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Hotel Contests / Hotel Art / Melbourne Hotels / Art Series Hotels / → All Tags

And In the Flash of an Eye, A Banksy Got Stolen

Where: 452 St.Kilda Road , Melbourne, Australia, 3004

Two weeks ago, we found out about a contest going on at Melbourne's Art Series Hotels (The Blackman, The Olsen and The Cullen). Per the contest's rules, anyone who was able to steal a Banksy painting from one of the hotels, and not get caught in the act, could rightfully claim it as their own.

Well, someone's done it.

Last week, @stealbanksy alerted us to a spectacular heist pulled off at The Blackman by Maura Tuohy and an accomplice by the name of Megan Aney. Apparently, quite a few attemps were made at stealing the artwork, including dismantling the hotel's CCTV cameras, wiring the Front Desk with a listening device, and overloading the housekeeping team with menial tasks to keep them distracted. But the winning scheme was much simpler than all that.

Read below to hear how Maura got away with it!

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Hotel Art / Art Hotels / Melbourne Hotels / Hotel Contests / Twitter / → All Tags

For Once, A Hotel Is Actively Encouraging Guests To Steal Something

Where: Melbourne, Australia

Over in Melbourne, a trio of hotels known as the Art Series Hotels (The Blackman, The Olsen and The Cullen) are running a rather bizarre contest that rewards the burgling abilities of its guests. Which is probably something The Carlyle or The Ritz-Carlton wouldn't consider in a million years.

Hidden somewhere inside one of the buildings is an authentic Banksy painting titled "No Ball Games" (above). The guest who manages to find it, grab it, and of course, not get caught, gets to go home with the $15,000 prize.

The most important part? You gotta be cool. Among the contest's rules: each participant must "be a polite, respectful and sophisticated art crook."

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Hotel Bathrooms / Oprah / Melbourne Hotels / Australia Hotels / Crown Hotels / → All Tags

Even Oprah Gets Excited About Hotel Bathrooms

Where: 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 3006

You've heard us rave about fancy Hotel Bathrooms before. But it's not just us, you know. Even with all her millions, Oprah gets excited about hotel loos, too!

We caught the behind the scenes of O's Season 25 on OWN recently, and followed her December trip through Australia. In between pow-wows with her producers in her Crown Towers suite, she led the cameras to her favorite part of her digs ...

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Art Hotels / Melbourne Hotels / Design Hotels / Art Series Hotels / Australia Hotels / → All Tags

Melbourne's Third Art Series Hotel, The Blackman, Is Open (And Three More Are On The Way)

Where: 452 St.Kilda Road , Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 3004

We love us some Art Hotels, but we're starting to think Melbourne loves 'em even more. Three Art Series Hotels--cool boutique hotels, each designed around the work of an iconic Australian artist--have opened in the past year, and three more are in the pipeline for 2011.

The latest to join the family is The Blackman, located on St. Kilda Road, not far from the center of Melbourne. So, what's this one all about?

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Hotel Technology / Geek Hotels / Melbourne Hotels / → All Tags

The Downside of Fancy In-Room Technology

Where: 8 Whiteman St. Southbank , Melbourne, VC, Australia, 3006

There is a point at which in-room technology goes from being convenient to confusing in a way that makes you feel like you’ve turned into Woody Allen in the movie, "Sleeper." (I.e. you’ve stumbled into the future, totally unequipped to deal with even the most mundane things like turning on a light or wiping your bottom.) We often experience these moments in Asia and Scandinavia, but had one at the Crown Towers Melbourne recently.

The Cisco-designed "smart room" system used in Crown Towers guest rooms doesn't require an advanced degree to master. In fact, the interfaces are touch-screen, both on the plasma television screen and on the high-tech phones. Really, this is Magic Touch for grownups: Push the right pretty picture, and you can order room service, book a flight, get the news in Chinese, or surf the Web.

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Anti-View / Melbourne Hotels / Westin Hotels / → All Tags

A Building's Exterior and Random Statues Do Not Make For a Pretty View

Where: 205 Collins Street, Melbourne, VC, Australia, 3000

You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.

Wow. Talk about disappointing. A HotelChatter Flickr member dropped in this shot of the view from their room at the Westin Melbourne saying:

Crappy view of wall. The statues were something to look at at least.

Hmmm...we're having a hard time focusing on the statues because there's just so much wall in this shot.

We actually passed up staying at this hotel a while back because the hotel charged for WiFi in the guestrooms. Guess we'll have to stay away because of the view as well. But they do have a pretty website if that counts for anything!

[Photo: Vissi87/HotelChatter Flickr Pool]

Killer View / Melbourne Hotels / Grand Hyatt Hotels / → All Tags

Sip Your Coffee Up Above Melbourne at the Grand Hyatt

Where: 123 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3000

We are suckers for a room with a killer view.  We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.

There is something about sitting up really high with a drink in our hands — whether it be a cocktail or a coffee — that sort of makes you feel like a king or queen, no? Just us? Okay.

