I stayed one night at the Hotel Urban, St Leonards in April. The hotel was beautiful, if not a little out of the way. We caught the train easily to Chatswood Chase and throughout the city, although there was a walk to the station for this. We didn't want to leave!

The bed was amazing and the room was clean, spacious and modern. I would recommend this for anyone who doesn’t mind a little travel time to the CBD or North Side. Great for a little weekend getaway!

I really didn’t have high expectations when booking the Hotel Urban, noting the miserly room rate for something so close to the city. But I was there on a family holiday and with a family of four we needed two rooms and therefore something cheap. I’d also booked a work colleague into a room as we had business meetings to attend the next day in town.

I’d have to say that I was immediately blown away with the friendliness and helpfulness of reception staff (something that the large hotel chains have lost over time). I was even more impressed upon seeing the room. It was very well appointed, very comfortable and clean. If there was anything to pick on, it would be that the bathroom was on the small side, but hey who spends that much time in the bathroom anyway.

After meeting with my work colleague who was more impressed than I; my family, I and my work colleague dined at the restaurant/bar (the Sure Cafe) attached to the hotel. Again this was another surprise package. The food, service and price were all extraordinary.
In summary, I’ve always favoured the smaller boutique hotels over the larger more well know hotel chains, however the Hotel Urban is something else. The Hotel Urban St Leonards is a real find and conveniently located within easy reach of the city. This is one I have already been recommending to families and business colleagues alike.

We stayed here three nights. I have stayed in the same building in a hotel of a different name several years ago. It is nicer now. It is well located near the Royal North Shore Hospital and not too far from the train station (about a 10 minute walk). The room was well appointed and the bed was very comfortable. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

The restaurant had nice breakfast choices and the coffee was very nice. We got a package which included breakfast and parking and late check out, which was very good value. I booked directly with the hotel which was cheaper than Hotels.com

I would stay again.

Rooms and facilities were comfortable but the service was what let this stay down.

We had booked a room with a rollaway bed for a child and I had email confirmation that this request had been put in to the system. Unfortunately, upon checking in it was not in the system, and there were no rollaway beds available. We were taken to one room while a solution was found. This was a little stressful as we needed to be in the city soon after check in.

After a short time we were transfered to another room. While it was an advantage to us that we were accommodated in two separate rooms, the rooms were not directly interconnecting which was a challenge. The rooms were in an alcove with a locked door, partitioned from the rest of the corridor, which meant that only we could access both of the rooms but because it was not possible to leave the doors open between the rooms, going to check on our daughter meant having to take the swipecard to get into her room and vice versa. This was bearable for an overnight stay but would have been a real pain for a longer stay, or if we were travelling with a younger child.

Disappointingly, at no time did the desk staff or the duty manager offer an explanation of why our request for an additional bed had not been met, nor did they apologise for the inconvenience caused by having to switch rooms. This left me feeling as though I had done something wrong, even though I had email confirmation of what bedding we required.

Upon check out I was charged more for the accommodation than I had confirmed in an email directly with the hotel. Given that I had already felt that I had been an inconvenience, and the person settling our account didn't seem to know anything about the debacle that had occured upon check-in, I didn't feel confident to challenge this over-charge, so I simply paid the extra and left.

Overall, the Urban is a lovely hotel with a nice feel. It is close to the city, yet surrounded by the leafy suburbs - the best of both worlds really.

I do feel however, that improved communication systems and better customer service would take this hotel from average to very good without a doubt.