The colourful Tune Hotel in Melbourne is part of a global network of hotels associated with Air Asia, which employ a similar ‘add-on’ philosophy to the popular budget airline. The focus is value, and the result is a neat concept that let’s customers adapt the hotel to their needs rather than the other way around.
Cost is obviously a big factor when deciding where to stay, and the cheaper hotels are usually not the most comfortable. Tune Hotels buck that trend, this hotel can be as cheap (to a degree) or as expensive as you want to be, with the ability to pay for ‘add ons’ as you see fit.
If you just want a comfortable place to stay then go for the base rate and don’t bother with the add-ons like 24 hour Wi-Fi and an entertainment package. These aren’t included in your initial room rate, you only purchase them as you see necessary, adding a few bucks here and there to build up your “Tune Hotel experience”. More add-ons include early check-in, late check-out, a breakfast pack, and towel/toiletries kit.
This is quite perfect for the traveler who doesn’t want to be forced to pay for things they don’t necessarily need, and rather spend what they save on the brilliant variety of culture that Melbourne is known for.
I stayed as a guest at Tune Hotel in Melbourne earlier this month, staying in a double room to test drive the concept and the hotel.
The room is fairly small and basic, of course, with a big double bed that takes up much of the space. There is a small working desk with a bright red chair and a lamp, a safe underneath the bed, a luggage rack, and 32″ flat-panel TV attached to the wall (with Foxtel should you choose the entertainment package add-on). There’s a floor-to-ceiling mirror near the entrance and an air-con panel that switches on when you insert your room key card.
The bed uses a King Coil mattress, which is significant when setting it apart from similar low-cost accommodation.
It’s standard here, as you’d expect, with a fun, quirky design that focuses on white, black, and red accents. Tune Hotel seems to have a love for country-specific characters, and they are all represented here on funky black panels to bring a bit of art and theatre to the room.
The bathroom is quite cramped. A large shower takes up most of the room with an even bigger shower head. There’s a small sink and and a toilet. Focus is on function here, obviously not luxury. Though the look and feel is quite clean and efficient, with the shower head the main reason to spend more than a few minutes in here.
The one window in the room is double-glazed and can only be wound open a fraction. When closed the room is dead silent, with thick walls so you can’t really hear much of anything out in the hallways or in the neighbouring rooms.
View from my window
With a no-fuss bass for your exploration around Melbourne, which is also very well located only a stone’s throw away from the busiest part of Swanston Street and Lygon Street, a Tune Hotel room is perfectly fine if what you’re looking for is a low-cost but comfortable room.
Inner-courtyard; source: provided
As for the rest of the hotel; there’s The Wonder Kafe in the lobby should you need a good, quick feed. The lobby is also the entrance to a neat laundry room with a dozen or so machines should you need to do the washing/drying. Nearby is a chill-out area with sofas, computers, books, tables, chairs, and a sleek design reminiscent of a bright red Ikea display. Accessible from this area is a very sightly inner-courtyard with mismatched chairs and tables scattered around.
So what’s the verdict? This is a concept hotel, like all the other Tune Hotels around the world, which is a breathe of fresh air for the most budget sensitive traveler. The customisable aspect sets Tune apart for other low-cost hotels and offers just enough to adapt well to a visitor’s needs. I’d gladly look towards Tune when I need a convenient, private, comfortable room that doesn’t give me a load of stuff I ultimately won’t need if I’m down to explore the seemingly limitless energy of Melbourne’s culture and entertainment.
Address: 609 Swanston St, Carlton VIC 3053
Phone:(03) 9347 3027
www.tunehotels.com/our-hotels/melbourne
Chris Singh stayed as a guest of Tune Hotels
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