I stayed in the Grand Hotel on business for one night.

The building is an historic building which has been renovated. The concept is fantastic and parts of the renovation are really good. However, other parts don't work. The corridors are huge and very long. It would be easy to get lost in the building.

I was assigned a loft suite and while the concept is great, it felt unfriendly. Some of the fittings were in tune with the historic feel of the building and others were both out of character and cheap. This was especially so in the bathroom which looked and felt like a cheap add-on. If one can ignore the bits that don't work or they don't bother you, then this would be a good place to stay if you had to be in Melbourne for some time on business. The suites are big and there is room to spread out.

Having said that the lobby, bar and restaurant are great and the breakfast was excellent.

stayed here with some friends for a weekend during the melbourne comedy festival
reception staff lovely and informative at the desk...but...because the hotel is so BIG....got a little disorientated and realised then that there was inadequate information given as to the location of our 2 bedroom apartment.
The place felt quite empty even though we were told they were full.
Our rooms were lovely, wonderful quality sheeting 1000 thread count perhaps ?! Very clean...great bathroom products by l'occitane, the kitchen had an expresso machine that made fabulous coffee and the kitchen had a microwave and cooktop (didnt use either) We had two flat screen tvs..cd player...2 toilets ...almost perfect.......until we heard a rumbling sound ....it went after a while..then it came again...and again and again.
The hotel is next to the train tracks of the Spencer street/Southern Cross railway station....even with the double glazing the trains can be heard running every few mins. Not for light sleepers maybe ok if you're a train buff ?
Breakfast was delicious but slow with the service, even though there was only about 15 tables. Eggs are made to order (2 choices only) the buffet consisted of make yourself fresh orange juice, various pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, a few varieties of yummy breads and spreads and cereals.
A great hotel if you dont mind walking for at least 15 mins to the centre of melb for shopping otherwise take a taxi (about $7.00 depending on the taxi driver) There are trams running fairly frequently as well or just walk to the train station 5 mins away and catch the train to the CBD - one stop.
Housekeeping staff were beyond reproach and prompt with any requests too. We ordered from room service and were happy with the quality of food and the prompt/efficient service.

I have often passed this building (it is next to a major suburban train station) and thought what a wonderful place it would be to stay, but not quite ready to pay that little extra for a truly classy hotel. Finally I did it and the experience was truly wonderful.

Things did not start out particularly well. As our early morning flight had us arriving around 9am it was always going to be the luck of the draw to get a room on arrival. Historically I have found that an early arrival is often rewarded with an early check in but not here. Check out is listed as 11 and we were told that a room may become available soon after. As it turned out late checkouts followed by a seemingly long cleaning period meant we did not get in a room till about 12:30. In the meantime the front office staff were very friendly and professional and provided us with some quality bottled water (cleanest rainwater in the world from Tasmania) on what was a pretty hot Melbourne day.

The corridors and ceiling in this room provide a massive spaciousness and this was echoed by the huge guest room. It appeared to be a step up from what we booked although nothing was said regarding this. The loft style apartment contained a mezzanine bedroom and bathroom above a very spacious living area and kitchen. The bed was exceptionally comfortable and the bathroom products greatly impressed my partner.

Flat panel televisions were located in the bedroom area and the living room. This was a first time I have seen such a well equipped room with such quality screens coupled with a DVD player and a separate, quality sound system. The kitchen was also equipped with quality appliances with all that one would expect plus more.

The only area of disappointment was that there was not a place to put bags. While there was wardrobe space upstairs there was little room for a suitcase, and downstairs where there was heaps of space there was nowhere to put a bag except in the middle of the floor.

It was very hot and the air-conditioning had to work very hard to try to keep things cool but otherwise it was a most remarkable room and memories of it will live long and clear.

This was our second stay at the Grand - the first being in 2001. The building was as grand as I remember, especially the corridors - but our room was a shade disappointing. I remember the room we had last time was very grand indeed - this time the room (or suite as the bedroom and bathroom were still upstairs o the mezzanine floor) had lost a little sparkle. The kitchenette was a little tired and the bathroom had the feel of a caravan (must have been that thin plaster board wall and the plastic bath).
The service was perfectly nice and the breakfast was as you'd expect.
The location is great for us (being 5 mins walk from the Telstra Dome) and if you are going to Melbourne for a sporting event at the Telstra Dome I would recommend you stay here. However it's a bit of a stroll into the main shopping area, although the tram service in Melbourne is fantastic and the free red "city circle" trams stop just over the road from the hotel. The Casino and entertainment complex is a short stroll from the hotel.
All in all I'd say that I remember this hotel was really great 5years ago - it's now just pleasant and maybe it needs a refurb to make it really grand again...