Hotel Review: Veriu Queen Victoria Market brings unfussy but impressive business travel to Melbourne CBD

Hotel Review: Veriu Queen Victoria Market brings unfussy but impressive business travel to Melbourne CBD
By James Harrison


Nestled down the side of Melbourne’s iconic Queen Victoria Market, Veriu’s latest hotel promises business travellers the perfect mix of comfort and style. 

Those business travellers are in for something of a treat. The Queen Victoria precinct of Melbourne is in the midst of renovations, plus its impressively central location means that popping to a meeting in the CBD, entertaining clients at the MCG, or heading for dinner in Fitzroy is easy.

Not that they’ll need to head anywhere for dinner, that is. All of the hotel’s 110 rooms serve as self-contained studios. Travellers will find a small electric stove plus a litany of cookware and dinnerware – perfect for long-stay travellers.

The location

The hotel is found just off to the side of the Queen Victoria Market at the top of Melbourne’s CBD.

The area has been a bit unloved in recent years – something even Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Cap admitted to at the hotel’s launch event. However, the hotel forms part of a broader regeneration of the precinct. In fact, Veriu CEO Zed Sanjana told Travel Weekly that the side of Melbourne that the hotel finds itself in had been “quite under-supplied in terms of quality accommodation.”

However, that doesn’t mean that Veriu is looking to distract from the location itself. The hotel brings in a raft of design cues and nods from the market – from the colour of the tiles in the bathrooms to the front desk being designed to evoke a wooden storage crate. A large vintage photo of the market can be found covering one of the walls in the lobby as well.

All told, for business travellers, the location is impressive. It’s within Melbourne’s free tram zone and around a 20 minute walk (15 if it’s raining as it was when we arrived) from Southern Cross station which has a direct bus link to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

The Stay 

Once you’ve made your way through the Melbourne rain to the front desk, you’re greeted at the front desk by staff. The front desk also doubles as the bar, with a coffee machine and drinks taps.

There’s plenty of seating for coffee catch-ups and remote working but, as all the rooms are self-contained, there is no kitchen and nor are there any dining tables.

The self-contained apartments and studios are designed for between one and four guests and we had a double room which was spacious and well-appointed.

Everything was done well, including the very comfortable bed, without fuss or show. It’s a perfect room for a business traveller and despite the busy area around the market, it was quiet inside.

The Amenities

Despite its city centre location and relatively small footprint, the Veriu Queen Victoria Market manages to fit a small pool and gym onto its fifth floor. For a long-stay guest, these features would be super important.

There are also three conference rooms located in the hotel, plus a small rooftop terrace – designed to evoke the feel of New York rooftop bars.

One nice touch is that many of the local market traders and restaurants will allow Veriu guests to charge back drinks and meals to their rooms.

Plus, Sanjana told us that the front desk staff are all experts in the local area, helping the new hotel work with the local businesses that surround it – rather than imposing itself on them.

All told, the Veriu provides a brilliant experience for business travellers to Melbourne and, in that, it more than succeeds.

Featured Image: (iStock/benedek)

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