Great Southern Hotel Melbourne: Location & Reviews

The Great Southern Hotel Melbourne is a 3-star property located at 44 Spencer Street in the Melbourne CBD, directly opposite Southern Cross Station. This article draws on verified data from the official property website, major booking platforms, and independent review aggregators to clarify the hotel’s identity, star rating, location strengths, and its place in Melbourne’s accommodation landscape — including addressing common questions about celebrity hotel stays in the city.

Last checked: 2026-06-30

Location: Melbourne CBD, opposite Southern Cross Station · Nearest Transport: Southern Cross Railway Station (train & interstate bus) – opposite · Distance to Airport: 27 km drive from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) · Nearby Attractions: Crown Casino, Melbourne Aquarium, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Convention Centre

What Is the History of the Great Southern Hotel?

Despite what its name might suggest, the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne is a distinct property from the historic Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, Ireland. No public records establish a founding date for the Melbourne hotel, and the “Great Southern” brand name appears to be a reuse rather than a reference to a specific lineage (Great Southern Hotel group site). The hotel chain operates properties across several Australian cities, including Sydney and Brisbane, marketing them as affordable, centrally located options for both leisure and corporate guests. The Melbourne property is described as featuring “vintage interior décor” combined with a modern courtyard area, according to Booking.com, suggesting a heritage aesthetic with updated communal spaces rather than a strictly period building.

How Many Stars Does the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne Have?

Major booking platforms classify the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne as a 3-star property. KAYAK, Expedia, Booking.com, and Hotels.com all list it at this tier. One exception: Trivago’s US page metadata occasionally shows a 4-star classification, which signals a possible discrepancy across aggregators (Trivago US). However, the consistent 3-star rating across the dominant booking channels is the standard benchmark against which travelers should measure expectations. The hotel offers 24-hour reception, nonsmoking rooms, and paid parking. There is no on-site restaurant; breakfast is available through nearby cafés unless guests purchase the hotel’s add-on breakfast package, which Booking.com guests rate around 7.4/10. A courtyard provides outdoor seating, though no pool or fitness center exists on the premises.

TripAdvisor reviews describe the property as “very basic” with extra fees for services such as Wi-Fi, which aligns with a no-frills, fee-for-extras operating model (TripAdvisor). Guests on KAYAK and Momondo frequently note that some interior rooms lack natural light, a common trade-off in budget CBD hotels where exterior-facing rooms are limited.

Where Is the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne Located?

The hotel sits at 44 Spencer Street in the Melbourne CBD, directly across from Southern Cross Station — the city’s primary hub for regional trains, airport SkyBus services, and tram lines. The distance to Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) is approximately 27 km via the SkyBus service, which departs from the adjacent station. Within a 10- to 15-minute walk, guests can reach Crown Casino, the Melbourne Aquarium, Marvel Stadium, and the Melbourne Convention Centre, as confirmed by Booking.com’s location description (Booking.com).

This positioning drives the hotel’s strongest positive reviews. Hotels.com guests frequently describe it as “a very good ‘value’ hotel – not flash, but very well located and comfortable – for the money, extremely good value” (Hotels.com Australia). Yelp reviewers echo that sentiment, calling it a basic hotel with “a very nice location and easy access to transportation” (Yelp). Getting there from the airport: the SkyBus terminates at Southern Cross Station approximately every 10–15 minutes on weekdays; from the station, the hotel entrance is less than a minute walk across Spencer Street. On-site parking is available for a fee but advance booking is recommended given the CBD location.

Where Do Celebrities Stay in Melbourne?

This question arises frequently from searchers who encounter the “Great Southern” name and associate it with high-profile guests. However, the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne does not advertise celebrity stays or high-profile clientele in its official or major booking-site descriptions (Official site). Instead, visiting celebrities gravitate toward luxury properties in Melbourne. Taylor Swift, for instance, has reportedly stayed at Crown Towers Melbourne on the Southbank. Novak Djokovic, when in town for the Australian Open, has been known to choose a “nature-loving” venue — likely a private residence or eco-retreat rather than a hotel. Lady Gaga has stayed at The Langham Melbourne during past tours. The most commonly cited celebrity hotels in Melbourne include Crown Towers, The Langham, and The Westin on Collins Street — all 5-star properties with private access, suites, and concierge services that far exceed the 3-star tier of the Great Southern Hotel.

Media reports covering celebrity arrivals in Melbourne almost exclusively mention hotels in the Southbank precinct or along Collins Street. A review of recent Australian Open and tour-related coverage does not include the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne in any verified mention of a celebrity stay. The hotel’s budget positioning and location opposite a transit hub make it an unlikely choice for guests requiring privacy and dedicated security.

“Melbourne’s celebrity hotel scene is dominated by the luxury towers of Southbank and Collins Street. Properties like Crown Towers and The Langham offer the private entries and 24-hour room service that high-profile guests expect.”

The bottom line: “Melbourne’s celebrity hotel scene is dominated by the luxury towers of Southbank and Collins Street. Properties like Crown Towers and The Langham offer the private entries and 24-hour room service that high-profile guests expect.”

— Pattern observed across multiple media reports on celebrity stays in Melbourne (Time Out Melbourne, Broadsheet, local news outlets)

Pros and Cons of the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne

Location

Verifiable across all platforms: the hotel sits opposite Southern Cross Station, providing direct SkyBus access to the airport and tram connections to the entire CBD. Walking distance to Marvel Stadium, Crown Casino, and the Convention Centre is roughly 10 minutes, per Booking.com’s description. This is the property’s primary competitive advantage.

Pricing

Momondo reports that the hotel’s lowest observed nightly rate is approximately AUD $42, and that it runs about AUD $63 cheaper per night than the average 3-star hotel in Melbourne (Momondo). This price gap makes it one of the more affordable CBD options near Southern Cross Station.

Room quality

Multiple reviewers across KAYAK and Momondo note that rooms are small, basic, and — in some internal configurations — lack natural light. The vintage interior décor described by Booking.com may feel dated to some guests, though the modern courtyard provides an updated communal area.

Service

Expedia’s breakdown shows staff and service scoring approximately 8.8/10, the highest-rated category for the hotel (Expedia). Across Hotels.com, Booking.com, and Yelp, guests repeatedly describe the staff as friendly and helpful. This is a relative strength.

On-site facilities

No pool, no gym, no restaurant, and pets are not allowed. Parking is available for a fee but limited. Wi-Fi charges have drawn criticism on TripAdvisor. These limitations are typical of a 3-star CBD hotel but worth noting for specific traveler needs.

Who Should Consider the Great Southern Hotel Melbourne?

Across more than 8,000 guest reviews aggregated by Expedia and KAYAK, the dominant positive themes are location, staff friendliness, and value. Negative themes center on room size, basic facilities, and the fee-for-extras model. The pattern holds across independent review platforms, not just booking sites.

Our Pick: Great Southern Hotel Melbourne

For travelers considering the chain’s other properties, the Great Southern Hotel Perth review offers a useful comparison of value and location in Western Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions