Finally, a new Melbourne hotel, comfortable, clean and designed with jazz lovers in mind – it’s our kinda joint! Truly a much-needed addition to Melbourne’s ageing collection of poorly maintained mid-tier hotels, Jazz Corner Hotel’s rooms offer a timely breath of fresh air.
Fresh-faced young staff, all smiles in their cute red berets, manage the check-in counter of the hotel’s tiny foyer and eatery. Beer, Wine and Calzone is an Italian restaurant and bar serving freshly baked calzone and more. Share table/bar seating are the foreground focus, while set tables to the rear form a more traditional dining area. Strips of blue lighting sketch lines on the walls with a cool glow. Pre-dinner, a prosecco Aperol spritz is a far better choice than the small selection of local Italian varietal wines. We found the food somewhat pedestrian.
Upstairs is where the creativity and magic really come alive. We check into a two-bedroom suite on the 28th floor offering superb views peering west down Lonsdale Street. At twilight it’s a blissful outlook: we see the Bolte Bridge, Melbourne Star and the twinkling lights of the western suburbs receding into the distance. It’s an attractive new perspective on the city.
Textural flourishes and warm, comforting tones colour the rooms. The walnut veneer panelling and dark stained timbers of the lobby are carried through into the suite. Our room is competently styled in a mid-century modernist theme. The Scandinavian dining setting and replica 50s armchairs complete with Eames bird motif cushions marry nicely with the framed LP (long play) record sleeves on the wall. All the greats are on display: Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald: it sets a pretty cool scene.
In the functional galley kitchen you’ll find a dishwasher, 4-burner gas cooktop, small oven, microwave and cookware, plates, cutlery and glassware for four. There’s a Breville pod coffee machine with Brother Thomas coffee pods (named for the adjacent breakfast cafe). The machine’s 3-button function seems simple enough but the performance of the one in our room was temperamental.
Our room, 2810, also features the coolest in cool-cat bling: a shiny-brass alto saxophone hanging above the soft three-seat leather lounge, a tribute to Jazz legend Charlie Parker – or ‘Bird’ as he was known. All these touches, including welcoming jazz music playing on the smart TV, appropriately build the hype for the Melbourne Jazz Festival which is in full swing when we visit. Tonight The Cookers (USA), play in Jazz Corner Hotel’s aptly named basement club: Bird’s Basement. Our private concierge escorts us down via a hidden express elevator… ultra hip! The band is kookie-cool, the drum and bass solos long, while the whisky flows and the room is packed.
Whether you’re a music fan or just a traveller looking for a comfortable place to rest your weary bones, the Jazz Corner Hotel fills a gap in Melbourne’s mid-market hotel bracket. JCH is a 4-star hotel. Room rates start at $150 online; however are subject to change.
352 William Street,
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9454 9000
jazzcornerhotel.com
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