InterContinental Hotels MELBOURNE by IHG

The room was decent, but the soundproofing wasn't great. The environment, though, was really nice.

For my 21-day trip to Australia, I stayed in 11 hotels across Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Here's my ranking of the best to worst experiences (with value for money considered): 1. Capella Sydney (low value for money) 2. Park Hyatt Melbourne (high value for money) 3. InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto (medium value for money) 4. Crown Towers Melbourne (high value for money) 5. Le Méridien Melbourne (medium value for money) 6. Hilton Adelaide (medium value for money) 7. The Langham Melbourne (low value for money) 8. Citadines on Bourke Melbourne (best value for money) 9. Meriton Suites Waterloo, Sydney (high value for money) 10. Best Western Plus Travel Inn Hotel Melbourne (low value for money) 11. The Hotel Windsor Melbourne (worst value for money) Now, let's talk about the InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto. Like The Windsor, it's a heritage hotel, and its beauty is undeniable. It truly looks like a 19th-century Neo-Gothic Venetian castle! Located in the heart of Collins Street, it's one of InterContinental's most luxurious heritage hotels worldwide. When you stay here, you can't help but spend time exploring, as both the exterior and interior decor are magnificent, and the room facilities are top-notch. It's definitely worth a stay.

The room was spacious, but the windows couldn't be opened. The location was excellent. It was a bit disappointing that we couldn't check in early with a child. We stayed for two nights, and the breakfast items were pretty much the same each day. However, the staff did give small toys to the children during breakfast.

The hotel's ambiance looks upscale, but the room itself is very ordinary; it felt like staying in a Hong Kong hotel. The windows were locked shut, facing inwards, making it impossible to tell day from night. We live in Australia and know that Australian hotels can be really subpar, but this is the first time we've encountered something like this: the shower gel dispenser was empty and not refilled, and the hairdryer bag was empty, so we had to call the front desk. The most shocking part was finding a previous guest's men's socks and underwear in the wardrobe! Honestly, even a motel would be better than this. One-star review!

I booked this hotel during a Ctrip promotion, and honestly, the price was a steal at 1000/night. First, the pros: Location: It's right in the city center, first ring, free zone. You can take the tram for a free city walk. If you're on a day tour, the bus pick-up point is just a two-minute walk away. The front desk staff, Holy, and the senior gentleman from concierge were both very nice. Now, for the cons: The coffee spoon wasn't clean, it was dirty. The minibar fridge had cooling issues; the bottom was full of water. These, I could overlook. However, and seriously, as a Hyatt Globalist, I rarely stay at InterContinental, and I have never, in all my previous experiences, encountered an unlocked room door. I left my room early Friday morning for a day tour and returned at 9:30 PM to find my room door unlocked, just as pictured. I was shocked. The next day, I spoke to the duty manager, and they checked the surveillance footage, confirming that no one had entered my room. But my stay experience was truly poor. Such carelessness, forgetting to lock the guest's door after cleaning. Plus, this hotel's elevators don't require a room card swipe. At 9:30 PM, both the front desk and concierge were empty, making it easy for anyone to access any floor. I somewhat regret not spending a bit more to stay at the Grand Hyatt. Also, I heard this hotel is rebranding to Regent, oh my! InterContinental truly feels like a makeshift operation. To think they dare to rebrand to Regent like this! This hotel usually sells at the same price as the Grand Hyatt, and if it weren't for this promotion, I definitely wouldn't have chosen it. InterContinental left such a terrible impression on me; it's really hard not to come here and complain.

The housekeeper entered the room without knocking. I also didn't receive the promised apology call from the hotel manager before check-out.