I stayed at The Olsen Hotel on the 7 th of March as a part of my birthday celebrations, I found the reception / front desk staff polite and friendly and helpful when an issue with the TV in my room arose, the issue was resolved after a few hours and I thank the team member responsible for their assistance. The room was clean and well presented, the bed was comfortable and I enjoyed my stay. The breakfast was delicious and hot just the way I like it , being a public holiday the restaurant was extremely busy and there was a wait but I was very happy to wait as I was in no rush the staff were lovely. I have taken one star off the review because of the hotels pre authorisation policy at check in, you would understand if there was a mini bar in your room and you might want to try some room service or try a food and beverage offering from the hotels bar or restaurant, the delay in the return of the pre-authorised funds is always annoying and the hotel staff do not like to be walked through why one does not need to do a pre authorisation as one does not want the mini bar in the room or one does not wish to charge anything else to their room. I am use to staying at hotels and having a 1 dollar authorisation / validation and my card number being kept on file, should I wish to charge anything to the room and I would then settle any charges upon check out. I now have to wait for the return of funds which I need ,to do my weekly grocery shop, I was not given a choice other than to put it on my card or pay more in a cash bond , what I wanted was a fair and open minded discussion with the duty manager or general manager to resolve the issue with out any stres. The only 2 ressons a pre-authorisation on a valid credit card would be in place 1. The hotel does not trust the guest to pay for any room charges they may incur from the mini bar or other food and beverage charges. 2,. It is a way to entice a guest to spend money on other guest services at the hotel during their stay In conclusion I had budgeted for a good room category with wifi and breakfast included and I had pre paid the booking so I could just go and enjoy my stay there was no more money in the hotel budget for the pre authorisation and it had to come out of my personal expenses budget not that Accor Hotels or The Olsen Hotel care about that. Be aware there is a 100 pre-authorisation on a credit card or a 200 dollar cash bond payable at check in at this hotel for ... incidentals .....

We usually stay in the CBD but stayed here due to location. A nice surprise, loved the area, so much walkable there, great restaurants, bars and shops. Our room was a bit on the tired side but I did read they are doing a refurb soon. The bed and pillows were extremely comfy and the shower was excellent, these are my main 2 criteria for a nice stay! For us the most outstanding thing was the staff and the courtesy they showed us. All staff greeted us on every turn, some even checked on us when we were waiting to friends outside to see if we needed a taxi or directions. At the beginning we asked for an iron, extra hangers etc and they were all issued quickly. The room was kept clean and nice little "smellies".

It was my second time staying at the Olsen, the first time, stayed in the 2 bedroom open plan suite, which was lovely and spacious. This time, the John Olsen Penthouse for a small event (just contact the team and let them know and they will help you out!) As soon as you walk into the room, you just go 'WOW', I mean the pictures look nice and all, but they in no way do this amazing space justice. However despite the incredible room, I am writing a rare review to thank all the incredible staff who helped make this experience so wonderful. We've stayed at quite a number of hotels around the world, occasionally at the luxurious standard, however Nick and his team were honestly the best from start to end. Helpful, friendly,efficient, kind and genuinely down-to-earth real people! The penthouse is massive and I noticed that the carpet was different from some other photos I'd seen and enquired if it was new. Apparently Novak Djokovic was going to stay in the room and didn't like the old carpet so in rolled the new...! Also learnt The Bieb's has stayed here which my daughter was pleased about. There's been a few others, just ask the staff so you can bask in the celebrity goodness of this room! It was a beautiful afternoon to the enjoy the hot tub, so good in fact, that after the clean up from the event was complete, I was back in there at 1:00am. Then when my head hit the pillow, it was like lying on a cloud, the bedding is very luxurious. This is across all room categories and even the extra roll out bed we hired was of top standard. Finally, I just wanted to say that our city and inner city hotels are hit hard by Covid, everyone is keen to go to regional Victoria at the moment which is great and understandable, however it's definitely worth considering adding some time at this hotel as well. An inner city experience can be equally as enjoyable now that Melbourne is buzzing again! Thanks for a wonderful experience!