I booked the Sofitel on Collins for our stay in Melbourne in large part due to convenience - it was on what I had read was the main drag through the CBD - and because as it was at the eastern end of Collins (as opposed to, say, the Grand Hyatt), it would be a little less trafficked and a bit more peaceful. That turned out to be the case, making getting to the hotel by public transport quite easy give the tram stop right outside the northern exit of the drop-off point for the hotel. The hotel itself is right next to a relatively large open-air shopping area and food court (although given the looks of it, it's not as glamorous as parts further down west on Collins). You take the escalator up one flight to get to the lobby level, where you are treated to high ceilings and a very nice-looking lobby lounge area where high tea is served in the afternoon. The folks at the front desk were quite nice in getting us in, but I was appalled to hear that there was no complimentary Wi-Fi - not even for a Platinum member like myself (it should not matter that I booked through an OTA - no other hotel cares). $30 per day is an absolute ripoff in this day and age, and on that basis alone, I would not even bother thinking about staying here next time. With 6 elevators, it's easy to transport you up to the top 15 floors of the building, which comprise the sky lobby with a lounge and restaurant (the 35th floor) and the remaining floors above that with hotel rooms. The decor is definitely dated - the shimmery gold finishes that you can see on the interior from 35 on up screams of a 1970s or 1980s finish - and given that the rooms ring this common area, you can hear any noise if it's on the louder side, or if there is live music in the evenings. The gym on the 36th floor has beautiful views, but despite the relatively decent size of the gym, the equipment selection seemed a bit on the smaller side.
As for our room - we had a corner king room facing north and west. Although we had many windows - 6 in total - all of them were quite narrow, making for partial views of the city. Additionally, given the layout, the western-facing windows could look into adjacent rooms, which could be a bit awkward. The bed itself was quite comfortable, but outside of that, the finishes matched the interior decor of the hotel - dated and out of style. The switches were small, hidden, and unintuitive; the carpets and doors need maintenance; and the shower was pitiful - a very small nozzle with poor water flow and two separate knobs for the hot and cold water, making it a mix-and-match game to get the right temperature.
While I did enjoy the views (even if through slits of glass) and the general location of the hotel, I definitely felt that for a brand like Sofitel that markets itself as being upmarket within hotels, this was clearly a letdown and came nowhere close to matching expectations. It may have had its glory days once, but the worn-down furnishings and policies like charging an arm and a leg for Wi-Fi speak to hotel management that has not been paying any attention. It's not the worst hotel I have stayed at, but there's no question that I would definitely consider staying somewhere else in CBD whenever I make it back to Melbourne in the future. read more