HOTEL REVIEW: The Westin Melbourne, Victoria
Now more than 20 years old, the Westin Hotel, at City Square, Melbourne, is still a very elegant hotel with a superb location, designed with large rooms decorated in a restrained colour palette of greys, dark blues, with sand-coloured tiled bathrooms, white porcelain, and marble benchtops.
For a businessman, you are at the ‘Paris’ end of Collins street, and as a tourist you can enjoy the eating pleasures of Flinders Lane, and the shopping excesses of Collins street.
Content of this Post:
Location
Citi Square in Melbourne has had a chequered history. It’s bounded by Swanston Street, Collins Street, Flinders Lane and the Westin Hotel, and is currently completely covered by a ‘warehouse’ being used to construct the new Metro rail system including an entrance to the new Town Hall station.
Booking & Price
Stay: 23 to 25 April 2021
Stars: 5
Room: Rm 435, Deluxe Room
Size: 38 sqm (409 sqf)
Bed: King
Per Night Average: ~AU$325 (inc. Breakfast)
Address: 205 Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000
Phone: +61 3 9635 2222
Web: marriot.com.au
Introduction
I don’t think I have stayed in this hotel since around its opening at the turn of this century. It became a bit dated, I became a Hyatt fanboy, and then it never seemed affordable. On this recent trip to Melbourne, other than the Windsor, it was the only other hotel within budget that offered the facilities me and my husband like – central location, big rooms (yes we are size kweens), bath in the bathroom and good service.
This will not be a full review, just a quick reminder really.
Style and Character
Contemporary without fuss, sporting some classic deco-derived touches, particularly in the bathrooms and wardrobe handles. Decore is off-white with blue-grey and black highlights. Wood tones are reddish and ebony with a silver-yellow velvet Draylon (that’s an acrylic fibre coated with Teflon to be water-resistant) lounge chair and footrest, and sandy coloured wall tiles in the bathroom.
Gallery
Ground floor coffee shop, bar, library and reception Hotel as imagined once Metro work is complete Bedroom 
Soap, leaf, cute 
Overlooking the ‘warehouse’ over Melbourne City Square 
Outlook from our room 
Outlook to South Melbounre from our room 
View of Metro ‘warehouse’ roof Mural from our room 
Ammenities 
Bed 
Bed head and pillows 
Desk 
View from Desk into the room 
TV Screen on entry 
Bathroom 
Bath
Service & Facilities
I know that requests are always discretionary, but we ordered feather pillows, and then extra ones before arrival and on arrival. Not all the pillows provided were feather, and the further ordered ones definitely were not, and were disarmingly smaller than the resident pillows. My husband joked that each time we ordered more pillows, they got smaller and smaller.
Having said all that, service was prompt. Out toilet flush mechanism was faulty with the full-flush button not working, and the half-flush working as full-flush – so all OK.
Rooms
The standard rooms at this hotel look into the light well at the back of the hotel. I’ve never stayed in one, as such rooms are are something I viscerally avoid. That means you need to seek out something with a city view or balcony. That way you will get a room facing Collins street (preferred), Swanson street (OK) or Flinders Lane (never had one.)
At 38sqm+ the room we stayed in was huge, as was the bathroom. The room itself had some great views, however I wouldn’t want to be staying on any lower floor. On level 3, I think you might be in danger of just getting a view of the ‘warehouse’ over the Metro works. I’d plumb for something on the 4 to 8th floors. Above that are the hotel residences, and below the 3rd are the hotel function rooms and public areas.
Food
Our package included breakfast, and this was served from a small but adequate menu including various egg dishes, fruit and coconut yoghurt. There was no additional charge for espresso/flat white coffee – one of my pet hates. Food was delicious and promptly served, even when things were busy.
Value for Money
At sub-AU$325 per night, for a larger than 38sqm room on a weekend in Melbourne, including breakfast for two – this is great value for an above-average 5-star hotel, without the hoo-ha of say something like the new ‘W’ hotel, which charges nearly twice as much for the same sized room.
Mini-Bar
Given these COVID-19 riven times, nothing but the UHT milk.
Wardrobe
Huge! We divided it into a his and his sections. Oddly no shoe-horn. Iron, board, and safe – showing its heritage by not being laptop-sized or powered.
The Bathroom
Cat swinging possibilities. It has a bath, separate shower and double sinks. The shower stall seems needlessly small compared to the overall size of the bathroom, but its not like you have to contort to shower successfully under the rainfall head. However, I couldn’t get the hand shower to work. Knob didn’t seem to turn or change water flow between rainfall head and handheld. It may have been me, but I think it was probably a plumbing fault.
Amenities
Labelled ‘heavenly’ a brand Westin used to apply to even its beds – they were a bit bland but OK. On the other hand, it was nice to have environmentally thoughtless individual dispensers in these times of COVID-19.
I think the leaf soap is particularly cute!
2PAXfly Takeout
Extremely pleasantly surprised that this old faithful in a prime city position delivered above-average service and oversized accommodations. It’s great when an old friend of a hotel rewards your loyalty with an excellent stay, rather than you having to risk booking a newer, lesser-known parvenu.
We are already talking of booking The Westin Melbourne for our next stay.
Review
85%
Summary Extremely pleasantly surprised that this old faithful in a prime city position delivered above-average service and oversized accommodations. It's great when an old friend of a hotel rewards your loyalty with an excellent stay, rather than you having to risk booking a newer, lesser-known parvenu.
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