It received extensive publicity in the Geelong press and was regarded as a mark of faith in the city's prosperity. The best of Geelong's designers and builders were set to work on the project which made it an unusual achievement for a statewide firm such as the Carlton Brewery. With the later, Britannia Hotel, it is one of a small group of hotels built in Geelong during the 1930s and one of two which has remained externally complete. The significance of this example is enhanced by the degree of its integrity throughout the building.

Architecturally, the Carlton Hotel is a prominent and externally intact example in the Streamlined Modern style and is Geelong's best commercial example. It contributes to Precinct 2.3 as an individually important and prominent building, as are many of the sites in the precinct. Although not a primary contributor, it still possesses the parapeted articulated form of other buildings in the precinct.