Hyde Melbourne Place

Hyde is Accor's playful, design-first brand, and Hyde Melbourne Place shows it. The look is bold, and the staff is warm. On top of that, the rooftop restaurant is a real highlight. However, one design idea didn't work for me, and I'll get to it below.

Quick verdict: Bold design, a warm team and a rooftop breakfast at Cleo, right in the Free Tram Zone. But the open bathroom is cold after the shower, and the room is small with no desk. JCI Score 3.9 out of 5.

Location

The hotel sits right in the Free Tram Zone. Inside the city centre, trams cost nothing, which is a big win in Melbourne.

I came by bus from the airport to the main station. From there, I took the tram for two stops to the hotel. Because the hotel stands in the middle of the main shopping streets, you can walk almost everywhere. Otherwise, you simply hop on a tram.

Getting There & First Impression

I arrived in the evening. At the entrance, you tap your key card or ring the bell, and then a huge glass door opens. The night crew stood at the front desk and welcomed me warmly. They were already expecting me, and they even knew my name.

The corridors are fancy. Everything is purple, with brick walls and bold artwork, so it feels more like a boutique gallery than a hotel hallway. One small note, though: the lighting is dim. When I looked closely, the corridor carpet also wasn't as clean as it should be.

Check-In & Loyalty Experience

As a Gold member, I got an upgrade to a corner room, a proper one and not a narrow one. Beyond that, there was no big welcome gift. The minibar was free. There is no lounge, but this hotel isn't built for that anyway.

The Room

The room was on the ninth floor. It's beautiful and quiet, with dark wood, golden fixtures and long curtains. The booked category is a standard room, so I got more than I paid for.

Space and Sleep

Still, the room is small. Even as an upgraded corner room, it didn't feel big. That's fair for a city hotel in the middle of town, so don't expect a suite. As a result, I couldn't unpack properly. I travel with a big fold-open bag, and there wasn't much floor space for it. I asked at the front desk for a luggage shelf, and they said yes. Unfortunately, it never came. It's a small thing, but worth knowing.

On the other hand, I slept very well, because the bed was excellent. Many tall buildings stand around, so I kept the blinds closed. I didn't want people in the offices across the way looking in. Besides, the city is brightly lit at night, and I wanted it dark.

Work and Room Tech

There's no desk. Instead, you get a small table with a stool, and that's not a place to work. I sat on the bed. WiFi was okay, but this room is made for city tourists, not for working.

On the other hand, the room has a touch panel by the bed. It controls the TV, the blinds and the curtains. You can also set different light scenes, like Read, Bedroom, All On and All Off. In effect, it replaces or adds to the normal light switches. Very fancy.

The Open Bathroom

The bathroom was my biggest criticism. The room has an open bathroom concept, and I'm not a fan. The shower itself is excellent, with great water pressure and a proper rain shower. However, the room is air-conditioned. When you step out of a warm shower, you're standing there, freezing. For a hotel in this category, that makes no sense. By comparison, the Porter House in Sydney, my next stop, solved this much better. It's a real shame, because everything else is so well designed.

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Food & Drink

Breakfast was included. You ride up to the restaurant on the rooftop terrace. It's called Cleo, and it's stunning. The view is great and the design is beautiful. Above all, the service was wonderful and super friendly.

You pick a starter, a main course and a drink: coffee, tea or juice. Add-ons cost extra, but I didn't need them. My tip is the eggs Benedict with spinach and salmon, which was really delicious. Afterwards, I had a second coffee and really enjoyed it.

I took my welcome drink up there too. It was a lovely sundowner cocktail. In the evening, the view over the city is beautiful, and the art in the hotel adds to it. Altogether, with that view and that service, it's a highlight of the stay.

Digital Customer Experience

I booked through the Accor/ALL app. However, the hotel itself didn't do much with the app. The touch panel in the room is the digital star. Unfortunately, it isn't connected to the app, so it works only inside the room.

The Bill & Value

Four nights cost €662.67 (about $777) in total. That's about €166 (about $195) a night, with breakfast included. I earned 2,041 Reward points and 1,379 Status points. In short, you pay for the location, the design and the rooftop. You can check current rates and availability on the official Accor page for the Hyde Melbourne Place.