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Located in Melbourne’s CBD, Le Méridien is a modern luxury hotel with a fantastic rooftop swimming pool, an excellent gym, and a genuinely impressive breakfast buffet. It’s surprisingly cost competitive with the nearby Melbourne Marriott.
Tastes vary but I’m confident that almost all guests, except perhaps elite members who strongly prefer a nightly selection of free alcohol at the lounge, will prefer Le Meridien.
Here’s what I thought of the rooms, breakfast, pool, gym, and Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite benefits.
Le Méridien Melbourne Location
Le Méridien Melbourne is located at 20 Bourke Street, in the eastern part of Melbourne’s CBD, sometimes referred to as the city’s Paris End.
It’s a great location, especially if you’re interested in exploring Melbourne on foot.
Parliament House and the Princess Theatre are right nearby, while the rest of Melbourne’s CBD, with its seemingly endless cafes, restaurants, and shops, is easily accessible.
Melbourne is one of the world’s great cafe cities, and there are some fantastic options in and around the CBD, including Traveller Coffee, Patricia Coffee Brewers, and Little Gordon.
Although the hotel has its own restaurants and cafes, I highly recommend spending at least some of your time exploring Melbourne’s independent coffee shops.
Check-in and the lobby cafe has a theatre box-office theme as this used to be a theatre.
Rooms and Suites at Le Méridien Melbourne
Le Méridien is a relatively new hotel, and it shows.
The overall experience feels much more like a modern luxury hotel than a traditional business hotel, with contemporary design and a generally upscale atmosphere.
I’m a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member, and during my stay I was fortunate enough to receive an upgrade to a suite. The hotel staff also wished me happy birthday, even though it was like 10 days away. So I think that was the reason I was upgraded. However, this was probably helped by two things: I was visiting Melbourne during the winter, when tourist demand can be lower, and I was only staying for one night.
Hotels are generally going to find it easier to upgrade someone for one night than for a week, especially if the better rooms are expected to be occupied later. On the other hand, they did upgrade me on a Saturday night, so it’s not like it was a random Tuesday.
Of course, upgrades are never guaranteed, even for Marriott Bonvoy elite members. But, the room photographs of even lower-tier rooms look to be well set out, with most of the same features and quality of the larger room.
A Kind Touch: A birthday card and small cake+wine
Even though it was 10 days before my birthday, the hotel pulled through with a cake and wine and balloons, which was super kind,
One Small Issue: Air Conditioning
The air conditioning seemed almost too effective at drying out the air, making the room somewhat uncomfortable.
Admittedly, it was winter, and overly dry rooms are a problem I’ve encountered at plenty of other hotels during colder weather.
Interestingly, the older Melbourne Marriott which we stayed at the night before had a somewhat better air conditioning system in this regard. Although simpler, it seemed to respond faster and allowed for more direct control.
A big win: Charging ports and a thoughtful layout
You can tell the hotel is tuned to visitors in 2026 as it was very charger friendly. I appreciated the Marshall bluetooth speaker as well as the games provided in the room.
Le Méridien Melbourne Rooftop Pool
One of the biggest reasons to stay at Le Méridien Melbourne is its rooftop swimming pool.
Called Le Splash, the pool is located on the fifth floor and overlooks the surrounding city, including Parliament House. It’s an 18-meter heated outdoor pool with a rooftop terrace and lounge chairs, making it one of the hotel’s most distinctive features.
Unlike some hotel swimming pools that seem to exist primarily so that management can advertise the existence of a pool, this one actually feels like a luxury hotel amenity. It’s a place you’d want to spend time–at least in the summer!
The difference between Le Méridien’s pool and the nearby Melbourne Marriott’s is enormous. The Marriott’s pool is perfectly adequate for a quick swim, but Le Méridien’s is somewhere you might actually look forward to visiting.
To put it another way, Le Méridien is the kind of hotel where you might want to take some photos for Instagram. The Melbourne Marriott is somewhere you’d be happy to stay, but probably wouldn’t feel much need to show anyone.
If I were planning a romantic staycation in Melbourne, or traveling with children who really wanted to use the pool, Le Méridien would be an easy choice.
Le Méridien Melbourne Gym
The gym is another area where Le Méridien exceeds what you’d expect from a typical city hotel.
The hotel has a modern, 24-hour fitness center with Technogym equipment, including cardio machines, weights, and strength-training equipment.
It’s more than enough for a serious workout, rather than simply a token hotel gym with two treadmills and a small collection of dumbbells.
As someone who likes to run and work out while traveling, I appreciate hotels that make it easy to maintain a fitness routine.
You certainly don’t need to choose Le Méridien solely because of the gym, but the combination of the gym and rooftop swimming pool makes the hotel easy if you want to stay healthy on vacation.
Le Méridien Melbourne Breakfast Review
Breakfast is served at Dolly, the hotel’s restaurant, and the buffet offers a much wider selection than you’d find at most Marriott hotels.
Both Le Méridien and the Melbourne Marriott serve the standard breakfast staples, including eggs, bacon, pastries, and so forth. But the buffet at Le Méridien was at least twice as extensive, with a considerably more interesting selection of food.
There were multiple types of yogurt, a dedicated gluten-free section, substantial Asian breakfast options including congee and red bean buns, and plenty of avocado for anyone wanting to make their own avocado toast.
There was also a sweet potato and kale salad that was actually fantastic. It was like, actually very good. I wouldn’t travel to the hotel just for the breakfast–it’s not Ritz-Carlton Bali level (where you should actually leave some other hotels to go to their buffet) but it’s super solid and nice.
Is Coffee Included in the Breakfast?
There was one slightly confusing aspect of breakfast. Like many hotels, Le Méridien had a self-service coffee machine. But I was told that, if you wanted a barista-made coffee, particularly one with soy or oat milk, there appeared to be an additional charge of around A$5. I can drink real milk, but I prefer soy or oat mostly, so I agreed to pay for a soy latte.
However, about halfway through breakfast, the barista informed me that the coffee was actually included in my breakfast buffet. I don’t know what happened to be honest.
It might have been because I was a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member and had selected breakfast as my welcome benefit. Alternatively, perhaps it was because we had been upgraded to a suite. Either way, the coffee ended up being complimentary, which was good.
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Benefits at Le Méridien Melbourne
Le Méridien Melbourne is part of Marriott Bonvoy, making it particularly attractive for travelers with Platinum Elite status or above. During my stay, the most significant benefits were an upgrade to a suite and complimentary breakfast.
Complimentary Breakfast or 1,000 Points
As a Platinum Elite member, I was offered a choice between 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and breakfast for two. I chose breakfast, which I think made a lot of sense. It basically always makes sense unless you skip breakfast, or the hotel’s selection is atrocious, neither of which was the case for me.
As always, if you’re staying with another person, this can be a particularly valuable benefit.
Le Meridien is perfect except there is no Executive Lounge
One drawback for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members and above is that Le Méridien doesn’t have an executive lounge. The nearby Melbourne Marriott, for example, has an M Club that offers complimentary evening canapés and alcoholic drinks.
The lounge isn’t spectacular, especially compared with the excellent executive lounge at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, or the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, which both have insane lounges, but it’s still a nice benefit. If you’re someone who enjoys a few (or more) complimentary drinks every evening, the savings can add up. But I rarely drink, so that part of the benefit is lost on me.
Personally, I’d much rather have Le Méridien’s better pool, gym, and breakfast than access to an executive lounge. But different travelers will have different priorities, and that’s what’s great about choices.
Room Upgrades
As mentioned earlier, I received a suite upgrade during my stay. I wouldn’t assume you’ll get a suite upgrade every time, particularly during busy periods, but this was another example of why Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite can be worth pursuing for frequent travelers. I get it through the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, which we have reviewed here.
Final Verdict: Le Méridien Melbourne
Le Méridien was awesome. The staff wished me happy birthday, upgraded me to a nicer room, and were kind and helfpful. The location at the edge of the Melbourne CBD had the prefect balance of in the action and removed enough to feel peaceful. The newly renovated/converted aspect of the hotel was obvious, and everything works, nothing is dated. The pool was great, the gym was great and very new. It’s basically a winner. Only those with the highest luxury tastes would be disappointed here, but they have the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne to visit.
Le Méridien Melbourne is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a modern luxury hotel in Melbourne, particularly if they can find it at a price comparable to other Marriott properties in the CBD.
It’s a hotel I’d happily return to, and one of the easiest Marriott properties in Melbourne for me to recommend.
FAQ
Is Le Méridien is a luxury hotel, or an ultra-luxury hotel?
If you’re looking for the absolute highest level of luxury available in Melbourne, the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne is probably a more appropriate option, although it can also cost dramatically more.
Le Méridien is best thought of as an accessible luxury hotel: somewhere that provides a noticeably better experience than a standard upscale hotel without necessarily charging an outrageous premium.
What travel essentials do you recommend?
First, protect your skin with a nice sunscreen: This is non-negotiable if you’re going to be in the sun. You want something that feels nice, isn’t sticky or pasty, and actually works. I’ve tried a ton and prefer to use Elta MD or La Roche Posay
Second, capture the memories that matter with a high quality camera. You can use your iPhone, but the Insta360 Luna Ultra (full review here) is our recommendation for a great travel camera. The Luna Pro, or DJI Osmo Pocket series of cameras is a great alternative.
Third, choose luggage that is light but well made. I recommend, and personally use, the Samsonite Proxis for a checked luggage, paired with the Cotopaxi Allpa 28L backpack as a carry on.
Is Le Méridien better than the Melbourne Marriott?
Le Méridien is better than the Melbourne Marriott (which is still very nice) in almost every way except it has no lounge, which means no free drinks or food in the evening. Other than that, the rooms are newer, the location is almost the same, and the pool and gym and breakfast are better at Le Méridien.
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