Down Under Hospitality

Charmaine Fernz tastes Australian hospitality at the Sebel Melbourne

Being centrally located on Collin's Street, the Sebel Melbourne gives any outsider a home-away-from-home experience. The hotel, which one could, in modern terms, pass off for a boutique hotel is a perfect blend of tradition with modernity. With 115 deluxe studio guestrooms, one- and two-bedroom suites, and two-storey one bedroom suites, Sebel offers its visitors a true Australia feel. Reminiscing the past, the hotel building which was formerly the Bank of Australasia, was originally constructed in 1875, and has now been carefully and painstakingly rebuilt and restored to its former glory. This refurbished nineteenth century landmark has been transformed to combine grand old architecture with superior facilities.

It is a good stop-over for any corporate always on the move since the hotel is located in the business district of Melbourne. Apart from that, the rooms are spacious offering separate living and dining areas, a business desk, complete kitchenette, and laundry. The bathrooms are quite spacious and depending on the choice of rooms, there are spa baths in certain rooms and suites. One could also go in for either a smoking or non-smoking room.

Facilities on offer include in-room safe, deluxe mini-bar, ISDN line for direct Internet access, voice mail facility and much more. In addition, the hotel also offers valet grocery service and limousine transfers by arrangement to and from airport.

If business is on the cards, the hotel caters to every aspect of a corporate meeting, be it overhead projector and screen, whiteboard, flipcharts, additional and advanced audiovisual equipment and presentation aid. The capacity can range from 9-200 people. In certain cases, special events or themed dinners are also arranged.

After a tiring day, one could chill out at The Treasury Restaurant located on the ground floor of the hotel. One can check out the modern food on offer complemented by a unique wine list. The bar and cocktail area is another chill out zone that offers an extensive choice of wines, liqueurs, cocktails and local or imported beers. An ideal place at the end of the day for a drink or two with friends and colleagues.

Last but certainly not the least, being ideally located in the heart of Melbourne city, one can check out the shopping lanes with discounts galore especially, if you visit Melbourne in June. Another local experience is the Melbourne city trams or the Melbourne aquarium that is easily accessible from the hotel, just a few blocks away.

To sum up everything, the Sebel offers its visitors a unique local flavour with its Australian hospitality.