Hotels near Forum Theater in Melbourne

The hotel's location is excellent, right next to the town hall, making it easy to walk to anywhere in the city center. Although it's a 3-star hotel in an old building, the facilities are very new, the bed is soft, and there's a mini-fridge. The only downside is that the internet can be a bit slow when there are a lot of people, but that doesn't affect my overall rating!

This is an old-school hotel that opened in 1913, and its original design aimed to match the luxury of London. The hotel lobby is absolutely stunning. The front desk staff were friendly and efficient with check-in. The elevator hall has a simple, vintage charm. The room itself isn't large, but as you explore, you find thoughtful amenities like slippers and toothbrushes, and other facilities cleverly hidden in well-designed cabinets. Everything looks quite nice when revealed. The bed was very comfortable, and the duvet wasn't too thin. My window faced an internal courtyard wall, so there wasn't really a view, even on the 8th or 9th floor. However, this also meant the hotel was very quiet. The shower only had a half-screen, so water tended to splash near the toilet. You need to be a bit careful when showering. The sink was small but deep, likely custom-made to fit the compact room. Overall, the design and layout are quite reasonable, providing necessary facilities within limited space. I purchased breakfast when I booked, and I remember it wasn't expensive, though it usually costs a bit more if you book it at the hotel. The breakfast spread wasn't very generous, and there were no live cooking stations. It was, at best, on par with a three-star town hotel's breakfast; I didn't even see boiled eggs. Surprisingly, though, they offered congee (rice porridge) with toppings like pork floss, seaweed, and dried anchovies, giving it a Southeast Asian twist. A little later, I saw Singapore Airlines flight attendants come down for breakfast, and it all made sense then – catering to a specific market need. Even though there wasn't a huge variety, they did offer gluten-free bread and banana cake. My friend said the croissants were terrible, looking like reheated frozen items. The breakfast staff also seemed visibly tired and a bit impatient, which is understandable considering breakfast starts at 6:30 AM. Despite the limited selection, I ate a lot that day, and the individual items were quite tasty.

The bathroom design wasn't very practical. The sink in the toilet was too small to be useful at all, and the vanity outside was a waste of space, so my friend and I ended up using the kitchen sink to wash up. The hotel's location is great, but being close to the railway, you inevitably hear train noises. It was very loud in both bedrooms. Also, not every room has air conditioning; only the bedrooms do. If you close the door to other rooms while sleeping, there's no AC, which led to me getting hotter and hotter one night and sweating a lot. Opening the window was too noisy, which was a really awkward situation. The front desk is only open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, which means if you leave your luggage, you have to pick it up promptly in the evening, otherwise you'll have to wait until the next day. I think the hotel's pricing, considering it's an apartment hotel, offers great value for money, especially with its excellent location. It's very convenient to get anywhere. There's a free tram stop right outside, and South Cross Station is just one street and one intersection away. Plus, both one-day tours we booked had nearby pick-up points, which was a nice surprise we didn't know before booking the tours.

Good location. Just in front of the tram stop Russel Street on Bourke. There's a Thai & Japanese Restaurant downstairs as well. Front desk is extremely helpful & jolly. Bed is just right. Room is clean. There's a hair dryer, iron, safe, but no toothbrush, I didn't ask, but maybe it's upon request. The good thing about Citadines on Bourke is they have a full kitchen with plates & silverware. We didn't use it, but having a microwave is definitely a plus. They didn't clean daily, but maybe you can ask. But it wasn't an issue for us. We didn't need it anyway. Overall it was a good place to stay in Melbourne, we feel it's very central and near good places to be at.

The room is clean and location is very convenient within walking distance to many attractions in the city. The buffet breakfast is good value for money and delicious with choices of hot and cold breakfasts. The downside is that the bed is too soft for us. Also unpleasant experience with communication of hotel staff about the offer for a breakfast box in place of paid buffet breakfast which we can decide any time we were back for the day, was denied later saying this should be confirmed before 10pm. There was no follow up call or email despite the documented “unconfirmed” request. Also our request to grab something simple quickly was also rejected saying that it was a sit down breakfast and not supposed for take away. Not being helpful at all.

The location of the room was absolutely perfect, 100/100! It was super convenient for getting around and sightseeing. We could easily walk to the riverbank to see the night view, enjoy a city walk, or catch public transport. Just perfect. The facilities were new and spotlessly clean. They even left a handwritten service card, which made the experience even better than a five-star hotel in Cairns. Right across the street is the iconic station. I'll definitely stay here again next time I'm in Melbourne.

I didn't pay attention to the room type when booking and ended up reserving an accessible room. I was a bit surprised when I entered. After confirming with the front desk, I realized it was my mistake and we couldn't change rooms, so we decided to make the best of it. The room's location was excellent, very close to the bustling streets and the station, with a super popular Italian ice cream shop right downstairs. Needing to swipe a key card to enter and exit the hotel at night added an extra layer of security. Our room design was very comfortable, balancing aesthetics with being perfectly suited for guests in wheelchairs. It was incredibly thoughtful, with an oversized bathroom, accessible pathways, toilet, and sink all set up according to requirements. The room also had thick bathrobes, which proved to be genuinely useful. Furthermore, Kim, the hotel lobby manager, was very friendly and provided us with advice and assistance. We saw other reviews claiming she discriminated against Chinese people, but we absolutely did not feel that way; on the contrary, we found her to be very nice. A new cafe just opened on the first floor of the hotel. It's very popular and reportedly a well-known brand. It will be supplying breakfast for the hotel in the future. Although we didn't eat there, it certainly smelled delicious.

The hotel is centrally located, making it convenient for both dining and getting around. There's a free tram service within the loop line. We stayed in a comfortable two-bedroom apartment with a living room, and it came fully equipped with a refrigerator, cabinets, stove, and dishes. The only downside was the lack of an in-room washing machine, and the communal laundry machines were often in use.

We stayed here for two nights and three days. The main advantage of this location is its proximity to Queen Victoria Market. Unfortunately, we visited around Easter, and the market was only open on the Saturday in between. Luckily, we made it on that day; otherwise, staying here would have felt a bit pointless. Regarding the room: 1. Space and amenities (a) We booked a triple room with two beds (one double, one single). (b) The overall flow of the room felt a bit cramped, with a table, luggage rack, and wardrobe. (c) The fridge provided a complimentary bottle of milk daily, seemingly for coffee. You could request more if needed. 2. Bathroom facilities The bathroom was fairly standard, nothing particularly special. However, it did have a shower screen for wet/dry separation, which kept the bathroom fresh. 3. Downsides The single bed wasn't properly fixed; any movement or sitting on it would cause the entire bed to shift. Overall, the location is still great. On this trip, I booked three hotels in different parts of the Free Tram Zone. In this area (the northern part), you can find many Asian restaurants and supermarkets, as well as the market. Due to heavy rain during our stay, we didn't venture further north to Melbourne University. Near there, you'll find the Old Melbourne Gaol and Lygon Street (Little Italy), which has many Italian restaurants that I’d highly recommend. Regarding hotel service: While the hotel offered a buffet, we didn't purchase it and opted to eat out. A minor regret is that the service here was just average. As it's an Ibis, part of a large hotel group, the prices are relatively affordable, and they handle a high volume of guests daily. Consequently, the staff's attitude felt rather indifferent during check-in or when storing our luggage. That pretty much sums it up; I'll leave the rest for others to experience.

It’s a nice little place that did what it needed to do to keep a roof over my head. Slightly annoying that you have to use the bathroom/shower in seperate areas within the hotel but that was already known once paying for a room in advance.