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Melbourne Hotel Guide

Melbourne Hotel Scene: Grand Hyatt Under Renovation Until November

July 28, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

AmandaK has left her perch in Perth, Australia and spent some time in Melbourne. This week she'll be giving us the lowdown on the hotels there. If you have a question or suggestion, send it our way and we'll get right on it.

While the hotel is technically open for business, now is not the best time to stay at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne in Australia since some renovations are still being finished up and the access in and out of the hotel isn't great.

The renos are focused on refurbishing the two lobbies and entrances from both streets (it straddles a large corner), and the Bar Deco, Plane Tree Café and some of the event facilities are also getting an overhaul.

The Grand Hyatt also has a tower that looks impressive from the outside and is right in the heart of downtown Melbourne, but the hotel always gets mixed reviews. Those used to a "real" five-star hotel always seem disappointed--perhaps this is the reason for the renovation.

According to the signage outside (which features a whole heap of caterpillar-to-butterfly transformations) the new version of the Grand Hyatt should be ready in November 2008.

With average rates starting at US$285 a night it's probably worth waiting until then to try it--and then splurge for one of their Romance or Relaxation packages to make the most of it.