Boutique on an inexpensive price range: A evaluate of the Voco Melbourne Central

Quick take

Adult travelers and those with older children would enjoy this upscale, boutique-like property in the center of Melbourne. If you’re the kind of traveler who enjoys a well-appointed room and high-end design without an exorbitant price tag, this hotel is a great choice.

Imagine yourself sipping on a fresh summery cocktail on the patio and then dipping into the infinity pool watching the sun go down over the city. However, do be aware that there are some drawbacks.

Getting there

The most convenient way to get from Melbourne Airport (MEL) to the hotel is by rideshare. It should take 25-30 minutes without traffic and cost under AU$50 (~US$35). (There is no train service to/from the airport.)

If you want to save money, you can take the Skybus to Southern Cross Station for AU$22 (~US$15) one-way. However, if you are going to and from the airport, a round-trip ticket is less than the cost of two one-ways, so that’s the way to go.

If you’re arriving by train to either Southern Cross Station or Finders Street Station, the hotel is a 15-minute walk, or about the same time by tram, which is free within Melbourne’s Central Business District, or CBD, as Aussies call it.

The entrance to the hotel is located down a narrow laneway. For rideshares, it’s best to drop the pin on Lonsdale Street so that the driver can let you out at the end of the laneway and avoid driving in and having to awkwardly reverse out.

Booking details

Standout features/Things we loved

• Convenient location close to some of Melbourne’s best restaurants, attractions and shopping.
• Beautiful views of the city skyline from the infinity pool.
• Modern, upscale design akin to a members’ club.
• Excellent blackout curtains for jet lag.

Caveats/Drawbacks

• Slow internet speeds make it hard to stream video and work.
• Cramped gym lacking variety in workout machines.
• Communication issues with staff.

The vibe

This hotel gives the impression of a modern, upscale and exclusive club, with high ceilings and plush furniture. You’ll find the hotel guests to be mostly adults and couples. With the lack of kid-friendly amenities like a kids club or a large pool, it is not well-suited to families. When I visited, the majority of visitors were fellow Aussies, but there were a good chunk of foreigners, too.

When you arrive to the hotel entrance, a small sign directs you to the sixth floor, where you’ll find an inviting, upscale lobby. There is a lot of comfortable seating in this area, which can come in handy if you have to wait to check in or spend some time there after checking out and heading on your way.

The room

As a Diamond Elite member, I was upgraded to a 300-square-foot King Bed Premium High Floor Room with views to the city’s west.

Walking in, I found a cozy and plush room with a calming wood- and velvet-forward design theme. Whilst there wasn’t much space to spread out, the high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows helped to open up the space, and the blackout curtains were helpful for beating jet lag.

Venturing further into the room, I found a helpful full-length mirror to showcase each day’s outfit. Next to that was the TV, offering the ability to stream through Chromecast. And tucked underneath the TV was a small table with two armchairs, which I did not find conducive to working, so you may want to go to the restaurant, lobby or a nearby cafe to do that more comfortably.

One of the same armchairs was set up with a comfy ottoman in the corner, which was the perfect place to read a book or have a drink watching the sunrise or sunset.

The main attraction — the king-sized bed — was snug and homey and the pillows soft and plentiful.

Moving through a sliding barn-style door, there was a long but narrow bathroom, with the toilet, vanity and shower all next to one another, making it hard for multiple people to get ready at the same time. Having said that, the bathroom was attractively-designed and well thought-out with the blue-grey color scheme extending to the tiles. In there I found a nifty close-up mirror, a large shower with ample hot water but average water pressure and bath products from Antipodes, a company from New Zealand.

Crossing to the opposite side of the room, there was an unstocked fridge and a fyllo coffee machine, which did not work properly for me. A nice touch was the tasting notes explaining the flavors of the regular and decaf coffee pods (even though I didn’t get to enjoy them).

This room lacked storage space, especially for people traveling with a companion. Furthermore, the lighting was hard to customize and the annoyingly bright housekeeping service light stayed on all night even when I tried turning it off, leading me to cover it with a hand towel so it didn’t shine in my face.