Whether or not you get a royal vibe from chillin' in front of a window with a killer view, you can probably agree that this particular seat (snapped by vissi87 and dropped into the HotelChatter Flickr Pool) from the Grand Club Lounge at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne makes you feel good inside. Unless you're scared of heights. Or scared of Melbourne.

Rates here start at A$232 (around $165 USD) and booking a Club room will grant you access to this lounge (the lowest rate we found for a Club King was A$312, or $222 USD) — which you may think is worth it to be able to sit here and sip your coffee. Also, this hotel was just renovated (to the tune of $30 million USD), so the place has a stylish new lobby, a new restaurant and bar, and totally updated amenities.

[Photo: vissi87]

Hotel Packages / Langham Hotels / Melbourne Hotels / → All Tags

Langham Hotel Does Paparazzi Impression in Melbourne

Where: 1 Southgate Avenue , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3006

The Langham Hotel Melbourne knows that not everybody's out of credit during the current financial crisis--and so far Australia's not quite as hard hit--so they're ready to make guests feel particularly special with their Paparazzi Glamour Package.

Feeling famous comes at a price. To stay at the Langham in Melbourne for two nights and be thoroughly spoiled will cost you A$4,200 (at least the favorable US exchange rate brings that down to $2,900). Not cheap, but there are lots of luxuries included.

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Hotel Renovations / Melbourne Hotels / Intercontinental Hotels / → All Tags

Intercontinental Works Some Melbourne Magic With Rialto

Where: 495 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3000

What was once the Rialto Hotel on Collins in Melbourne is now the Intercontinental Melbourne the Rialto and judging from some early guest reviews and a very warm Age review, the change has really done the place good.

Being on Collins Street in central Melbourne gives this Intercontinental the advantage of a good location to start with, and since Melbourne's a place where a lot of stuff happens right there in the city center, location is an especially important factor.

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Melbourne Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / Hotel Renovations / New Years Eve 2009 Hotels / → All Tags

Grand Hyatt Melbourne's New Look Almost Ready For The New Year

Where: 123 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3000

Need a tip for a last-minute New Year's Eve booking in Australia's new favorite city of Melbourne? Looks like the Grand Hyatt Melbourne has got some rooms left starting at A$410 (US$290).

Last time we were in the area, the entrance to the Grand Hyatt Melbourne was practically boarded up while they got through some renovations but these are now almost completely finished. It all cost A$45 million (over $30 million) so we aren't surprised the results are pretty impressive, with a stylish new lobby and as well as a new restaurant and bar. Of course, the room still have that predictable Hyatt look.

This place is in a great location in Melbourne with all the restaurants and shopping wherever you look, and it's even got great views. Melbourne nightlife will provide plenty of places to hang out on New Year's Eve and it'll be a short walk back to the Hyatt from wherever you are. On a heavy-going New Year's Eve, that's important.

Gordon Ramsay / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Hype / Melbourne Hotels / → All Tags

Australian Hotel Gets a New Gordon Ramsay Restaurant

Although Aussies are pretty relaxed about a few dirty words flying about, they’re going to get more soon when Gordon Ramsay starts a Maze restaurant in the newest part of the Crown hotel complex.

Scheduled to open in 2010, the third hotel within the Crown complex will be the largest in Australia, so there should be plenty of guests for Ramsay’s eatery. Although it’s the first step for Ramsay’s eating kingdom Down Under, there are already hints that he’ll be looking to expand across the country.

Australians should be flattered to hear that Ramsay reckons there are enough good chefs in the country to find the right one to run his new restaurant: apparently he said “I’d be stupid not to employ a local Aussie”. Actually, we’re guessing that’s the censored version, but we get the drift.

[Photo: Lee Stranahan]

Hotel Deals / Melbourne Hotels / Hotel Contests / → All Tags

The Windsor Hotel in Melbourne Offering 50-Cent Hotel Rooms For the Lucky Few

Where: 111 Spring Street, Melbourne , Australia, 3000

It's the season for ultra-cheap hotel deals. We've seen the $19.28 fiasco and the $19.27 deal at the Royal Hawaiian, but down in Melbourne they're taking things a whole big step further.

The Windsor Hotel first opened up in 1883 but to celebrate its 125th birthday it's offering something better than $18.83 rates. Their neato marketing plan is to offer rooms for the equivalent of the prices they went for in 1883, which works out at 50 Australian cents (US$0.34). A single room is half that and breakfast is included, too!

As you'd expect, of course, the Windsor is not giving out thousands of rooms at that price. It's going for the first 25 people only who book online on the hotel's birthday, December 18, starting from 9.00am Melbourne time. Yeah, you'd have to be very lucky to get one, but it's worth a try.

Now we're sure you're not going to complain about a 50 cent room, but just for the record the Windsor has some big renovation plans in the works. However, since it's a heritage-listed building the local heritage council knocked back some of its plans--they're appealing against that and hope to start a multi-million dollar refurbishment in 2009.

[Photo: miroj]