I stayed at the Novotel on Collins for a business trip for 9 nights because of its location to the office and the city's main attractions. The room was generally OK but could do with some updating. The common areas (hallways, lobby) and the room decor look drab and depressing.

The service was generally OK but the housekeeping on one of the days was shoddy to say the least. When I returned to my room after a 12-hr day, I found the bed was half-made, the tea/coffee were not replenished and neither were the shower gels and shampoos. It was lucky there were some leftovers in the bottles from the previous day!

The health club was exercise itself just to get there. Its open-air feel with the gym combined with the pool meant there was no proper ventillation in the exercise area. It was hot.

Room service was on-time and quick, however, the food was not as hot as I would've liked. I guess it got cold on the way up to my room!

Overall, staff I encountered were friendly but the junior staff were inexperiened and harder to deal with.

We went for a girls night out in Melbourne having a terrible night with the hotel. The valet parking is very difficult to find as there are no parking spaces to get off Collins St at the front of the hotel. The room we were put in was not what we booked and it took hours to sort out the room issues and then the hotel tried to charge us additional rates for the new room. For a 4.5 star hotel the service was terrible, when dealing with issues we were passed from staff member to staff member with slow resolutions. To add insult to all injury when we were finally given a room we had to make up our own beds.

Stayed here for Business in January. I usually stay at the RACV however it was booked out due to the Australian Open (I highly recommend the RACV hotel). The location was excellent for what I needed. Close to the business hub of Colins St and a short walk to LaTrobe and Williams St.

Check in - was OK. Although the staff got my name wrong, even after I spelled it for them and then tried to check me in as someone else. Never experienced that before!

Stayed on the same floor as the pool and gym which meant a little bit of extra traffic down the hallways. The hallways seem to me like a bit of a maze and it can feel a little disorientating in the morning.

The room was better than expected with 2 double beds. The LCD screen was ridiciously small and had the same channels that they seem to offer at ALL Australian hotels now. Note: Why is it that even with the volume down low, it sounds like you are slapping the table everytime you channel surf?

The beds were very comfortable however I was most impressed with the size of the room desk. Usually they are pokey little desks that you struggle to have a laptop on. This desk was in the shape of a surfboard and I easily did work on here while also having dinner. The view out the window is into the shopping centre, which means don't expect to be woken up by the sun!

The bathroom was average and felt like it hadn't been upgraded. Why do hotels insist on having the bath/shower combination with 50 cent shower curtain? Just screems 1950's. The shower head was a water saving freebie that you can get from your local council and while I enjoyed my shower, I still longed for the large shower heads of the RACV.

Business Centre was OK however I was only offered a maximum of 30 minutes of internet time for $6. While the reception bar was OK but with the alley way wine bars - you could not justify staying in for a drink.

Room service was average with the usual fair on offer. I ordered the tenderloin which was a little over cooked for medium and the caramelised topping was a little too rich. This always seems to be the way with hotel steak. Here's a tip - a nice steak shouldn't need to be drowned in a sweetened syrup.

Service was OK overall with staff willing to help out, but no one went that extra mile. Which reminds me, I managed to leave a pair of shorts in my room and will again ring the hotel to organise delivery. Why is it that we never get a call from a hotel to say they have a lost item and will send it via courier...that will get me back everytime!

So in conclusion - If you are Melbourne for a night on business and need an easy base of operations then by all means stay at the Novotel. If you want an experience and comfort for the same price - head to the RACV on Bourke St.

Stayed at the Novotel for two nights over new year in an executive suite.

Check in was smooth as, we were on our way to the room within a minute or two.

The room was large, clean and well appointed with a large LCD screen.

Ordered room service one night and was tasty and priced well for Melbourne.

Pool was lovely but the day had been over 40 celcius and everyone was feeling the heat and the pool was busy.

Only downside to the suite is they are opposite the lifts and heard some drunken patrons arrive back loudly at 4am one morning.

The porters job description doesn't appear to include helping you with your bags on arrival, but they were very helpful with advice.

Would stay there again and probably stay in a suite again as it represented excellent value for money.