Crowne Plaza Hobart’s bars, views and classy rooms are winning over locals

Since Melbourne mini-breaks are off the table for now, a staycation right in the heart of Hobart is a surprisingly affordable option for Tasmanians looking for a city escape. DETAILS >>

Crowne Plaza Hobart

“Which building is that?” is a question we used multiple times during our stay at the new Crowne Plaza Hobart.

Sitting in the Club Lounge on the 10th floor, we were captivated by a previously unseen view of the city across a jumble of city rooftops.

Since Melbourne mini-breaks are off the table for now, a staycation at Crowne Plaza is a surprisingly affordable option for Tasmanians looking for a city escape.

The middle of the deadest Hobart winter in years must have been an awful time to open a large hotel.

The 235-room Crowne Plaza Hobart was conceived when the city was in the grip of an accommodation shortage and tourism to Tasmania was increasing year-on-year.

After setbacks including the Hobart rivulet collapse and the coronavirus pandemic, the hotel opened in late June to a vastly different world.

The Deck bar Crowne Plaza Hobart

The hotel, which is above Myer, now has the modest aim of seeing out 2020 with staycationing Tasmanians and interstate travellers.

But with the border not open to all states for some time, they will have to try to scrape by with local trade for now.

The Club Lounge, where we enjoyed our drinks with a view, is billed as a first for a Hobart hotel.

For the uninitiated, a club lounge offers business class perks including refreshments throughout the day, a meeting room for business travellers and complementary pre-dinner drinks and canapes.

Adding an additional $75 to the cost of a room, the club lounge package is worth considering if you are looking for some extra pampering. The package also guarantees you a room on the hotel’s top two floors.

Crowne Plaza Hobart room

The lounge itself is a lovely space with retro vibes, pale wood panelling, bold carpet and touches of bronze and gold — a design theme that is repeated throughout the hotel.

The room rates starting at $189 a night are reasonable for the high standard of the rooms at Crowne Plaza Hobart.

I don’t stay in big hotels very often so maybe I’m easily impressed, but the bathroom was beautiful and the room comfy, bright and stylish.

Floor-to-ceiling windows in every room showcase views of the city and mountain, or city and waterfront.

Crowne Plaza Hobart room

Club Lounge Crowne Plaza Hobart

Our room was facing the waterfront, and I could have happily sat for hours in the comfy sofa at the window watching the world go by.

We were not the only ones swept up in the novelty of the city’s newest hotel — the restaurant and bars on level four were humming on a Friday night.

The Deck bar, which runs the length of the building above Liverpool St, feels more Melbourne than Hobart in scale.

The outdoor, partially undercover space will likely be packed on summer afternoons.

However, the Deck will soon have competition from within the same building, with “Hobart’s first rooftop venue”, Aura Lounge, due to open in November.

The Core Restaurant was enjoyable, but the meals were expensive by Hobart standards.

The 4.5 star hotel’s central location puts you in walking distance to dozens of the city’s restaurants.

Crowne Plaza Hobart is a good option for Hobartians who are looking for a relaxing night away without going far. It would also be a great central base for Tasmanians from other parts of the state to spend a few days.

The author was a guest of Crowne Plaza