Three hotels. One block. Independently owned, genuinely run.
Causeway Hotels — three boutique properties on Little Collins Street and Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne's CBD.
"I've been working in Melbourne's CBD hotels for a long time, and the thing that stays consistent is this: guests who feel like they're actually in the city have a better experience than guests who feel like they're staying somewhere adjacent to it. Our Little Collins Street addresses do that work. You step outside and you're already in Melbourne — not in a lobby waiting to go find it.
That's what we've always tried to build on. The Howey takes it further, with a brief we gave ourselves to make every element of the stay feel genuinely local. The Inn renovation will do the same. We're an independent group and we run things accordingly — if something isn't right for a guest, the person at the front desk can fix it without escalating through three layers of management. That's not a small thing."
Himal De Silva, General Manager
himald@causeway.com.au
Causeway Hotels is an independent hotel group with three properties on the same block of Melbourne's CBD. We've been on Little Collins Street since 2008, which makes us one of the longer-established independent hotel operators in the city centre. The group is privately owned and run by a small management team — which means when you call us, you reach someone who knows the hotels, knows the neighbourhood, and can make a decision.
The three properties each have their own character. Causeway 353 at 353 Little Collins Street is the group's original address — a contemporary hotel with a full range of room types, 24/7 reception, and a laneway location that puts you inside the city rather than on its edge. The Howey at 275 Little Collins Street is a boutique hotel built around a philosophy: every element of the stay should feel authentically Melbourne, from the locally curated minibar to the artwork commissioned from Victorian artists. Causeway Inn on the Mall at 327 Bourke Street Mall is currently undergoing a full renovation and will reopen as the only hotel with a direct Bourke Street Mall address in Melbourne's CBD.
Being independent means we make decisions about these hotels that a chain property wouldn't. The Howey's minibar doesn't come from a distributor catalogue — it's stocked with producers we chose because we believe in what they make. The artwork on the walls was commissioned, not licensed. When the Inn closed for renovation, we chose to do it properly rather than patch around the edges. None of that is possible if you're operating to a brand standard set somewhere else.
It also means the people you deal with are accountable. There's no head office to blame, no customer service department to be transferred to. If something isn't right, the team at the front desk can fix it.
Causeway 353 Hotel
Causeway 353 is at 353 Little Collins Street, in Equitable Place — a small laneway connecting Little Collins and Collins Streets that has been part of Melbourne's commercial heart since the city's Victorian-era expansion. The building has been a hotel since 2008, and its position inside the laneway grid rather than on a main road means guests get a quieter address with faster walking access to the city's best coffee and food than most CBD hotels can offer.
The hotel has 142 rooms across 8 room types, from Deluxe King and Twin rooms to Deluxe and Premier Spa suites. Every room has been designed for both business and leisure use — fast WiFi, a proper work desk, blackout blinds, and a bathroom that doesn't ask you to choose between function and comfort. The 24/7 front desk is staffed by people who know the neighbourhood well enough to give you a genuine recommendation, not a printed list.
Causeway 353 is the right choice if you want a Melbourne CBD hotel that does everything it says it will, is within walking distance of everything you're likely to need, and isn't trying to be something it's not.
The Howey
The Howey sits at 275 Little Collins Street, in a building that was once housed The largest library in the Southern Hemisphere. Its recent refurbishment in 2023 November was guided by a philosophy the hotel calls "How To Melbourne" — the idea that a stay in this city should feel like a local's experience, not a tourist's itinerary.
That philosophy shows up in specifics. The minibar is stocked with producers the hotel chose deliberately: Daylesford & Hepburn Mineral Springs Co water to cola products, Hand made soap from Nicolson River Soaps to Chocolate made in South Melbourne from Atypic. The artwork on the walls was commissioned from Fox Galleries in Melbourne — rather than licensed from a print catalogue. The room names — Urban Laneway King, Capitol Studio, Urban Corner King — reference the building's relationship to the city around it.
The Howey has 84 rooms, each one designed to feel specific to this address and this city. It suits guests who want a boutique experience without boutique inconveniences — the 24/7 reception is shared with Causeway 353, a two-minute walk away, which means there's always someone available.
