As most people agree here the hotel needs some serious updating the decor is very tired and worn the carpet needing a serious steaming or better still replaced. The location it has to be said is terrific close to the river, great restaurants and the shops. I could see some efforts were being made and there were some nice touches here and there ( bowls of fresh fruit on most floors) on the whole the management need a long hard look at this hotel. I did find some other positives. The gym is small but clean and well equipped and the room service is speedy and the food good.

My largest issue would be with the staff. Aside from one gentleman who delivered my room service and was pleasant and accommodating ( he even tuned my tv in when he saw the picture wasn't great ) I found the staff ranged from disinterested to downright rude. The low point of my visit was when I was taking a taxi to the most important meeting of my trip. I had booked it the previous day and had allowed myself plenty of time. The taxi rank at the concierge station was shambolic at best and I was still waiting for it twenty minutes after the time it was booked for. I asked the concierge, a young gentleman with slicked hair and a beard if this sort of lateness was typical he replied : " I dunno mate I don't own the taxi company do I?"

Charming ......

Having stayed at Dubai, Copenhagen, Vancouver properties Melbourne did not compare. For the gambler excellent position & rail traveller but when locals & cab drivers can't find their way, that is a problem. For self-driving overseas visitors move on! Concierge & staff very good. First rotating breakfast toaster that has worked. Lovely room but sadly our first & last visit.

After staying at Crowne Plazas in Dubai, Hong Kong & Copenhagen, this property does not match up. For gamblers it is in an excellent location & for those seeing to be close to the main Station also a good choice. Otherwise, we will not visit again. The cab driver took us to the Casino entrance as he couldn't find Hotel entrance! Two local family members got lost picking us up & completely lost trying to drop us back at the Hotel & I know that any tourist driving a local hire car would give up.
Concierge were most helpful. Food in bar area was disappointing. Breakfast buffet was good & had one of the best pair of rotating toasters that worked! Bed, as is usual at Crowne Plaza properties, was very comfortable. Room had a lovely view over the Yarra River & a glass desk for writing, working,etc. There was NO cable TV which was disappointing also. All in all, the hotel suited our needs for a 2 night stay but in my estimation was lacking.

When travelling to Melbourne for business, we normally stay at the Parkview in St Kilda Road. This time, as we were travelling with our 5 year old daughter, we thought we would stay at the Crowne Plaza, as it had a swimming pool, and close proximity to Southbank etc.

It had been several years since we had stayed at the Crowne Plaza, and our return trip was very disappointing.

We booked a room with king bed & rollaway (told we would be charged an additional $50 per night for rollaway, which seemed excessive, but we agreed to), as we were unable to book a single bed with king online.

Arriving at the hotel, checkin was fast and efficient, which was a great start. However, when we arrived in our room, there was no bed for our daughter. We called Reception, and were met with a grumpy response, and advised we never booked this. I advised that we had actually called the hotel to make the booking, and confirmed everything verbally, as we had been unable to book online. Begrudgingly, they advised that a rollaway bed would be sent up to the room, which it was within around 15 minutes, which was great. Reception then called to confirm that the rollaway bed had arrived, which we informed them it had, then they requested additional payment on top of the $242.50 per night we had already paid.

The hotel and rooms seem tired and dated, and looks as though nothing has been updated in the last 10 years that we have been staying there. Carpets were stained, windows dirty, bathrooms grotty with discoloured mould etc. Our beds were rock-hard, and very uncomfortable, and the rooms were quite noisy from street traffic below, so a bad night's sleep was had by all.

Onsite valet parking was $40 per day which we thought quite steep, but there is a 24hr public car park only a couple of hundred metres away, which only charged $13 per day for hotel guests, so we used this.

The swimming pool is also looking very tired, with grout missing and tiles dislodged and falling off, and also not heated to a temperature that would invite people to swim outdoors in Melbourne.

The only saving grace for the hotel was the Clarendon restaurant, which provided lovely breakfasts (special mention to the lovely Ann on the egg station - she provided the warmest service from any of the staff we encountered on our stay), and we also enjoyed a nice dinner there also.

Overall, the hotel is in a good location, close to Southbank, the Casino and public transport, but we felt it to be tired, and overpriced. It was worth a try, but we will be returning to our tried-and-trusted Parkview when we next return to Melbourne.