Arrival at the Park Hyatt Melbourne
After our journey with Air New Zealand from Christchurch to Melbourne, we headed to the Park Hyatt for the last stay of the trip. We arrived in the morning, well before the scheduled check in time, and unfortunately, I got a got a somewhat curt response from the front desk since “it is well before published check in time”. This was despite me asking my private line agent to make a request. It seems that request was not noted and had no effect whatsoever, but of course early check in is dependent on availability. This is understandable, but the agents attitude was a disappointing welcome to the Park Hyatt which are known for their excellent service. Thankfully, we were able to store our bags and another agent suggested we visit the Regency Club in the meantime and brought us up to the club.
Park Hyatt Melbourne Club Lounge
There we relaxed briefly and made some plans for our day touring Melbourne. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain, which slightly complicated our plans. The empty club allowed for some photos inside and out.
Entry foyer of Regency Club
Views of the L-shaped Regency Club.
View from the top floor RC showing Rod Laver Arena, site of among other events, the Australian Open Tennis Championships
Exploring Melbourne
After we had made some very loose plans for our exploration of Melbourne and gathered our rain gear and borrowed some umbrellas from the bell staff, we were ready to see the city. This is one of my favorite ways to visit a new place, just to go walk, explore, and get a feel for the vibe. As I mentioned, the weather didn’t help things, but we didn’t venture too far from the central business district. The Park Hyatt is kind of on the edge of the CBD, but its an easy walk to most central locations.
We explored a bit, and eventually settled on a little Italian place for lunch. The rain let up a bit during lunch, we did more walking after our meal.
View of Federation Square
Park King Suite
Eventually, we received a message that our room was ready, so we went back to the hotel to check in. This reservation was made with one of the free nights in a suite thanks to the Hyatt Visa card. We got room 1248, a Park King Suite which was in the cathedral wing.
Map of our wing showing the unique geometry of our room.
Foyer with sitting room beyond.
Views of sitting room.
Circular shaped bedroom, with king size bed and a lounge chair.
Spacious walk-in closet
whirlpool tub with TV
steel drinking cups in bathroom
various bathroom amenities
Separate shower
View of Park Hyatt entrance and other wings of hotel from our room .
After unpacking and settling into our room, we went to check out other parts of the hotel before heading back out for dinner.
Lobby of Park Hyatt Melbourne
Some views of the Park Club
After returning to our room, our Diamond amenity had arrived, a decent bottle of Australian Shiraz and some cashews.
Back at the lounge during evening hours
We headed out to dinner near our hotel and settled on Movida, an excellent tapas bar. Highly recommended. After dinner we walked a bit more before heading back to the hotel since the rain had finally cleared. We went back to the Regency Club to check out the evening offering. This would be our last chance, since we have to depart before breakfast is served in the morning.
Evening selections in the Regency Club
At night the elevator lobby switches from Park Hyatt classy to bold colors more typical of W.
In all, it was a nice stay at the Park Hyatt Melbourne. I would recommend it for anyone visiting Melbourne. Its slightly removed from the hustle of the CBD, but its very close, and would be an easy walk to most places downtown.
The last day of our trip began with an early cab ride from the Park Hyatt to the Skybus terminal then onward to the Melbourne airport. Thanks to a delay, we had a longer than expected stay there, but it gave me time to check out the Melbourne Virgin Australia Lounge before our flight to Sydney.
