Sofitel Melbourne On Collins

This was the first time I had stayed in a Sofitel but had stayed in a few Novotel hotels in the UK. The whole hotel was elegant, the bedroom was bigger than some city centre hotels I have stayed in. The view from 41st floor had views of the MCG, The Rob Laver Stadium as well as the AAMI Park and Melbourne Park stadium to the South East of the hotel. Also the Yarra river, Flinders Street Station as well as the building with the Edge in it on the 93rd floor to the South West. When we first arrived, our room was not ready yet but that fact we had arrived at 8.20am in the morning we weren't surprised. We dropped our bags off with the Concierge until our room was ready. We then went out for a walk to get rid of the cobwebs from our flights and went past the hotel we had stayed in the last time in 2013. By 11.20 am, our watches and phones were dying of power so we headed back to the hotel and sat in the reception area to charge our things. We went out again for lunch and finally got into our room around 2.30pm. As i say the room was bigger than i was expecting and very clean. There was two queen size beds with an armchair, a couple of chairs and a table as well as a wardrobe with the usual ironing board and iron. The bathroom had a bath with shower over it, toilet and sink with hair dryer. Once exploring the room, we took the lift to bar, which could be seen when you came out your room, this was on the 35th floor as well as the restaurant and a specialist restaurant for certain guests. This was table service only, which was excellent but could be slightly slow when busy. And due to licensing laws closed earlier than hotel bars in the UK. The whole hotel did had a nice relaxed atmosphere whether in the bar, restaurant or reception. We had headed to the Concierge to find out where we could find tickets for a Legends game that night at AAMI Park stadium and he told us the best places to find them. We went to get the tickets at a local shop before heading back to the hotel, thanking the Concierge and heading to the stadium. In the morning, after a very nice sleep, we headed for breakfast in the restaurant. The restaurant was set up with different sections for breakfast, with a bread/pastry section; fresh fruit/dried fruits/yogurts/granola; cold meats; and finally the cooked breakfast, which had your usual UK style things as well as omelettes and some Oriental dishes too. There was also a coffee station. The view was looking out over the Business area as well as the theatre area. We did not eat in the hotel apart from breakfast due to things organised by the tour company. We had our Welcome tour drink in the bar on the Friday before heading out for the event, we went back for a few drink after the event as well and did the same on the Saturday before and after the game. which was busier. We got to know one or two of the staff, who helped us with suggestions of things to do as well as pass on a message that someone had not paid a drink bill from the night before. The noise level throughout the hotel was always quiet, even when the bar was busy. I would stay at the hotel again if I had the chance as I had worked for Accor Group for a number of years and knew how they trained their staff to a very high performance.

Sofitel on Collins has become our favourite hotel in Australia. We normally stay in a Luxury Corner Room, which is a large comfortable suite with excellent views. There is a casual food and drinks area in the centre of level 35 called The Atrium, the hotel's restaurant, named Restaurant 35, is on one side of level 35, and the Club Sofitel is alongside the restaurant. The hotel's restaurant has fantastic people who always go out of their way to ensure we have a great meal, while also maintaining our dietary requirements. Club Sofitel, which we have access to due to our status, is superb for breakfast, afternoon tea, and for nightly aperitifs. The hotel's dietary chef, Chef Karen, is usually available in Club Sofitel to handle any dietary requirements, and she is absolutely spectacular. When you put all of these things together, what you have is a perfect stay, and hence the reason this is our favourite hotel in Australia. Highly recommended.

The hotel is close to half a century old and in some aspects shows its age. We stayed in a corner suit on the 48th floor which was spacious and well-equipped. The numerous windows each have their on shade blinds and wooden shutters to block out light completely. In our suite an annoying red light was blinking all night from the rooftop of the building next door which I assume was a building height warning device although the hotel is 3 floors higher; the light made it necessary to close the shutters after sunset. The paradox of a suite in this price-category was that it only had a bathtub and no separate shower. The light sensors at waist height activate each time one enters the bathroom and also triggers the dressing room lights which are very bright and disturb the other person in bed sleeping. Evening turndown is good however bandwidth of the time it is provided was not ideal on several occasions. A refurbished equivalent suite is available on the 50th floor (called the Celestial Floor) for an astronomical surcharge. The club lounge is located on the 35th floor and serves breakfast, afternoon tea and canapés. One annoying aspect are the double-sided televisions which are placed every four tables and are permanently switched on constantly drawing attention to visuals without sound.

First the location. The location is great. Right on Collins avenue. Hotel is on top of a profession building so - floor 35 and up are the hotel. The rooms are comfortable but the hotel decor is quite dated. Service however is excellent. We were on the 44th floor and we could see the bright lights from the skyscraper next to us. The lights were painful. Noise was an issue. You could hear the band two blocks away and the Rugby match from the stadium 2 km away. Close walk to most sites and nearby restaurants. The last part is especially true because the hotels offers only one restaurant and a bar (with a very limited food menu). We did not try No 35 for dinner, because we did have the buffet breakfast for $A42 pp. Thought the food quality well below par, not up to Sofitel standards. The croissants on our Saturday morning stay -- were stale, the eggs were liquid, the bacon was under cooked. The eggs, bacon and potatoes were cold. The restaurant is tiny for the number of rooms and if you try for a table after 0830h on the weekend you will likely wait. WiFi as a Accor member was excellent. No issue streaming or using a VPN to the States. We enjoyed our stay, but as I stated there are better properties in the area.

We had a really good stay in the Sofitel on Collins and it is well located. The rooms were quite spacious and luxuriously comfortable. Staff were extra helpful and breakfasts were very good. Probably a little expensive in peak times.