When it comes to boutique and luxury hotels, Melbourne is anything but Australia’s ‘Second City.’ Over the past half-decade, the Victorian capital has been a proving ground for some of the most internationally well-regarded players in premium hospitality — plus its fair share of buzzy homegrown openings.
Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool fan of big-name hotels or prefer a more low-key establishment that reflects the culture of the ‘Garden City,’ these are the best hotels in Melbourne that we’ve stayed in so far in 2024.
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The Best Hotels In Melbourne For 2024
The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne (Best Splurge)
Contact: +61 (03) 9122 2888
Pricing:Â Starting at $555
Easily one of Australia’s two biggest hotel openings last year (the other being Capella Sydney), the arrival of the Ritz-Carlton imprint has raised the stakes for luxury hospitality in Melbourne.
Suspended 80 storeys above Lonsdale Street (on the site formerly occupied by The Age‘s headquarters), Ritz-Carlton Melbourne makes its lofty aspirations clear even before you put a foot in the door. The lobby can only be accessed via high-speed elevator and, for those who care to stretch their legs, boasts an uninterrupted 360° view of the surrounding city and landscape beyond.
The pillars of any Ritz-Carlton property are a vibrant social element; urbane, location-specific design; and service that speaks to the preferences of elite modern travellers.
Australia’s latest Ritz-Carlton property addresses those non-negotiables in a few notable ways. For starters: scale is something the hotel is dead serious about, with even the smallest ‘Deluxe King’ rooms offering 44sqm of play. Between the walk-in wardrobe and generously proportioned sitting area, there’s no mistaking the hotel’s luxury bona fides.
Aside from all the value-adds associated with the ‘Ritz-Carlton Club’ experience (something which the brand often touts as its “hotel within a hotel” concept), guests are encouraged to enjoy all three of the restaurants and bars within. Atria and the eponymous Ritz-Carlton lounge fulfil the role of fine diner and tearoom respectively; but it’s Cameo, the signature cocktail bar, where the hotel’s eclectic elements come together perfectly.
Throw in a spa and the requisite infinity pool, and well… it’s no wonder that the property has already attracted nationwide (never mind Melbourne-based) regulars.
The Royce, Melbourne
Contact: +61 (03) 8614 1414
Pricing:Â Starting at $330
For those who appreciate a splash of heritage with their luxury hotel, The Royce offers a stay that’s literally steeped in it. Technically the city’s first showroom for prestige motorcars (first opened in 1928), it underwent a two-year refurbishment that concluded in early 2023.
In its latest incarnation, The Royce is an expert blend of Art-Deco style and contemporary luxury: a spirit that you can see everywhere in the hotel, from the ‘Showroom Bar’ to its collection of (appropriately split-level) ‘Loft’ suites.
Marble bannisters and lavish chrome fittings aside, even The Royce’s location feels like it’s in the proverbial lap of luxury. The property is set within walking distance from both the Royal Botanic Gardens and Fawkner Park. Meanwhile, if you fancy a spot of retail, the iconic Chapel Street precinct is only a short tram ride away.
The Lyall, South Yarra
Contact: +61 (03) 9868 8222
Pricing:Â Starting at $330
Privately owned and quintessentially Melbourne (translation: local, low-key, and intimate) The Lyall will likely appeal to travellers who shirk the cookie-cutter stylings of bigger chain hotel brands.
Located in the heart of South Yarra and recently the subject of a significant renovation, guests of The Lyall can expect the ambience of a Marylebone members’ club — plus personalised, round-the-clock service.
From the hotel, Chapel Street’s many varied dining options (ranging from Yugen Dining to Hawker Hall) are an easy 10-minute amble; but, as with various other of the best hotels in Melbourne, you’ll be mighty tempted to while away your stay in-house.
That’s down to the quality of The Lyall’s rooms themselves: of 51 private spaces, a majority come equipped with French balconies, full-size bathtubs and a range of custom furnishings handmade locally.
W Melbourne
Contact: +61 (03) 9113 8800
Pricing:Â Starting at $335
Easily one of the biggest hotel openings in Australia over the past four years, the local W outpost (centrally located on Flinders Lane) manages to convey Melbourne’s reputation for quirk and creativity with all the riotous energy the Marriott brand is known for.
Sure, the statistics are impressive — 294 guestrooms, a gold-topped rooftop pool, 830sqm of versatile event space — but you only get a tangible sense as to the hotel’s ‘party people’ energy by exploring its wide assortment of dining options.
Warabi and Lollo craft award-winning Japanese and modern Australian fare respectively. Meanwhile, those who are partial to a tipple are also advised to venture belowground, where Curious (W Melbourne’s creative cocktail den) opens 6 days a week, for all your boozy, DJ deck-fueled needs.
Crown Metropol, Southbank (Best Family)
Contact: +61 (03) 9868 8222
Pricing:Â Starting at $609
A more family-friendly alternative to the adjacent Crown Towers property, it’d be fair to say Metropol is much more than your stock-standard high-end chain hotel.
To be sure, the property’s rooms — all 658 of the black and ochre suites, covered in floor-to-ceiling glass — certainly get the job done, but you’d be forgiven not for spending that much time in them. The on-site facilities are simply too good to ignore.
