Mantra on Jolimont Melbourne — Hotel in Melbourne

Mantra Jolimont's number one draw card is its location - within walking distance of the MCG, Melbourne Tennis Centre, Federation Square, Yarra River, Royal Botantic Gardens, Fitzroy & Treasury Gardens, CBD etc. We have been regular guests at Mantra Jolimont over many, many years. Although there have been numerous attempts to update the hotel and its rooms, during this time, fundamentally little has changed. Cosmetic upgrades to the style and interior design to a hotel room only goes so far; these rooms need a complete facelift and they should start with the bathrooms! The bathrooms are tired and in desperate need of updating. On previous stays, we have been assigned rooms with a shower over a bath; which in my opinion can be quite hazardous. On our most recent stay, the shower stall in the bathroom was squeezed into a tiny corner and was so small when you bent down to pick up the soap or face washer, your head collided with the taps on the wall. The white and black checkerboard floor tiles are chipped, old and completely dated. I do note that they have changed the faucets/taps. Although during January we enjoy staying in a room that overlooks the Melbourne Tennis Centre and its practice courts, you need to be aware that these rooms are right on the train line. The noise from the trains during the night will mostly likely keep you awake; suggest packing earplugs. All rooms have access to a shared self-service euro-style laundry (between every second room). Each laundry has a washer and dryer; you need to provide your own laundry detergent. Unfortunately, during our most recent stay, when we went to use the washing machine allocated to our room, we were overwhelmed by the strong smell of urine; as if someone had been 'caught-short' and used the washing machine as a toilet. We reported this to the staff and were informed by housekeeping that the smell emanating from the washing machine was due to lack of use .... ??? Hmmm, I don't think so. Anyway, we used an alternate laundry and housekeeping did ultimately attend to cleaning out the washer located next to our room. Back in the day, the hotel restaurant was open for dinner, however, it is now "Breakfast Only" from Wednesday-Saturday. Although we did not eat at the hotel, the takeaway coffees we ordered were fine. We do understand that many hotels do not now operate their restaurants during the evenings as many patrons prefer takeaway/delivery food options or dining out. We would highly recommend Bedggood & Co cafe just around the corner from the hotel; 137 Wellington Pde South. Delicious coffee and a great breakfast menu. If you wish to park your vehicle at the hotel, you will need to request a space in advance. Parking is at a premium and the lot under the hotel has limited spaces. You will need to check-in before you are given access to the carpark and leave your car key with reception should they need to move your vehicle during your stay. The customer service is fine, however from our experience, not always timely during peak periods. Would recommend staying at Mantra Jolimont if you want a basic room that's close to (and for some within walking distance of) many points of interest on the...

Overall we had a lovely stay here. We would stay again.

1BR apartment

Bathroom was very clean but has some issues with functionality. Very small and slippery bath shower design. Taps poking out from bath, high step into bath. Not functional at all and poses safety risks. Not suitable for those with mobility issues. Broken shower nozzle (only works on one setting) but pressure was ok and water was hot.

Shampoo and conditioner too high and hard to get to in very awkward shower design. Hand soap on wrong side of dispenser (away from sink). Toilet paper behind you (hard to reach). Foggy mirror even after a short, cool shower (no fan).

Cheap Toilet paper and tissues. Nice toiletries - gentle, smell nice and work well. Awesome hair-dryer Very nice towels.

Parking onsite very limited. Contact hotel seperately and book parking ahead ($50 or $40 memb) of your stay. Must leave keys at reception, so they can move it if needed.

Spacious, clean room with comfortable furnishings and a nice open design. Small TV in lounge/ dining area (none in separate bedroom).

Clean kitchen with fridge, microwave, oven and stove top.

Separate bedroom. Comfortable bedding with nice linen. Ample storage in bedroom and full length mirror in wardrobe.

Scented foyer and lift area. Not suitable for asthmatics or people with breathing disorders or those with chemical sensitivity issues.

Very quiet hotel. We could faintly hear trams but our stay was peaceful and relaxing. Even noise within the unit was minimised by the good design (solid walls and doors).

Awesome location close to sporting grounds and public transport.

Room overlooked the outdoor pool, which is surrounded by lovely tall greenery. Very pleasant view from the gorgeous large windows in the apartment.

Staff at reception were friendly and helpful. Reception is attended 24/7.

No room service. Mini bar ordering via QR code. Needs to be paid for and collected at reception.

Only one room key available. Free WiFi in all rooms.

Breakfast 7:30am to 10:30am ($24ph if prebooked or $30ph on day). Small buffet breakfast. Located on first floor of hotel. Filthy cups and mugs (unable to have a drink) but the restaurant itself and everything else in it was very clean, nice and quiet. Sloppy, watery scrambled eggs and rubbery bacon, pork sausages, baked beans, toast and waffles. Some (unfresh) fresh fruit and muesli options avail too. Yummy fresh pastries. They...

I can’t recommend this hotel if you want any sleep. Earplugs are a joke at reducing the frequent loud trams/trains. It is not worth being close to sporting venues. Stay in the city and tram/uber to the venues.

I read reviews before booking and asked for a quiet room ( not on the train line side). Location so close to the MCG was the reason we considered this hotel so we booked well ahead of time and ask for a quiet room. I confirmed this by phone and email a couple of times. We arrived to find our room 608 on the corner of the building with all windows on train lines and was loud immediately. Went to front desk, ask to change. Ladies on reception were lovely and said they’d look into it. But hotel was busy and they said they couldn’t until the next night. I understood this and said we could do it for one night. Except the next night was the same and they still couldn’t change our room. I would have given 5 stars for the lovely staff if not for this critical mistake.

I would have cancelled second night and booked somewhere else immediately if they had been upfront. The noise was unbearable. From midnight till 5am it’s hourly wake up from trains and from 5am it’s literally every minute ( I timed it). I’m returning home absolutely exhausted. It’s disappointing because I did my due diligence, checked reviews, asked for quiet room, spoke to staff politely, was told second night we could change and none of it worked out.

The air con was also too loud to use and it was a very hot weekend. The shower over bath was slippery and dangerous. Nothing much close for food/coffee but we used Uber eats. No easy access public transport into city. TV’s need to be updated to smart TV to allow streaming services especially if you have kids who want some downtime watching movies at night. I haven’t come across a hotel without one! All of this still would have been acceptable if we’d had a quiet room.

Any good points about the hotel, of which there were some, were absolutely not worth the lack of sleep. I appreciate a full hotel means no chance of changing rooms but they should have told me straight away and I could have booked somewhere else.

I write very few reviews. But I would have appreciated reading one this specific before booking here and saved myself a weekend...