient to almost everything – shopping central, Paris end of Collins Street, Flinders Lane, Fitzroy Gardens etc, etc.

Feather Pillows!!

They don’t have feather pillows as standard in the rooms. Given my late arrival, one night stay, and early departure, I had asked for pillows in the ‘personalise you stay’ section of the reservation (through Hotels.com – love that free night for every 10!). Well that request went through to the keeper. My bed was a sea of foam, not a feather in sight.

That said, the bed had a similar ‘pillow top’ to the bed at their Perth outpost, and was much appreciated on this cold, literally – mid-winter evening.

Quirks-a-mussy

The QT brand definitely has something to say and is visually consistent across most of its properties. Same quirky bar setup, same industrial sensibility, and same all-the-doors-you-could-wish-for-and-more in the bathroom, along with all that black faucet-ry (tap-wear). But you still can’t see your chin at close enough range to shave. Might just be a boy thing, but if you can’t see to shave, presumably the mirror is not close enough to put your makeup on either.

Not cosy

With all that oak chevron flooring, wooden doors, and wood topped table, you would expect this room to feel warm and cosy. It doesn’t. This sitting area sort of sums it up. The cosiness of vinyl and sharp corners, not to mention the concrete ceiling and industrial light fittings somehow make it a little alienating. It doesn’t have the comfort of the homey cushions or rounded dralon velvet upholstery of its sister in Perth or the quirky humour of its brother in Canberra.

It’s a pity, because I really love the other aspects of this brand. The welcome is excellent, the restaurant and bar facilities (didn’t make it to the rooftop here) are excellent. I just think they need to put a little more effort into the ‘room hospitality’ – there’s a new term I’ve coined. I mean how hospitable the room feels – the message it sends with its fixtures, fittings, design and usability.

2PAXfly takeout – preliminary edition

This hotel and brand fall into the ‘groovy’ category. They do however verge on the form-over-function hotel deathtrap, which most of their siblings avoid by a cat’s whisker.

On a brief one night stand in this hotel, I don’t think I have done it justice. I didn’t get to visit the restaurant, the bar or the gym, not to mention room service. I only had a brief coffee at the cafe in the foyer.

However – I think this hotel runs a little short of the mark, even compared to its sisters and brothers.

Good start, but room for improvement.