Introduction

My first stop in Australia is Melbourne – for two reasons, one of which will be explained in a later post. The other reason is that I spent a large chunk of my academic sabbatical a few years ago in Melbourne at the University of Melbourne’s Language Testing Research Centre writing my doctoral thesis. When I read the thesis now, I can actually still remember where I sat in my Airbnb when I wrote parts of the text. So, the stop in Melbourne is a bit of a trip down memory lane.

Location

The Sofitel Melbourne is located at the upper end of Collins Street, which is where you’ll also find all the ritzi brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton. Rather conveniently, it’s also right next to the last stop of Melbourne’s free public transport zone, which stretches from Southern Cross Station at the far end of Collins Street to the Sofitel at the opposite end.

The hotel is located in a large complex in the CBD and is attached to a convention centre.

Check-In

I arrive at the hotel just after 07h30 in the morning on Wednesday. I left Madrid at noon on Monday, and I’m exhausted. Reception for the Sofitel is on the first floor. It’s still very quiet, and I’m seen to straight away by a friendly but rather shy young man. Much to my surprise, he informs me that the room is ready, and that I’ve been upgraded from a junior suite to a deluxe suite on the fiftieth floor. He hands me the key card, wishes me a pleasant stay, and shows me to the lifts.

Staff & Service

Like the young man at reception, all the staff at the hotel are friendly and chatty, but in my experience, that seems to be the case with most Australians, who seem a lot less wary of foreigners than we generally are in Europe these days.

There would have been a welcome gift, which they tried to deliver to the suite in the afternoon of the day of my arrival. However, I was so tired that I put out the Do not Disturb and had a nap, missing the delivery of the welcome gift completely.

Deluxe Suite

The hotel rooms at the Sofitel Melbourne are located on floors 35 to 50, with the top floor reserved for the deluxe suites.

The suite opens into a large living room area with windows running alongside the full length of the room. It’s still early, so it’s not fully light outside yet.

The living room is spacious and comfortable. It has a large sofa, two armchairs and a coffee table.

There’s a good size desk by the windows, facing the sofa. On the desk is a record player with two records, one of them is a live performance with Aretha Franklin. I put the record on, mostly for old times sake, and immediately I’m amazed by how much better the sound quality of digital recordings is nowadays. Still, it’s a nice gimmick.

The bedroom leads off from the living room. It has a large king bed with a nice, firm mattress that’s looking awfully inviting right now after the long trip over from Madrid!

The bathroom leads off from the bedroom. The fittings are all shiny and look new. There are twin sinks. The toilet and shower are separated from the rest of the bathroom by a large paine of opaque glass.

As far as the Knight of Malta shower test goes, the Sofitel Melbourne gets a mixed review. The pressure is only moderate, regulating the temperature is fiddly, and flooding is only avoided with considerable effort.

Being up on the fiftieth floor of the hotel means that the views from my suite are great. Having said that, it’s overcast and rainy for most of the duration of my stay, so perhaps I should amend that by stating that the view from the room is excellent in good weather.

Amenities

As far as amenities go, there’s a water kettle and a Nespresso machine. The selection of teas is good. Complimentary fresh milk for tea or coffee is available in the fully stocked minibar.

The hotel also provides a bottle of still water, even though the tap water in Melbourne is good to drink. And there’s also a small pot with heart shaped chocolates on the coffee table, in addition to the two small bars of chocolate I was handed at reception when I checked in.

I should also like to point out that these must be the floofiest slippers I’ve ever received at a hotel. It feels like I’m walking on clouds. One pair is in a size L, while the other is a size M. Similarly, there is an L sized bathrobe which feels more like an XL or even an XXL, and one that’s an M but feels more like an L.

The Sofitel Club Lounge

The Sofitel Club Lounge is located on the 35th floor, with the entrance right next door to the fine dining restaurant No 35. The lounge opens for breakfast at 07h00 in the morning and more or less stays open until 21h00 in the evening. Between 13h00 and 15h00 they serve a kind of afternoon tea, but without scones, and then from 17h00 to 19h00 they have small snacks and finger food.

AllAccor Diamond members generally get complimentary breakfast at weekends. However, in the Asia Pacific region, and that includes Australia, the complimentary breakfast privilege is not just limited to weekends and extends to the whole duration of the stay. Breakfast in the lounge is a buffet with a nice selection. In addition, hot items can be ordered from a menu – mostly, it’s variations of poached eggs or a sweet waffle.

Conclusion

The Sofitel Melbourne is a lovely hotel right in the centre of the city. I don’t know how old the building is, but I’m guessing it must have been built sometime during the nineties. Nonetheless, while the building’s bones may be getting on, the hotel is well maintained and taken care of.

Once again, I’m floored by the consistency with which the AllAccor group extends privileges to its Diamond tier customers. The room upgrade was much appreciated, and it really was a very nice room. I think it makes a big difference when you’re visiting a foreign city to be able to come back to a nice room at the end of a long day exploring your new surroundings. Most of all, though, I greatly appreciated that the room was already available when I arrived so early in the morning.