GOURMET TRAVELLER 175A shameless dedication to
commerce means everything
from the beds and linen to the scented
room spray and signed Cullen prints
(the ultimate memento – why not buy
two?) are for sale.
You want it, they’ve thought
of it. Hire a Cullen-branded
Smart car or Kronan Classic bicycle
from the cheerful reception staf.
Borrow a Cloud Nine styling wand or
a Bugaboo pram. Minibars are stocked
with hangover busters, and breakfast
runs until 3pm on weekends.
The Gramercy Social breakfast
swings both ways, with
eggwhite omelettes and kale pesto
doing for virtue what the “brunch
cocktails” and Seedy Sunday Sanga
(sausage patty, maple bacon and
hash brown in a hamburger bun)
do for excess.
The pre-mixed Melbourne
Martini (or the kombucha) in
the minibar and Gramercy Social’s
happy “hour” (4pm-7pm daily) are
compelling reasons to drink in-house.
WHERE5kmfrom the
CBD.COSTFrom $189,
without breakfast.AT
A GLANCE118 rooms
and suites, adjoining
rooms; bar, restaurants,
gym, paid valet and
self-parking, free art
tours, guest laundries.
IN ROOMFree WiFi,
some baths and
balconies, kitchenette,
pillow menu, Evo
toiletries.BEST ROOMS
Broaden your art
experience with a stay
in one of four Deluxe
Studio Suites decorated
by street artists.THE CULLEN
There’s a foosball table in the foyer; Ned Kelly and his gang
lurk on level four. Any hotel named in honour of the late
“avant-grit” artist Adam Cullen is duty-bound to do things
diferently and The Cullen lives up to its hype, its walls
a retrospective of the Archibald winner’s spirit. It wears its
of-Chapel Street location well, leaning on ground-floor
tenants Gramercy Social and HuTong Dumpling Bar for
dining options. Upstairs, The Cullen’s monochrome
interiors, plush carpets and kitchenettes – very handy
with Prahran Market across the road – pit comfort against
a background of Cullen’s edgy artworks. There’s no sign
of corporate blandness taming the hotel’s irascible charm
since its takeover by the Mantra Group.164 Commercial
Rd, Prahran, (03) 9098 1555, artserieshotels.com.au
As well as handy items to
buy and keep, the hotel
keeps a “Hyatt Has It” inventory
full of thoughtful extras, from ties
and cuinks for the forgetful to
a humidifier and even a spin bike.
The rooftop tennis court,
a rarity in city hotels, is the
perfect prelude to a power lunch.
Lobby restaurant Collins
Kitchen combines expansive
variety with impeccable attention
to detail at breakfast. The organic
kalamata olive loaf comes with
food-allergen details, and gluten-free
pastries are made in-house.
Comprehensive à la carte oferings
bolster the bufet’s juice, egg,
smoothie and superfood stations
($44). The kitchen’s commitment
to local sourcing extends to dinner,
where menus feature Port Phillip
Bay whiting and High Country cod.
Ru-Co styles itself as a
laneway bar in a hotel.
Peruse the 2,700-bottle wine list
while eavesdropping on Tinder dates.WHERECBD.COSTFrom $472, without breakfast.AT A GLANCE550 rooms and
suites, adjoining rooms; bars, restaurant, pool, health centre, sauna, steam room,
tennis court, paid valet parking.IN ROOMFree WiFi, bath, some kitchenettes, some
cofee machines, pillow menu, June Jacobs toiletries.BEST ROOMOpt for a corner
room such as 2207, a Grand Deluxe King with views of the Domain parklands.GRAND HYATT
MELBOURNE
Though it’s almost 10 years
since the Grand Hyatt’s last
big renovation, it remains one
of Melbourne’s most coveted
business hotels. The location is
key to its appeal – smack bang
in the big-business end of the
CBD but also just moments away
from the city’s most exciting
eating, drinking and shopping.
It’s not just the award-winning
bufet breakfast that drives
a brisk repeat business; the
brass-and-awe lobby impresses
without snobbery, as do the
discreet and friendly staf. A
step in any direction is a choose-
your-own adventure, to the gym
(a full-blown 24-hour fitness
centre), the rooftop tennis court
or Ru-Co, the hotel’s destination
cocktail bar.23 Collins St,
Melbourne, (03) 9657 1234,
melbourne.grand.hyatt.comMelbourneJunior Penthouse Suite.Collins Kitchen.