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| Pullman Melbourne Albert Park |
Recently I was privileged to stay at the Pullman Melbourne Albert
Park. This former Sebel Hotel has recently had a multimillion dollar
renovation which has totally transformed its appearance.
The Pullman is ideally located on Queens Road overlooking picturesque
Lake Albert and Port Phillip Bay. It is a short distance from the
Melbourne CBD and the bayside suburb of cosmopolitan St Kilda.
Upon walking in the front doors of the Pullman the first thing I noticed
was the welcoming bright & light contemporary lobby. The spiral
staircase, feature lighting, and stylish seating all add to the wow
factor of the lobby. The dominant feature is the central atrium which
soars upwards in the middle of the hotel to the ninth floor.
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| Pullman Atrium |
I traveled to the Pullman by tram and walked from the nearby-by tram
stop in St Kilda Road to the front entrance. I was warmly greeted by the
staff at the reception desk and offered a welcome drink at the Atrium
Bar + Lounge, which serves drinks from 4pm till late. On the ground
floor there is also an Expresso Bar serving traditional cafe style
lunches, expresso coffee, specialty teas, bakery items, fresh salads and
sweet treats open during the week from 7am until 3pm. The Windows
Restaurant is open for daily gourmet buffet breakfasts and evening
a-la-carte dinners. There is also a Business Lounge (Connectivity
Centre) with computers and printers available for use.
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| Pullman Guest Room |
The Pullman Melbourne Albert Park has 169 guest rooms and suites. I was
fortunate to stay in a large refurbished guest room on the eighth floor
with wonderful views over Lake Albert. It looked peaceful and serene,
apart from a few energetic joggers going for their daily run. The view
would be rather different during the week the Formula 1 Grand Prix
racing cars roar around the lake.
My guest room had all the usual offerings of a five-star hotel plus
more. The colour scheme, lighting fixtures, art works and furnishings
all worked well together to create the amazing modern look of the room.
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| Pullman Guest Room |
The glass-topped work desk had a convenient multimedia connectivity
panel. However I worked on my laptop using the wifi internet that was
available in the room. I channel surfed the free-to-air and satellite
channels on the large 40 inch LCD flatscreen TV. An i-docking station
was available to use. This was about the only feature in the room that I
did not use, as I am one of the very few people today without an
i-product.
A wonderful nights sleep was had on the innovative Pullman featherbed,
far better than my rather aged bed at home. I made several cups of tea
and coffee in the room using the quality teas and coffees provided. The
bathroom was bright and white, with an amazing walk-in rain forest
shower and a wonderful range of Roger & Gallet amenities provided.
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| Pullman Executive Lounge |
I was fortunate to have access to the warm and inviting Pullman
Executive Lounge on the ninth floor. This has recently been restyled
with new carpets, plush sofas, LED flatscreen TVs and offers an ideal
series of spaces for business or relaxation. There are new marble
refreshment stations that provide a complimentary range of food and
drinks. On the two occasions I visited the Executive lounge I was warmly
welcomed by the staff person who made the visit relaxing and memorable.
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| Pullman Pool |
I availed myself of the leisure facilities on the first
floor. There is a heated indoor pool, sauna and gym. I imagine that these
would be especially popular in Melbourne's cool winters.
For breakfast I went down to the Windows Restaurant where I enjoyed a
scrumptious buffet of cereals, hot and cold dishes, breads and pastries.
My only mistake is that I should have allowed more time to experience
all that was on offer. Tea and coffee were brought to my table, and my
used plates whisked away by the attentive staff.
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| Pullman Grand Ballrom |
What sets the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park apart from other hotels is
its Conference & Event Centre. This is one of Melbourne's largest
and most comprehensive venues, and can cater for groups of 10 to 1,600
people. It does not have just one meeting venue, but 28 to chose from,
ranging from small meeting rooms to the Grand Ballroom. These have been
recently refurbished along with the rest of the hotel. I had a glimpse
of the Grand Ballroom and saw its new carpets, curtains, movable walls
and LED colour control lighting and pin-spotting technology
installations. A comprehensive range sophisticated audio-visual
equipment and multi-media equipment is available for use, with the
support of their IT Solutions Manager.
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| Pullman Melbourne Albert Park |
A variety of conference menu packages is available for breakfasts,
morning and afternoon tea breaks, lunches, dinners and conference
beverages & cocktails. At this time of the year many bookings are
being accepted for the range of Christmas packages they offer, ranging
from a Christmas Bubbles Cocktail Party to a Christmas Feast. They have a
dedicated Conference Concierge to help people organize their business
or social function. 600 on-site car parks are available. New conference
offerings include access to life-sized board games, guided walking or
running around Lake Albert, and healthy menu add ons.These all add up to
to make the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park Conference & Event Centre
a luxurious and functional experience for business executives.
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| Pullman Executive Lounge |
To sum up my stay at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park all I can say is
that it far surpassed my expectations and my one night stay was too
short to fully appreciate all it has to offer. It is a stylish modern
five-star hotel that offers the best in guest rooms, leisure facilities
and dining options. All the staff were brilliant in their professional
and friendly service. The standout was the Concierge who was extremely
helpful in his advice on tourist attractions in Melbourne.
The Pullman Melbourne Albert Park is the ideal upscale hotel for business and leisure in Melbourne.
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| Pullman Atrium Bar + Lounge |
Website:
Pullman Melbourne Albert Park
Address: 65 Queens Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004
Bookings
Telephone: (03) 9529 4300, (+61)3/95294300
Fax: (03) 95213111, (+61)3/95213111
Email: H8788@accor.com
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