NOVOTEL CENTRAL in Melbourne - Hotel Review with Photos

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Updated: January 5, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Little Lonsdale Street, 2 blocks west of Melbourne Central Mall.
• Hotel website: all.accor.com
• Hotel phone: +61 (0)3 9929 8888
• Check prices for Novotel Central

Review of Novotel Melbourne Central Hotel.

The midrange downtown Novotel Central hotel features well-furnished and comfortable rooms with sleek bathrooms and is located close to Chinatown and Queen Victoria Market.

Novotel Central – Well-priced midrange option in a central yet quiet location.

Part of a well-known international chain, this hotel is wonderfully positioned along a street with little traffic deep within the heart of the city center. Rooms and amenities reflect the rates which are more affordable than overpriced rivals: e.g. no pool, but there is a gym. Featuring delightful window-side seating, rooms are compact, if a little undersized, but impressively furnished. The suites are better as they offer more space and windows and separate living areas. The main drawcard, however, is the position: a short stroll from Chinatown and Queen Victoria Market, surrounded by hip cafés along narrow lanes for which Melbourne is renowned, and meters from the free inner-city tram service.

Novotel Central – The Location

Ibis Central Hotel

Area: Convenient to so many shops, bistros, and bars, as well as transport options. The street is built-up, with plenty of construction in the vicinity, but it’s still remarkably quiet inside the hotel and there’s very little traffic outside.
Address: 399 Little Lonsdale Street, between Lonsdale and La Trobe streets in the northern part of the city center.
Nearest Transport: Bus – Little Lonsdale St, Lonsdale St, & Hardware St (150m), Tram – Queen St/La Trobe St & Melbourne Central Station (150m), Metro – Melbourne Central Station (250m).
How to Get There: Taxis to/from the airport (22 km) cost at least A$70. For about A$20, SkyBus (approximately every 10 minutes, 24/7) takes passengers to the Southern Cross train station (1 km), but ask SkyBus about a free transfer from the station to the hotel. Otherwise, Starbus shuttles (5 am-10 pm daily) travel directly between the airport and hotel (about A$30).
Handy to: Chinatown. Queen Victoria Market.

Novotel Central – The Basics

Guests: Overwhelmingly business people.
Pets: Not permitted.
Views: With rooms on higher floors, views are better than those from the Ibis hotel on the lower levels, but very few hotels in this heavily built-up area offer any worthwhile views.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of inner-city hotel.
Parking: Valet parking available for a reasonable cost. Otherwise, use the public car parks nearby.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +61 (0)3 9929 8888
Email: HA0B1@accor.com
Website: all.accor.com

Novotel Central – Amenities

Pool & Spa: No pool, as is common at this sort of mid-range hotel.
Fitness Center: Complimentary access. Small but adequate.
For Families: Baby-sitting.
Other Facilities: Dry-cleaning. Money exchange. Business center.

Novotel Central – Food and Drink

Restaurant: Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse – With a sort of gangster-themed décor, the setting is sophisticated and the range of steaks and pasta is mouth-watering. Dinner only and children’s menu available.
Bar: Floyd’s Aperitivo Bar – Extensive selection of cocktails, fizzy drinks, imported beers, and local wines. Can order food from Pretty Boy, which is virtually attached.
Breakfast: Not normally included; depends on the type of room and how it was booked.
Room Service: 24 hours but limited menu overnight.

Novotel Central – Rooms

Room Types: Standard Rooms 1 King Bed • Superior Rooms (with queen/king bed or 2 singles) • Deluxe Rooms (with king or 2 double beds) • Executive Rooms (king bed or 2 double beds) • Junior Suite 1 King Bed • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the premises.
Best Room: The suites are over twice the size of the Standard Rooms. On a corner, they offer double the windows and views.
For Families: Some rooms have connecting doors, but aren’t generally large enough for an extra single bed, except the suites.

Novotel Central – Local Transport

Public Transport: Every few minutes, trams shuttle along La Trobe and Lonsdale streets (both a block away from the hotel) and to suburban areas like South Yarra, Docklands, and St Kilda Beach. All trams within the city center and to Docklands are free.
Taxis & Ride-shares: Arrange a taxi through reception or find one along the streets. Uber and Ola operate all over Melbourne.

