Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands – Hotel Review

Sipping tropical cocktails on the 15th floor by the crescent-shaped outdoor pool is how every day should end when you stay at Melbourne’s Marriott Hotel Docklands. Boasting a sky-high bar, a sophisticated fine diner and contemporary rooms with views of Port Phillip Bay, Bolte Bridge and the glittering CBD, this stunner of a property offers a taste of the best the city has to offer. Read on for our full review.

Where is Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands?

This ultra-modern retreat is located in Docklands, one of the city’s buzziest up-and-coming neighbourhoods. Perched on the corner of Waterfront Way and Docklands Drive, the hotel is a 30-minute drive from Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport and around 50 to 75 minutes to Avalon airport.

What’s near Melbourne Marriott Hotel Docklands?

Indoor/outdoor shopping centre The District Docklands is on your doorstep, while the Yarra River waterfront is a four-minute walk away. For culture fiends, Melbourne’s greatest attractions are a short drive away, including The Lume (seven minutes); the National Gallery of Victoria (15 minutes); ACMI (15 minutes) and the Regent Theatre (16 minutes). Bonus: the hotel is located within Melbourne CBD’s Free Tram Zone, for when you want to roam like a local and catch the tram.

Room types

Spanning eight floors (the other seven are residential), the hotel offers 189 rooms, all featuring a moody palette of black joinery, light grey soft furnishings and polished gunmetal fixtures punctuated by brass accents. The rooms vary in size, but all include a cosy lounging area, small dining table for two, walk-in shower and views of the city or bay. The M Club Rooms include M Club Lounge access (which include food and beverage perks) and connecting rooms are also available for families and larger groups.

Restaurants and bars

Slink down the stairs on the 15th floor and you’ll find yourself at the coastal-glam Sunset House where ceiling-to-floor windows face the west, priming guests for a spectacular view of the sun setting behind the city skyline. Sink into a woven armchair and order shared plates such as the silky wagyu bresaola on flatbread while sipping a Sunset Sling cocktail, a fruity confection of vodka, Dom Benedictine, Australian bitters, pineapple and lime.

On the ground floor you’ll find Archer’s restaurant, which hosts the hotel’s daily breakfast, but really sings during dinner (Tuesday to Saturday). The curved ceiling and dark grey palette create an intimate atmosphere while the Modern Australian menu elevates the classics, dishing up pan-fried crumbed snapper with celeriac remoulade and grilled prawns with smoked yoghurt hummus and basil salsa.

Corsia is the Marriott’s ground-floor coffee-and-pastry station (slinging St Ali coffee and croissants); while pre-check-in Negronis are an easy choice at the hotel lobby bar, Ada’s.

Travel for work

All rooms include fast wi-fi and feature a small table to work from. The hotel does offer larger conferencing and meeting spaces, but they must be pre-booked. Guests who book an M Club room or are Marriott Bonvoy club members, tier Platinum and up, will also have access to the Executive Lounge where a private chef will plate eggs to order in the morning and canapés in the evening. You can also conduct meetings here, although additional visitors will incur an extra charge.

Pool and gym

The hotel’s 28-metre wet-edge rooftop infinity pool is the undisputable highlight of the hotel, heated to a balmy 28℃ year-round and crowning the 15th floor. White sunken lounges fringe the pool and daybeds line the deck. Use the QR codes to summon an aperitif or shared plate from the adjacent Sunset House bar. You’ll also find the 24-hour gym (complete with saunas) on the same floor. It’s decked out with Technogym treadmills, elliptical machines, weights and more and the in-built digital Technogym coach will help guide you through your exercises.

Sustainability

The Marriott hotel is a 5-star Green Star development boasting the latest design and tech advancements in hospitality, including having all power and utilities automatically switch off once guests leave a room. Minimising plastic waste, recycling and sourcing organic produce for the hotel’s venues are also key sustainable initiatives at the hotel, but the most striking of all its eco credentials are the cascading planter boxes and plants that line the building’s facade.

Accessibility

The hotel’s Deluxe Guest Rooms offer roll-in showers for mobile accessibility and visual alarms and visual notification devices for door and phone for hearing accessibility. Several elevators are available including an accessible entrance to Sunset House on the 15th floor. The rooftop pool also features an accessibility hoist for guests.

What you need to know

There are only five rooms in the hotel that come with a bathtub, so if you’re looking to luxuriate in the privacy of your room, make sure you request one of them when booking.

SEE ALSO: The Best Hotels in Melbourne’s CBD