Melbourne's Luxury Hotel Dreams Shattered by Reality Melbourne's reputation as one of the world's great cultural capitals often hinges on its ability to reinvent itself.
However, in the gleaming towers of Carlton Gardens, a tale of hubris and financial mismanagement threatens to tarnish this image.
The Shangri La hotel, touted as a five star behemoth with 500 rooms, has lain abandoned for four years. Its grand ballrooms and spas have been reduced to dusty concrete shells.