Freshly revamped, Melbourne Airport hotel is an oasis in a concrete jungle

The hotel

Parkroyal Melbourne Airport

The hotel faces the airport terminals.

Check-in

The arrival can’t be described as glamorous; Melbourne Airport is a construction zone disguised as an airport, with works forever underway on its roads or terminals or both. The Parkroyal rises above it all, and above the multi-level car parks on one side and the airport’s pick-up lanes on the other. Head up to level four and the welcome is warm, once out of the lifts and into the hotel’s spacious reception area. By its own account, the hotel appeals most to regional Victorians at the start or end of a big trip and business people connecting from all over the land, and beyond.

Level four reception.

The look

Fresh from a total refurbishment, the aim was to be something of an oasis in the airport’s concrete and asphalt environment, so the hotel has gone big on earthy tones in the furnishings and soft furnishings. It’s also a trademark of PanPacific, Parkroyal’s owners, to cover their hotels in green, so there are plants aplenty, and company policy is that they’re all live, no fakes, however good they may be. Given the location, buildings can’t go too high, so the Parkroyal goes wide – the aisles on its accommodation floors measure the same length as the MCG, goal post to goal post.

Earthy tones abound.

The room

Confession time – once past the drudgery of parking, baggage check and security, I love the goings-on at airports, particularly the aircraft handling and movements. So imagine my delight on being assigned a ninth floor room with airport views – all the taxiing, takeoffs and landings right there through my (very thick and soundproofed) windows. In my spa suite, there are two large-screen TVs, a mini-bar with that frightening function of digital detection once you lift a bottle for long enough, and a coffee machine. Each room, no matter its size, has a bath and shower. The bed is big, and very comfortable. The rooms come in various configurations, including family rooms with a king and two singles and rooms and suites that can interconnect.

Excellent runway and terminal views from rooms on the higher levels facing the airport.

Out + about

Within the building, the hotel lounge is big and breezy and, along the way from it there’s a well-equipped gym that’s bigger than you’ll find in most city hotels. Next to it is a pool, spa, steam room, sauna and change rooms. All this is available to the hotel’s overnight guests and those who purchase a day pass. Have a long stopover and want a shower and workout? This is where you might well think of landing. Beyond the hotel, Urbansurf is a few kilometres down the road, to catch a city wave, as is the training ground of the AFL’s Essendon “Bombers” if you want to see how they train.

The pool and gym have a lot of potential between flights.

Food + drink

The in-house restaurant Airo comes with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients for its take on “modern Australian and international cuisine.” The food is good, if not exceptional, but then if you look at what’s available in the terminals across the way, maybe it is exceptional. It’s a solid hotel restaurant in any case.

The verdict

Even though you’re landside, not airside, if you have a long stopover or wait at Melbourne Airport, factor the Parkroyal into your options – 24-hour reception and room service, an oasis in the concrete jungle. It’s also an excellent address for a pre- or post-flight stay.

The essentials

For short visits, a lounge and swim package starts at $25; rooms can also be booked for short stays, starting at $109 for three hours (and you can bring a luggage trolley across from the terminal). Overnight, rooms from $305, suites from $485. Melbourne Airport, Arrival Drive, Tullamarine. Phone [phone]; see panpacific.com

Our rating out of five

★★★★

Highlight

Back in the day, Melbourne Airport had an easily accessed viewing deck, that’s gone, but it’s back if you get a room with a view here.

Lowlight

The green touches and abundant indoor plants are wonderful, but the walls need some artworks – we’re assured they’re on the way.

The writer was a guest of Parkroyal Melbourne Airport.