CHECKING IN: QT MELBOURNE
IN ONE LINE
A young, buzzy city hotel with a quirky personality.
ABOUT
In 2015 we actually attended the opening party for QT Melbourne while living in the city. One of a group of 10 properties in the QT Hotels & Resorts group, back then it was the biggest new opening with plenty of buzz and excitement. Over the years QT has managed to maintain it’s bold reputation for fun and is still one of Melbourne city’s best hotels. With low-lighting and an industrial chic design the hotel has a focus on art and playfulness , this is definitely not a hotel for fans of a beige cookie-cutter experience. Lively touches abound, including commissioned video art in the communal spaces and a very chatty voiceover in the lifts. It affords visitors a great location for exploring Melbourne too and with so much to see and do nearby, guests will be very appreciate of the comfortable beds to come back to at the end of the day.
OUR ROOM
With 188 rooms split across 8 categories there’s something for everyone here. We stayed on the 8th floor in an Executive King which came with a floor-to-ceiling windows, a seating area and a large bathroom with tub. The room was arranged in a long and narrow configuration which meant the bathroom was quite dark at the back but in a clever design feature the ‘walls’ were actually sliding doors which allowed us to open up the room and let in a little natural light. The overall design is industrial but the room still managed to feel comfortable and had good quality fixtures and fittings. Think low-light pre-party vibes.
Part and parcel of a city break is the there will be some city noise so we were thankful we were quite high up on this occasion, but a construction site across the road did stop any chances of sleep-ins. Otherwise we didn’t hear noise from any other guests and the blackout blinds meant we slept well overnight.
FOOD & DRINK
QT’s on site restaurant Pascale Bar & Grill serves a lunch and dinner menu and also hosts the guest breakfast. Sadly we didn’t have breakfast included in our rate and didn’t get a chance to dine during our stay so we can’t comment on the hotel’s food but we will say the the Rooftop at QT is definitely worth a visit. With great cocktails and a view over the skyline it’s the perfect place to unwind in the afternoon post-exploring or somewhere to bring friends for a buzzy evening out.
THE AREA
Russel Street is in the heart of Melbournes CBD - and part of the free-tram zone too - so for any city sightseeing this is the perfect location for easily and quickly navigating your way around. There’s plenty of coffee, restaurant, bar and shopping options literally on the doostep and it’s also easy to jump on a tram or train for adventures further afield. Some of our favourite CBD nearby spots include Pope Joan, Lune Croissant (expect a queue), Higher Ground, Melbourne Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ along with The State Library, Parliament House, Fitzroy and Carlton Gardens and of course the Yarra River.
THE HIGHS & LOWS
H: Location and room size were the standouts for us. We could easily get everywhere we needed to from this spot and then had plenty of room to stretch out in the room afterwards. Special mention to the very comfy bed.
L: Our one gripe about the stay would probably be that the room we were in faced directly on to a large construction site which, along with not being the most relaxing view, also started making noise early in the morning. Thanks to jet lag we were early risers during our trip anyway otherwise we might have asked to move to the other side of the hotel.
GOOD TO KNOW
Room service is 24/7
Accessible rooms available
Valet parking for a fee
QT has a membership program and quite often does good flash sales on room rates
You will need a MYKI card for riding the trams/trains and buses in Melbourne (outside of the ‘free tram zone’ - pop in to a local station or 7 Eleven
GETTING THERE
From the airport the hotel is about a 30minute drive (Uber has a stand in the arrivals area and a trip should cost around $AUD55-60). Alternatively there is an airport shuttle bus that travels to Spencer Street Station which is a 25minute walk or 10 minute tram ride away.
We received a discount during our stay but all thoughts and opinions are our own