Tune Hotel Melbourne Review

During my recent visit to Melbourne, Australia, I stayed for four nights at the newly opened Tune Hotel on Swanston Street.

The hotel is the first Tune Hotel to be opened in Australia, and it was also the first Tune Hotel that I have stayed at.

The following story is my review of the hotel which is located along Swanston Street here in Melbourne.

Tune Hotels Melbourne

Location of Tune Hotels Melbourne

Tune Hotel Melbourne is set in a purposely-built building in Carlton along Swanston Street which is quite a central area in Melbourne.

The Central Business District or CBD is just two tram stops away while the famous Queen Victoria Market and Melbourne Central Station are less than 1 km away from the hotel.

The location is ideal and perfect if you’re looking for a quiet area but still very close to everything that Central Melbourne has to offer.

Reception and Lobby of Tune Hotel Melbourne

I arrived at the hotel very late at night, or rather very early in the morning after arriving on an AirAsia X flight which departed Kuala Lumpur at around 12.30 a.m.

Check-in was smooth and I was quickly assigned Room 534, a double room on the 5th floor of the building.

The lobby area is of medium size and nicely furnished with simple sofas and modern grandfather chairs.

I was quite impressed with the area because in my mind, a budget hotel, which I understand Tune Hotel is one, usually doesn’t look like this.

And as it was my first ever stay at a Tune Hotel, I didn’t quite know what to expect. 

The Quiet Area in the hotel

The reception is opened 24 hours a day and you are given a key card for your room. As a security measure, you would need your key card to use the elevator to go your floor and to enter the hotel after midnight.

You may leave your luggage at the reception should you arrive early on the day of check-in; or leaving Melbourne later in the day after you have checked out of the hotel.

Alternatively, you may also stay in your room longer by opting for either early check-in or late check-out, or both.

Rooms at Tune Hotels Melbourne

Tune Hotels Melbourne Double Room

The hotel has 225 rooms, and as mentioned earlier I was given Room 534, which is a double room. The room is neither small nor big but is roomy enough for 2 persons.

Apart from double rooms (175 rooms), Tune Hotel Melbourne also has 30 twin rooms, 10 wheelchair accessible rooms and 10 family rooms.

The bed is very comfortable and the linens used are of good quality, one could be forgiven for thinking that he or she is staying at a 4- or even 5-star hotel. Towels (optional add-on) are fluffy and of good size.

Other than the double bed, the room has a small work table, a chair, a table lamp and a safe while in the bathroom, there is a hairdryer.

The room also has an LCD TV but this is one of the optional add-ons which can be ordered either individually or in a package, called ‘Comfort Package’, which covers towel rental, toiletries, Wi-Fi and TV. This add-on package can be booked online for AUD11 (AUD16 if paid at the hotel).

The bathroom inside the Tune Hotels Melbourne

The bathroom is of average size but looks clean and new. The shower has a rain shower head, which is nice.

It should be noted however that there is no hose or an additional shower head that is not fixed, which some guests might consider a setback.

The water pressure is good. Hot water is available throughout the day. Toiletries are add-ons but the quality is good too.

In terms of furnishing, both the room and the bathroom look modern, simple and yet practical. Overall, I think the room is well furnished and comfortable and that it should be good and comfortable enough for both short and long stay in Melbourne.

Tune Hotels Melbourne Breakfast

Wonderkafe at Tune Hotels Melbourne

Breakfast is one of the add-ons for your package here at Tune Hotels. If opted, it is served in a small café called Wonderkafe, which is located next to the lobby area.

The café has the capacity for roughly about 20 patrons at any one time and it currently opens for breakfast only.

A restaurant is set to open in the hotel in early 2014 to give more variety in terms of dining options for the hotel guests and visitors.

Internet Access & Business Centre

Internet access, an optional add-on, is available via Wi-Fi at the hotel. The Wi-Fi signal is good throughout the building and the speed is good too.

I opted in, you’d get a passcode for the internet. You can use the internet on 2 different gadgets, which is great news for couples and those who need to use the internet using both their mobile phone and laptop.

Being a budget hotel, the Tune Hotel doesn’t really have any business centre but there are 4 desktops in the quiet lounge area on the ground floor of the hotel.

This facility should come in handy if you don’t have a laptop or a smartphone with you and you need to work on or check something on the internet.

Other Facilities at Tune Hotels Melbourne

There is a laundry room on the ground floor where you can use washers & dryers as well as irons.

Where to Eat around Tune Hotels Melbourne

Food can be easily found around the hotel area

There are plenty of options that should cater to all kinds of taste buds. Restaurants and cafes offering Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Indonesian and Malaysian delicacies, etc. are all within 10 -15 minutes’ walk from the hotel.

Lygon Street, popularly known as ‘Little Italy’, is just two blocks away. The street is lined with restaurant after restaurant and has a great atmosphere to it especially in the evening.

More eateries can be found further down on Swanston Street and its surrounding areas, including Little Bourke Street. There is also a small food court within QV Melbourne, which is located less than 1 km away from the hotel.

For some light snack, the hotel has a vending machine that sells some snacks and drinks. Should you, however, prefer to stock up on some more of these in your room, there is a Coles store two tram stops away near the corner of Latrobe and Swanston Streets.

Getting Around The Hotel

The tram stop which is very near Tune Hotels Melbourne

Being in the Carlton area means that Tune Hotel Melbourne is well located and connected with public and private transports.

Queensberry St. / Swanston St. tram stop is less than 100m away from the hotel while Melbourne Central Station is less than 1km away. Hotel guests can also hop on the free City Circle Tram at Melbourne Central Station tram stop.

If you, however, prefer to walk, you can easily walk along Swanston Street towards Central Business District to get to places of interests like Federation Square and National Gallery of Victoria.

How to Get to Tune Hotels Melbourne?

From Tullamarine Airport, which is located some 20km away, it is best to either take a taxi or the  Sky Bus to the hotel. There is no train service between the airport and the city centre.

Tune Hotels Melbourne Address;
609 Swanston St.
Carlton Vic 3053
Australia.

I would like to thank Tune Hotels for the arrangement to stay at Tune Hotel Melbourne.  The stay was part of the familiarisation trip to Melbourne by Tune Hotels, AirAsia X, Tourism Australia and Tourism Victoria. The sponsorship, however, has in no way affected my review of the hotel.

Tune Hotels now have more than 40 hotels in 8 countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. Tune Hotel Melbourne is the first Tune Hotel in Australia.

AirAsia X is a long-haul, budget airline based in Malaysia. The airline flies twice each way daily between Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.

Other than Melbourne, it also flies to 5 other cities in Australia including Adelaide, Darwin, Gold Coast, Perth and Sydney.