Country
Australia
City
Melbourne
Hotel
Park Hyatt
Notes
The Good
- Comfortable bed, great view and location
The Bad
- Expensive internet access
X-Factor
- Being close to the city but away from the hustle and bustle
Introduction
Melbourne has no shortage of luxury hotels catering to business travellers, but the Park Hyatt has long been a mainstay of the business crowd thanks to its elegant design, attentive service and plentiful amenities.
Location & Impressions
Located at 1 Parliament Square, the Park Hyatt Melbourne occupies an enviable position that overlooks St Patrick’s Cathedral and is just a short stroll away from Fitzroy Gardens. It takes just 10 minutes to walk into the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, making the hotel especially convenient for business while still allowing you to escape from most of the noise and excitement of the CBD when you want. Shopaholics will love the fact that that the Paris End of Collins Street is just a few minutes’ walk away.
The Park Hyatt is a grand looking building with a suitably impressive entrance, featuring a drive-up courtyard entrance, a large fountain and lighted gardens.
Check-in staff are friendly and helpful in getting you to your room quickly (so important after a long day of travelling). My room was on one of the Club floors, located on the 20th floor of the hotel. Club floor rooms give you access to the Park Lounge on level 19, where you can have evening canapés and cocktails as well as a comfortable place to relax or work while soaking in the Melbourne view.
Room
The king bed was comfortable and large
The spacious king bed, with the bathroom door leading off to the right
The reading light beside the bed is a nice touch
The sitting area and coffee table
The sitting area and TV - not exactly modern, but in keeping with the hotel's style
The full-sized enclosed shower
A great place to unwind after a long meeting
The attached walk-in closet, complete with bathrobes
Ironing board, safe and tea/coffee facilities are tucked away here
His and hers sinks and a makeup/shaving mirror for couples
We stayed in a Park Club Room, which costs around $90 extra per person above the standard room rate but includes access to the Park Lounge, complimentary internet access, daily breakfast in the restaurant downstairs, and evening canapés and cocktails.
The room itself was tastefully decorated in the hotel’s Art Deco style and very comfortable to stay in. Featuring a spacious and comfortable king bed, large seating area, work desk, separate bathroom with bath, and even a small powder room, our room at the Hyatt compares with some of the best hotel’s we’ve stayed at.
The bathroom was not lacking for amenities either - apart from the full-sized enclosed shower and luxurious bathtub (with an inset TV to boot), there's also an attached walk-in closet and separate his and hers sinks and a makeup/shaving mirror.
Although it’s obvious the hotel interiors are a little old school (check out the room TV in our photos), everything is meticulously maintained.
Work
With complimentary Wi-Fi included in our Park Club room, as well as a decent sized desk and a comfortable chair, getting some work done in-room is not a problem. If your room rate doesn’t include Internet access you’ll need to shell out $29 per 24 hour block, which is among the highest prices we’ve seen around the world.
We also had some issues signing in to the wireless service and it required a call to the help desk to get things working. Once connected, access was fast and stable.
There’s also a business centre with workstations connected to the Internet available for use, as well as photocopying/printing facilities, and a business reference library.
In a nod to their corporate clientele, the Park Hyatt can also arrange secretarial services, translation and interpretation as well as hire out equipment, making it a convenient base to work from.
Eat
The Park Hyatt has its own in-house restaurant called radii, set over 5 levels and with a menu and wine list that will satisfy your inner foodie - try the twice-cooked pork belly.
In terms of room service, the Park Hyatt’s Club Sandwich (a good measure of room-service standard) was tasty but the presentation could have been better. During our stay we were presented with a complimentary fruit basket, which is a nice touch for travellers who may have been missing out on their fruit during long-haul flights.
While the fine dining restaurant radii and the Park Hyatt’s room-service are up to scratch, what about the most important meal of the day? The included breakfast in our room rate is a buffet-style affair and we were very happy with the quality of ingredients on offer, as well as the excellent coffee. If there’s one extra you spring for at the Park Hyatt, make it their daily breakfast.
Relax
There’s no shortage of relaxation options at the Park Hyatt, depending on one’s mood. The inset TV in the bathroom makes it easy to sit in the tub and catch up on the news or have a drink, while the hotel’s full-service spa with a number of different treatments available also makes for a tempting option.
If you’re feeling more active, the Park Hyatt has a fully decked out gym and staffed fitness centre (including a steam room and dry sauna), as well as spa facilities. There is also a full-sized tennis court and a beautiful 25-metre edgeless lap pool.
27 Jan 2012
Total posts 117
looks quite boring hotel. not very modern either
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