This is may fifth or sixth stay at this hotel, I would not stay anywhere else. The moment you step into the hotel the staff are excellent. The reception staff, housekeeping and maintenance ( last time I broke their washing machine, yes washing machine ) are always pleasant, helpful and reliable.

The room has large windows, four in our room that are more like doors that open for fresh air, and access to a balcony. The room is large and clean with seperate kitchenette and lounge room., all exceptionally comfortable and well maintained. The bathroom has heated floors, the best, a separate shower and bath. My only complaint in my last visit were the pillows, if I had read the information booklet I would have seen the pillow menu, this time I have my wonderful feather pillows!

Several time we asked for a clean at a specific time and they were there in five minutes, the turn down service is as reliable. Room service arrived within 10 minutes each time we ordered it and it was simple and always fresh.

Ask for a dining location and their advise is great!

Another wonderful stay here, and I will be back for my next visit.

The staff here are fantastic. From check in to check out, no request was a problem, and frequently we were treated to "over and above".

Our one night stay included a spa treatment (fabulous massage) and wonderful a la carte breakfast served in the small, but perfectly formed, bar area.

Although overall exceptionally clean, there were a couple of small "unidentified crusted substances" on the bedcover and sofa.

That said, I wouldn't hesistate to stay here again as one day had the relaxing effect of three elsewhere!

The Lyall is one of my favourite hotels. Friendly, stylish, comfortable, contemporary.

Very good breakfast. The daily special muffin is just too tempting!

Easy tram access to central Melbourne on number 8.

Highly recommended.

We had a little over a week at the Lyall and when you stay this length of time at a single place you do notice things. Staff at the Lyall at all levels, from front desk to housekeeping, make this place and they were very friendly and accommodating, both to ourselves and particularly to our small child and to his fondness for the jelly bean jar. Overall, as most other reviewers note, it's close to transport, an easy walk to the city and rooms are generally quiet. The free WIFI and valet parking are also a bonus. However, we were a little disappointed with the condition of the rooms, the television and the quality of the food in room service. My general belief is that if you're going to stay in a boutique hotel it should be just that - boutique and special and it should provide an experience that is different to the one you could have at home. Unfortunately, The Lyall suffers from a lack of attention to the little (or perhaps bigger) details in the rooms, you'd really want to see attended to at this level. While the public areas were generally well cared for, in our two bedroom suite the walls, skirting boards and scotia were scuffed, chipped and marked in more places than I could count and in the kitchen the carpet had split and become frayed. The television service, very important when you're stuck with a toddler, was supposedly Foxtel but was only a small and not very varied selection of channels which bore little resemblance to the provided guide and it was guessing game using the remote. The quality of the room service food was fairly average, particularly breakfasts and the kitchen could do well to ramp up both choice and quality. On the plus side, the bathrooms were a generous size and the beds very comfortable. We'd love to stay again but we'd also like to see some tender loving care being by way of a makeover.