Budget travel is how I operate, as I try to get as much money out of an experience as I can, allowing me to travel for longer. I’m comfortable in hostels for this reason, but I occasionally stay in hotels when the value is right. When I was looking for a place to stay in Melbourne, I heard rave reviews about Tune Hotels, which opened their first Australia location in Melbourne recently.
Editor’s Note: This location has since closed.
Tune Hotels applied the business model of budget airlines like AirAsia, namely the selection of certain amenities for a higher price, to their accommodation. The hotels give you a set price for the type of room and you can add on the extras you want, like breakfast, on-demand movies, Internet, air conditioning and extra toiletries. You can choose from double, twin and family rooms, depending on your needs.
We had spent a few days at the nice enough Space Hotel down the road, but had an early flight to Darwin to catch. I was glad to opt for a private room at Tune over the dorms and hallway bathrooms at Space. Their Melbourne location is located in Carlton, a short walk from Lygon Street, the city’s Italian neighborhood. We popped over there one afternoon for pasta arrabbiata and gelato that made me miss Italy.
The layout and design is chic, covered in red, black and white, the theme colors. The hotel includes a cafe, lounge for reading and relaxing and laundry facilities. The Tune brand is constantly expanding, with locations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, India and Japan.
Tune Hotels kindly offered me a nights stay at their Melbourne location, but all opinions are my own. Tune Hotel Melbourne offers double rooms from 65 AUD (approx £35 or $58 USD). For more information or to book please visit: www.tunehotels.com/uk
I’ve stayed in a lot of Melbourne hotels and indeed over Australia. This one certainly sounds very cheap relatively speaking.
Looks very trendy and different from the more established locations. I might have to give this place a try when I return to Melbourne.
Glad to hear you tried Lygon Street, always a great spot to eat. I’ve never had a bad meal there yet.