I booked this place months in advance on Wotif, for my friend and I to stay one night during the Australian Open. The day before our stay, I received a phone call from the hotel. A very agitated lady said "I'm sorry but we had a change in management and the previous manager took all the money, so we don't have your money and you will have to pay again." Dumbfounded, I refused and advised her that this was not my problem. She went on to say "you must contact your bank and get your money back." "But why would the bank have the money?" "Well maybe I can give you the number of the old manager and you can ask for your money back? But you still have to pay us again or you can't stay." I continued refusing to pay them again and eventually they realised that I had booked through Wotif and said "oh, never mind, we will get the money from Wotif - we didn't realise you had booked through them" and hung up. Upon arriving at the hotel the next day, I politely informed them that asking for people to pay again (even if I had booked through Wotif, I felt sorry for the people who had booked direct) was very wrong. The lady became very angry and said "I just work here! I just do what they tell me!" I gave up on arguing and will go to Consumer Affairs instead. This exceptionally rude lady continued to snap at us with things like "I've already told you this" etc. If you don't want to be scammed and would rather not be greeted with the rudest lady on the planet, avoid this place at all costs.

Stayed here with a friend for a long weekend. Plusses: It's right off Wellington Parade, with trams and rail close by. It's in close walking distance to Victoria Parade, Collingwood, Richmond Hill and the CBD. The room was okay, although it was old, and the beds weren't stellar. It was average, and if you're okay with not being in a 5-star resort, it's fine for what it is. I'd probably stay here again.

Not sparkling..didn't care...assistance from staff not an issue, as we are self reliant; everything we needed we had, or could get from someone in short order. This place puts you in a great location to shuttle to everything from the Fitzroy Gardens park to the MCG to the quick bus ride down to Flinders station, which is the hub for everything, even out to St Kilda's. Is it tired...yes. Dirty...like it was said in here...like grandma's old place...a little worn, a little odorous even...but it does have a charm, its well placed, and it doesn't break the bank. We had three kids under 12 with us and it saved us a bundle. I would stay there again...we walked to Fitzroy every morning...after toast and that terrible stuff Aussies put on it haha.

The place is in need of renovation, as everything looks really dated, but it's very close to the city and the MCG, so it's good value for money if all you want is a place to sleep. We didn't spend a whole lot of time in our room so it was easy to ignore the decor. However, the hot water ran out every night, so I just had to adjust to washing my hair ultra fast. The internet's free, which is a plus. We stayed there for a week, but I think housekeeping only came in a couple of times - not that we were particularly messy. The room we received was warm and quiet. It was a little annoying that they didn't seem to have an e-mail address for enquiries prior to arrival so you had to call, which could be tricky for visitors from overseas. And the guy up front was nice enough, but a smile wouldn't hurt.