27 floors up, the Metropol’s famed infinity pool is demonstrably the nicest swimming hole this side of the Yarra; and if you’ve got kiddies in tow, the surrounding retail precinct offers more activities than you’ll be able to do in a weekend. Think karaoke, bowling, laser tag, or even an 18-hole mini golf course.
QT Melbourne
Contact: +61 (03) 8636 8800
Pricing:Â Starting at $285
Strategically located half a block from the Paris end of Collins Street, QT Melbourne epitomises the eponymous Australian hotel brand’s knack for adult, design-led, and highly experiential stays.
For such a hotel that’s well-known for being so theatrical, the façade of QT’s Melbourne outpost makes a refreshingly low-key impression, with the almost brutalist exterior accented by a single copper-tone entryway.
Inside, you can expect all the design cues we’ve come to expect from Australia’s brashest boutique hotelier: with rooms exhibiting a mixture of wood floors, exposed stonework, and (depending on which room you book) oversized soaking tubs.
Naturally, this being Melbourne, there’s no shortage of great eating & drinking options in the vicinity of the hotel. Guests hankering after a solid Sunday session are advised to head to Rooftop at QT: where a range of local DJs hit the decks every weekend.
United Places, South Yarra
Contact: +61 (03) 9866 6467
Pricing:Â Starting at $480
As diametrically opposed to the Ws and Hyatts of the world as one can possibly get, United Places is a discreet neighbourhood bolthole nestled amid the plush greenery of South Yarra.
This hotel’s Domain Road address affords it good connectivity — on foot mind you — to the ‘Tan (that famed 3.8km path around the Royal Botanic Gardens). You’ll also find plenty of quality cafes and eateries situated on either side, including Matilda 159: Scott Pickett’s den of primordial open-fire cookery, also doubling as the hotel’s in-room dining partner.
Speaking of in-room: if there’s a Melbourne hotel on our list worth flicking the “do not disturb” sign on for, United Places is most certainly it. The property consists of a mere 11 rooms, all of which it’s more appropriate to characterise as suites. Ranging between 66sqm — 72sqm in size, each has been conceived (by the CARR design firm) to take advantage of the hotel’s serene, leafy surroundings.
The interior elements are all appropriately lush: full of Italian-made sofas from Moroso and toiletries by Kiwi ‘clean beauty’ brand Sans[ceuticals].
Grand Hyatt, Melbourne
Contact: +61 (03) 9657 1234
Pricing:Â Starting at $315
With no less than three different Hyatt-branded hotels to choose from, Melbourne clearly has a thing for the American hospitality brand.
That said, if you’re travelling for business, or love being near great shopping options, there’s a case to be made that the Grand Hyatt is one of the best hotels in Melbourne. The property offers neither cutting-edge restaurants nor Architectural Digest-worthy design, but what it does have going for it is virtually everything else.
Service is polished; the pool and fitness facilities are in excellent nick (especially for a hotel that opened in the mid-1980s); guest bathrooms are all built with a frankly biblical amount of imported marble; and the location is, well… hard to beat.
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Hyatt Centric, Melbourne (Best Value)
Contact: +61 (03) 9120 1234
Pricing:Â Starting at $211
Regular Hyatt guests will be able to tell you that the ‘Centric’ brand hums a different tune to its more classically luxe siblings. Sporting more in common with an experience-first hotel group like QT, Australia’s first Hyatt Centric property took the best part of half a decade to complete: now standing as the “perfect launchpad for exploring” the Victorian capital.
Located on Downie Street, equally close to Melbourne’s Docklands and Southbank precincts, it’s understandable if guests here prefer to spend the majority of their stay exploring graffiti-clad laneways or any of the city’s world-class public art institutions. Still, if you’re looking to unwind in-house, the Hyatt Centric gets our enthusiastic stamp of approval.
The property’s ‘new car’ lustre has yet to diminish, and this is readily apparent in its minimal Scandi-esque bedrooms, cleverly decorated public spaces (many of which incorporate vestiges of Melbourne’s city heritage); and in the words of our colleague Nick Kenyon, “one of the nicest indoor 25m pools you’re ever likely to see.” High praise.
Lancemore Crossley St, Melbourne
Contact: +61 (03) 8566 9338
Pricing:Â Starting at $229
For frequent interstate travellers, who demand clean styling cues and privacy at their accommodations, the Lancemore on Crossley Street delivers.
Nestled inside a charming laneway within Melbourne’s CBD, this is another boutique operation that screams (or is that whispers?) “classic Melbs”. All 113 of the Lancemore’s suites & guestrooms are coolly appointed: in a colour gradient that swivels between grey, ecru, and linen-white. When you’re not reclining in these serene private spaces, the rooftop terrace offers views of Melbourne’s suitably Gothic skyline — and provides ample opportunity for socialising.
Like any number of the other best hotels in Melbourne, the Lancemore’s location is well-suited to exploration. Chinatown and a variety of the city’s most renowned theatres are all a five-minute stroll away — providing guests with ample reason to leave this swish little gem of a city hotel.
If you’ve enjoyed this shortlist of the best hotels in Melbourne, here are a few more of our favourite city-specific guides worth reading:
