Monash Hotel — Restaurant in Melbourne

Function at Dooleys Bar - originally booked for my son's 21st birthday in 2020 but this became a 22nd party a year later, post lockdown. Fantastic private party venue, heaps of space, pool tables, darts, dance floor, TV screens all around, booths and tables, plenty of seating, bathrooms, good audio system, microphone, private entrance and outdoor area. Central bar looked fantastic with coloured lights all around. All a little grubby and tired-looking, but a perfect pub-style space for such an event. Excellent value for money, too. Unfortunately this amazing space was let down by function management prior, and staffing on the night. Despite several emails, phone calls and visits in the lead-up to the event, and flippant or vague reassurance from managers, I felt uneasy about some aspects. Rightly so, as the slideshow ended up displaying half the photos sideways or upside-down, on all the TVs throughout the night. A couple of hours before the party, we arrived for yet another photo test and found the dance floor so sticky it almost took our shoes! This was partially rectified, but it does need attention. The security guard, although provided with a guest list, seemed unaware that this was a private function, and we discovered a couple of randoms at the bar! There was only one staff member in the whole function area for 90% of the night, running the bar by herself - guests were waiting 15 mins to order a drink, but she did a great job. It was almost impossible to find staff to clean up a couple of spills, and the cake wasn't brought out at the scheduled time - I eventually found someone half an hour later who showed me where the cake was, and I carried it out myself (no candles, no knife, no lighter). Overall, my son and his guests had a fantastic time and the venue really suits a large gathering of young people, for a budget price. I know the staff did try their best, and they were very obliging, but it seems there were staffing issues, technical problems and a lack of planning procedures to manage the details of a function - perhaps out of practice after Covid closure. Regardless of the hiccups, I would still...

DOOLEY'S IRISH BAR FUNCTION SPACE

This venue is honestly one of the best we have ever seen. The Irish pub theme is super unique and has been done so tastefully. The space also has so many awesome amenities such as 2 pool tables, 2 dart boards, string lights lining the entire ceiling, a huge dance floor as well as a large stage equipped with an awesome sound system, and all the party lights you can think of. Do not be deceived by these photos as they are super outdated! You must go see it in person and you will fall in love with it instantly. Another major bonus is value for money. Their packages are 10 times better than most other venues as well as double the size. Honestly, this place is a hidden gem.

When we made the booking, we were informed that this venue had air conditioning (which was very important to us due to the time of year our event was being held as well as the capacity. However, the air conditioning broke and we were not informed in advance, which was super disappointing considering our event indeed ended up falling on a 37-degree day. They did fill the room full of fans which was appreciated, however, we did not appreciate being kept in the dark about the broken air-conditioning unit. We also had another issue with miscommunication when it came to setting up the venue. In our pre-arrangement email with the event coordinator, we stated we did not want any low tables, only high, bar tables. However, when we came to set up, all the low tables had been set up so we had to move them all out of the way ourselves to set up the room as we wanted it.

But all this aside, I would still recoment this venue to someone in a heartbeat. I would just reiterate to make sure you stay in contact with them frequently to ensure smoother...

We recently had our engagement party here, and hired the Dooleys Pub as part of the Monash Hotel venue for our event.

Victoria, the functions manager, was super accommodating and helpful throughout the booking process. She asked all the right questions to make sure the night went smoothly.

On the day of, we were allowed in a few hours early for set up. We were ran through how to use the music and microphones, how to set up our laptop for the projector, met the bar staff for the evening, and also make sure we had any questions.

The staff were attentive, fun, made great cocktails, and made sure everyone was having a good time. I was checked in with at points throughout the evening to make sure me and my fiancée were all good, when we wanted food to come out, and if we needed any help.

The venue itself was gorgeous. The fairy lights were an incredible touch, the dance floor with the lights going was really nice.

There is not a single thing I can fault Monash Hotel for. They truly knocked it out of the park, and even a few days later people are still talking about what a great time they all had.

Even though we'd travelled an hour to come over from the other side of Melbourne, we'll definitely be coming back to have more events there.

Thank you all...