Somerset on Elizabeth

Good enough place to stay in the Melbourne CBD. Great location with good proximity to pretty much most things around Melbourne. The concierge were friendly and helpful, with a good knowledge of the nearby areas to direct you to whatever you might need. The room, however, does leave a little to be desired.
You know how hotels push single beds together to make a double bed? It’s never quite as good as a proper bed, but it’s even worse when the two mattresses are different heights, forcing you to sleep on one side or the other, effectively making it a single bed. The pillows are also massive with little give, making a comfortable sleep a bit tricky. That coupled with the giant LED billboard flashing ads for Pepsi in my window all night left me feeling less than fully rejuvenated when I woke, with an inexplicable craving for an icy cold, refreshing bottle of Pepsi.
The size of the room is great, with tables and couches and two TVs, but I was unable to get the aircon to be responsive, leaving me consistently shivering at 19 degrees. The kitchen was a bit rough though, with a tacky fit out and only one cup. Also with no mini bar or cold water, and the closest bottle shop a fair hike away, you’d might want to come prepared if you feel like a tipple.
For the price and location though, it’s definitely a good place to stay, and unless you’re looking to splash out even more on somewhere 5 stars, you’d be hard pressed to find a much more suitable place.

My husband and I stayed at Somerset for a fortnight as a base for exploring the restaurants in Melbourne. It could not have been better situated, close enough to walk to a lot of places, and right near major tram stops to get to everything else. Staff were friendly, hotel was clean. Reception staff are around throughout the night. One lift was Out of Service our entire stay which meant it was sometimes a bit of a wait, and the second lift was out of service around 10pm one night and we had to walk 8 floors but it was fixed by the next morning so it was only a minor inconvenience. Our room had a small kitchenette, bathroom with washing machine, decent sized sitting area/​dining. Pool/​spa/​sauna and gym on site. Free Wi-​Fi and newspapers. Very reasonably priced. Would definitely use this as a base again when staying in the CBD.
Spitting distance from Burke Street Mall shopping. Short walk to Chinatown, and a bit longer walk to Flinders St. Station and Federation Square

You only need a roof over your head and a bed. That’s what they all said until the place we checked-​in to before scouring
and finding Somerset on Elizabeth who subsequently saved our Melbourne stay, and demonstrated sometimes its more than a roof over your head and a bed that make a hotel stay acceptable. Despite our last minute booking and check-​in the staff at Somerset were courteous. The room, a studio apartment, was large enough to feel more at home during our time in Melbourne — lounge room, kitchenette, a washer/​dryer in the bathroom. Granted, being so central to the CBD (no more than 5 mins to Bourke Street Mall) and any number of trams to whisk us away to outlying precincts, we didn’t make use of the kitchenette, but you know, we could have if we wanted to.