There were Australia-style power outlets with USB sockets by the table and on both sides of the bed, so make sure to bring a power adaptor.

Food and drink

Amenities and service

One of my favorite aspects of this hotel was the beautiful outdoor heated infinity pool. It’s best for floating around in but is not large enough for swimming laps or for children to play in. It’s gorgeous at sunset with views to the north and west. Note that this pool closes in the (southern) winter mid-year as Melbourne’s temperatures can get quite cold.

The gym was disappointing, with a small selection of (albeit modern) machines and one weights rack.

What frustrated me the most were the consistently slow internet speeds, never topping 5 Mbps during my stay. On video calls with my colleagues, there were noticeable lags.

While I could connect my phone, iPad and personal laptop without an issue, the security settings on my work computer had problems connecting to an unsecured network. I asked the front desk for help — the first time, the employee said they would be right up to my room but didn’t show up in a 30-minute window; the second time, a different employee said they would have their internet service provider call me and they didn’t do that for another 30 minutes. In the end, I reset my security settings and worked it out myself.

Overall, I found the service to be warm, friendly and well-intentioned but poorly executed at times. I appreciated details like the staff wishing me a happy belated birthday after celebrating it two weeks earlier. They also came around the desk to stand side-by-side when presenting room keys and the bill, which was a nice touch.

However, I did have communication difficulties with some staff on other occasions. I asked the cook at the made-to-order egg station to prepare a vegetarian omelet for me, repeating vegetarian twice — it came out with ham in it. I also ordered a pizza from the all-day bar menu and asked twice for it to be boxed up so I could eat it in my room — it came out on a plate. Perhaps training is still being ironed out as the property only opened in April 2022, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.

One unique feature I’m on the fence about was the water station located on the same level as the lobby. On the one hand, it’s convenient to be able to fill water bottles up with still or sparkling water, or pick up one of the reusable glass bottles they have in a fridge below. But that’s only if you remember to actually grab the water from that level, which you won’t visit very often unless you go to the gym on that floor. (The dining area and pool are on the level above, and the elevator can take you straight to street level from your room floor without having to pass through the lobby.) Needless to say, I forgot to pick up water at the end of the day a couple of times and was frustrated that there wasn’t any available in my room.

Out and about

This hotel is perfectly located within a 15-minute walk to almost anywhere downtown and is especially close to Queen Victoria Market, the State Library of Victoria and Chinatown. Located in one itself, it’s easy to explore Melbourne’s famous laneways and coffee culture, as well as enjoy shopping in the central business district. (A laneway in Melbourne is a narrow street popular for its cafes, bars and boutiques. They are often closed to cars and only accessible by foot.)

If you’re headed to a sporting event like a cricket game or the Australian Open for tennis, you can get there in a 10-minute rideshare or within half an hour by taking advantage of Melbourne’s free trams running downtown.

It’s also a 20-minute walk to the Yarra River and, crossing over, to the Southbank area, where you’ll find many tourist attractions, the casino and the exhibition center.

Accessibility

On the plus side, this hotel has large elevators, step-free access to the hotel lobby and all public areas, mid-height light switches and power outlets, and lever-type door handles.

The property has accessible rooms (seemingly only at the base level, a King Bed Standard Accessible Room) with walk-in and seating in showers as well as wheelchair-accessible parking.

However, this property lacks braille signs and the pool is not wheelchair-accessible.

Checking out

If I were sitting on a stash of IHG One Rewards points or the price were right, I would not hesitate to stay at this conveniently-located and well-appointed property. I would just go in with low expectations of polished customer service and internet speeds.

If I had extra points, I would also consider the higher-rated InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto, but knowing that would mean switching the upscale, boutique vibe of the Voco for the more stately, stuffier atmosphere at the InterContinental.

But for the value for money, convenient location and beautiful design, I still had an enjoyable stay at a newer brand that is expanding to popular cities around the world.