Have an overnight layover at Melbourne Airport? Or perhaps you have an early flight and want to stay close to the airport the night before?

There are currently three hotels within walking distance of Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport, with two more opening soon and another just a short shuttle ride away. So, which are the best Melbourne Airport hotels?

In this guide, we take a closer look at each of the options…

PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport

If you want to stay as close as possible to Melbourne Airport, the location of the PARKROYAL hotel is hard to beat. It’s directly connected to the departures level of Tullamarine Airport via two elevated walkways.

PARKROYAL is generally the most expensive Melbourne Airport hotel, but it’s arguably also the best. Boasting recently renovated rooms, guests at this hotel can also use the comprehensive 24-hour gym, swimming pool and business centre, and dine in one of the three on-site restaurants or cafés.

PARKROYAL hotels participate in the GHA Discovery loyalty program. You can earn GHA Discovery Titanium status by staying at three different GHA hotel brands, and get benefits including cash back, double room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, early check-in from 11am and late check-out until 4pm.

If you have a long transit at Melbourne Airport, PARKROYAL offers special day use rates for short stays between 7am and 7pm. You can also purchase daytime access to the hotel’s gym, swimming pool, sauna, shower and lounge facilities for just $25.

Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport

Holiday Inn is around a five-minute walk from the Melbourne Airport terminals, through the main carpark. The hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle bus service for guests between the hotel and the airport terminals, which could be convenient if you have lots of luggage.

This is a slightly older hotel, but the rooms are quite nice and functional. There is an on-site restaurant, coin laundry and a small 24-hour gym, but no swimming pool. I’ve stayed a few times and have been happy with this hotel. It’s usually cheaper than PARKROYAL.

Holiday Inn is part of the IHG One Rewards loyalty program.

Ibis Budget Melbourne Airport

Ibis Budget is generally the cheapest accommodation option within walking distance from Melbourne Airport. It’s around a five-minute walk from Terminal 1.

The rooms are clean but fairly small and basic. This could be a good option if you just want a cheap place to sleep that’s close to the airport.

This is not one of the Ibis Budget hotels in Australia that participate in the Accor Live Limitless loyalty program.

Mantra Melbourne Airport

Mantra is a nicer hotel than the Ibis Budget, and is often around the same price or even cheaper. In fact, if you have an Accor Plus membership, you can often find some exceptional “Red Hot Rooms” deals at Mantra Melbourne Airport.

The trade-off is that Mantra is not located in the Melbourne Airport precinct. It’s about a 5-10 minute drive away. However, the hotel does provide a free airport shuttle service that runs at regular intervals throughout the day. This bus service is shared with United Airport Parking, which is located next to the Mantra hotel. (Unfortunately, if you have a room on the back side of the hotel, it also means the only view you’ll get is of that carpark.)

The hotel has a restaurant, as well as a small on-site pool and gym for guests to use. The property is currently in the process of renovating its rooms.

Mantra participates in the Accor Live Limitless (ALL) loyalty program. You can even earn both ALL points and Qantas Points when staying at Accor hotels by linking your ALL and Qantas Frequent Flyer accounts.

Mantra Melbourne Airport arguably provides the best overall value if you don’t mind staying a bit further away from the airport itself.

Two new hotels opening in July 2024

For the first time in almost 20 years, two new Melbourne Airport hotels will open on 1 July 2024.

The Novotel and Ibis Styles Melbourne Airport hotels will be co-located in the same physical building, a short walk from Terminal 4. The Novotel will have 248 rooms, while Ibis Styles will have 216 rooms. These are both Accor hotels.

Guests at both hotels will have access to an indoor swimming pool, sauna, gym and spa.

The hotels will share three restaurants, function facilities and a co-working space, which will also be available for people who aren’t staying at the hotel to rent.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.