The Luxury Travel Bible - JUST UNPACKED FROM... Melbourne, Australia

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JUST UNPACKED FROM... Royce Hotel, Melbourne, Australia

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The Luxury Travel Bible says: Once an up-market car showroom (hence the 'Royce', as in Rolls Royce we presume) the Royce Hotel celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year (2010) so as boutique hotels go it has been around a while. Keeping up with The Jones (and The Princes and The Cullens ... and all of Melbourne's other groovy boutique hotel offerings) the hotel recently completed a major redevelopment and extension with the addition of two extra levels of accommodation .

Why did you travel here? For business

Why did you pick this hotel? My secretary picked it on my brief. I wanted a central location. I like St Kilda...good cafe scene and the Royce is within walking distance of Toorak Rd and Chapel Street if I do get time for a break between meetings. It is also near Albert Park if anyone is considering travelling down for the Grand Prix.

(TLTB Ed: Australian Grand Prix next held March 2011)

The room: I stayed in a Premier Suite (TLTB Ed: One of the new rooms at the top of the hotel) with a bedroom and separate lounge area and a kitchenette. I like the fact the suite had a CD player and broadband internet connection and a large desk to work on. The two large plasma TV screen were good but I could have done with more than four Foxtel channels as I like a better sporting selection at the end of a working day.

The Rest: Dish restaurant looked good but I didn't have time to eat there. The Amberoom bar was cool, probably a little too cool for me; with a 20-something hip crowd. I liked the decor but it wasn't the place for a quiet drink at the end of a busy day. Better for a social evening out.

Surprises? A lot of the staff were Japanese so my guess is they cater to a lot of tourists from Asia. At times it felt like being in Tokyo, not Melbourne - which isn't a bad thing by the way...

The Luxury Travel Bible likes: The Royce Royal Suites with their modern take on the traditional four poster bed - a king sized version and modular seating to relax in style. These suites have spa baths and great views of the Shrine of Remembrance or the city skyline. Some have walk out balconies.

LHL (Luxury Hotels Lowdown)

Address: Royce Hotel, 379, St Kilda Road, Melbourne Victoria 3004, Australia.

Tel: +61 3 9677 9900

No of rooms: 100 rooms & suites

Luxury Hotels link: www.roycehotels.com.au

Club Exclusive Member: Anthony Johns 15/06/10

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