We decided to treat ourselves to some "luxury" and so chose the Grand Hyatt. What a mistake. The room was small and dirty. There were no spare blankets. The beds were uncomfortable (and in fact one was broken). The sheets were so thin that the mattress and mattress protector could easily be seen through the bottom sheet. There was no top sheet. Breakfast was not included in the $280 tariff! ....and then when we ordered breakfast the order was wrong twice. The breakfast we were provided with was pitiful (2 chipolata sized sausages, 2 cherry tomatoes and 2 shriveled pieces of bacon, coffee and juice) and they had the hide to charge us $40 for it. Everything that I would expect of a 4-5 star room was at an additional cost eg access to the "club lounge", pool etc. By the way if you do chose to stay here check your final bill very carefully. Don't fall for the "just sign the envelope and we'll charge the bill to your credit card" trick. Extra unexplainable charges were added onto ours so we had to go through the drama of having these removed from our bill. A luxury weekend in Melbourne ruined. We were paying for quality but certainly didn't get it. I recommend you go somewhere else...I will.

Grabbed a great deal for a king room on the 27 floor. The room however was quite small but the bathroom was stunning and spacious. One major complaint though is the pillows they use. They are feather pillows with no support so did not sleep at all well. The size of the bed however was more than satisfactory. Similarly, whilst it was known when booking that renovations were going on, it seems that the tiny reception they have set up is not quite up to the challenge. It was constantly busy and only allowed for 3 staff to be serving at any one time. So at 3pm on a Saturday night, the line to check in was about 5 deep. However, I will be interested in visiting the hotel again once the renovations have been completed.

Booked a FHR stay through AMEX and was upgraded to club lounge (which was fantastic as per previous reviews). Not only were the usual FHR amenities provided and explained to us upon check-in, we were surprised by the free bottle of wine and plate of chocolate dipped strawberries that awaited us in our room (maybe this is a GP Platinum benefit?). We were also upgraded to the top floor (level 33) which provided great views of Melbourne (we were lucky to get a direct view of the sprouting flames at Crown Casino). The renovations (as per previous reviews) were not intrusive and did not really affect our stay. Yes the room was clearly showing age and the TV reception was terrible, but hopefully the room renovations in 2009 (as indicated on the hotel website) will improve these negatives. The club lounge is definitely worth upgrading to (even if I had to pay for it out of pocket). Unlike other lounges I've been to, this one actually served a simple lunch with soup, salad, filled sandwiches and rolls, and dessert. Quite delicious. The continental breakfast was simple yet delicious (fantastic croissants) and the evening canapes were great (particularly the roast beef). Service by the lounge staff was also friendly and efficient (particular mention goes to Bonnie who made us feel extremely welcome). Also tried the day spa which was really nice. During the renovations, the hotel has converted a number of hotel rooms into treatment rooms, but that didn't affect the experience. The massage was particularly excellent - worth trying out for sure. Location wise is excellent. Minutes to shopping and Flinders St Station and right on the Collins St. tram line next to all the designer boutiques. Will definitely return and can't wait for the renovation to finish. Probably wouldn't stay anywhere else in Melbourne if I can keep booking the FHR package through AMEX.

The renovations weren't a problem. This hotel really just underperforms for a supposed 5 star hotel. I had 2 nights in the hotel but a few nights apart. On use of valet parking on the first stay, it was very slow to get the car returned the following morning. To save myself time the next morning, I self parked, and was then told it was the same charge as valet parking! I expected a small discount at least. In the room, the furnishings are looking tired - a large stain on the footstool, a very saggy bed (2 singles pushed into a "king"), and the TV was small and a bit fuzzy. The TV remote wasn't working properly. There were no nice extra touches to the room at all. Room service was prompt but not overly exciting. I wouldn't stay again and am a regular traveller to Melbourne.

We've stayed in many 5-star hotels, and found the service at the Grand Hyatt to be nothing short of stellar ... particularly in the Grand Club Lounge, which I would thoroughly recommend upgrading to. We stayed in one of the nicer suites, and went on a hotel tour through many of the different rooms. Most were very nice (the Diplomatic Suite was amazing), but a few of the rooms could have had nicer carpet (hopefully this will happen as part of the refurbishment). It was the great service, though, that made our stay so memorable.