Fabulous location. Right in the heart of the restaurant & bar scene and only a couple of minutes walk to beautiful St Kilda beach.
Hotel Urban is a quirky little boutique style hotel. Its nothing spectacular but it modern, clean and the rooms/beds/pillows very comfortable. I received fabulous service from the hotel Manager when my TV wouldn't work and was made to feel very welcome over the weekend stay.
I had a room right on the street front and didn't hear any noise from the street below. The same cant be said about the noise coming from the room next door, but I guess this can happen in any hotel.
Suger the cafe/bar did fabulous coffee & breakfast but the service was slow and could have been alot friendlier. This changed Monday morning when the manager was back in the building.
I would reccomend this hotel to couples & friends travelling - it was perfect for me as a solo traveller & I felt safe and comfortable there on my own (I was stuck in Melbourne over the weekend due to business meetings on Friday & Monday - no point travelling back to NZ)

The service from staff was great, as you'd probably expect from even a 5-star hotel, and knew what they were talking about and didn't keep you hanging around.

I arrived a few hours early but was allowed to check-in earlier. I was slightly disappointed by the standard of the room considering it was $200 a night (a night at the Sheraton is about the same, as well as the Prince Hotel just down the street) and had a funny odour.

I asked if the person(s) staying the night before were smelly as sometimes BO can linger for some time. The lady on reception was very helpful, didn't question me and offered another room immediately which was great.

The second room was a lot bigger and felt nicer (not sure if I scored an upgrade) and the stay went without a hitch. Oh, and they give you complimentary use of the St Kilda sea baths which I thought was great. You can use their sauna facilities as well.

*apparently the de-sanitiser they used was the cause of the smell (how ironic) but they were helpful in giving me another room nonetheless.

*if you're staying to the rear of the hotel, be careful not to be bothered by the trucks that seem to pull up every 10mins in the morning. They're quite loud and idle on the street just below the window.

*I'd recommend checking out the Prince Hotel on their prices as it is really nice.

I've stayed at Urban a few times recently and despite the hot water issue recently I'll stay here again.

The hotel is really convenient and it's easy to get out and get a good meal - either flashy or economical within 2 mins of the hotel.

The hotel staff are always quite friendly and the cafe at the front serves a good coffee and breakfast.

My only concern is the hotel is starting to show it's age. I really think they need to start renovating or updating some of the rooms.

Oh, the one (1) elevator that serves 4 floors is stupidly slow. I can't believe the owners haven't upgraded this...

The location is great. The hotel is near the water and restaurants. I stayed there for three weeks on business and I was never at a loss for something to do in the evening.
The standard rooms are a bit small but clean with parking in the back. Normally there is a charge for parking but the made it complimentary to me because of the length of my stay.
The staff was helpful especially AFTER the stay. I needed some help to straighten out some things with the toll system and they were VERY helpful. I'd love to go back.