Novotel Central – What’s Nearby?

Restaurants & Bars

Gypsy & Pig – Just steps from the hotel, it’s famous for Japanese-inspired cuisine and pork dishes. Sleek and unique pig-themed décor. (25m).

Hardware Street Café & Bar – Casual, well-priced, and popular hangout for waffles and happy hours. (75m).
Amigos – Funky, multi-level bar/bistro for tequila and tapas and everything Mexican in between. (200m).
Grill Steak and Seafood – The most sophisticated option along the lane. Attractive outdoor tables and silver service. No prizes for guessing the main items on the extra-long menu. (200m).

Shops & Attractions

Melbourne Central – A block east of the hotel is this multi-story arcade filled with fabulous places to shop and eat (200m). Attached by an elevated walkway over Lonsdale Street, the Emporium Melbourne mall is more of the same, with the added bonus of a terrific food court (400m). One block further east from the Emporium is Chinatown (1 km).
Queen Victoria Market – Three blocks north of the hotel is a massive area selling fresh produce as well as clothes, souvenirs, and food. Open 6 am-2 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 am-5 pm Fridays, 6 am-3 pm Saturdays, and 9 am-4 pm Sundays. Vibrant night market on Wednesday evenings for street food. (700m).

Novotel Central – The Hotel

The Novotel is nicely positioned along a central part of the city center.

The hotel is in a quiet downtown location.

The hotel is in a quiet section of downtown surrounded by the sort of lanes Melbourne is famous for.

The hotel shares the property with Ibis hotel.

The Novotel shares the same building and amenities as the Ibis Central Melbourne Hotel, but has a separate reception area.

The Novotel is mid-priced, so it doesn’t have a pool, although it does offer a small but adequate fitness center.

Goldie Asian Canteen + Brews has a diverse menu.

On the ground floor of the hotel, the funky and appealing Goldie Asian Canteen + Brews offers an eclectic range of food and drinks.

On a higher floor within the hotel, the Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse is classy.

The restaurant offers an extensive buffet.

The Pretty Boy restaurant features an extensive buffet for guests (and the public) for an extra charge.

Floyd’s Aperitivo Bar has a wide selection of drinks.

Virtually attached to the hotel restaurant, the fashionable Floyd’s Aperitivo Bar offers an extensive range of cocktails and aperitifs.

Rooms are compact but well-furnished and great value compared to other downtown hotels.

Alongside the extended windows is some pleasant seating.

Views are obstructed in this built-up neighborhood.

In a built-up area with plenty of construction, views are unremarkable, like all hotels in this inner-city area.

The Novotel rooms are located on higher floors.

Some views are better than others, of course, and rooms at the Novotel (which shares the same building as the Ibis hotel) are on higher floors.

Gypsy & Pig next door offers Japanese-inspired dishes.

Within this corner building virtually next to the hotel is the unique Japanese-inspired restaurant, Gypsy & Pig.

Just around the corner from the hotel, Hardware Street/Lane is one of many alleys around this part of Melbourne full of delightful cafés.

Amigos is a great Mexican bar and restaurant.

One of the best restaurants along the attractively tiled section of Hardware Street/Lane is the Mexican bar and restaurant, Amigos.

Grill Steak and Seafood restaurant is very classy.

The classiest place along Hardware Street/Lane is the Grill Steak and Seafood restaurant.

Melbourne Central arcade has fantastic boutiques and bistros.

Just a few blocks east of the hotel, Melbourne Central is a multi-level arcade teeming with fantastic boutiques and bistros.

Emporium Melbourne is a nice mall nearby.

Accessible from Melbourne Central shopping center via an elevated walkway over Lonsdale Street is another mall, Emporium Melbourne.

Emporium Melbourne has an excellent food court.

Another attraction of Emporium Melbourne is the excellent food court.

About 10 minutes’ walk from the Novotel is Chinatown – not as extensive as the one in Sydney or some other cities, but definitely worth a look.

Bourke Street Mall is a pedestrian shopping area.

The streets around the city center are filled with shops and department stores. The most concentrated collection is along Bourke Street, just 3 blocks south of the Novotel.