The Chermside Apartments

The room was small and dirty. The bathroom was missing a light, and the intercom phone had been ripped off the wall and left in pieces in a cupboard. The AC filter was so clogged that air couldn’t pass through. I cleaned it myself, and the room cooled slowly after that. I asked staff for disinfectant spray to use on the evaporator; it arrived late the next day. I strongly suggested they get a regular AC cleaning contract, though I don’t know if they will. The pool was supposedly heated, but it wasn’t. The passageways and stairwells also looked quite dirty. Arriving after 7pm meant calling a third-party booking outfit to release a key from an external locker. There was no phone available, so without a mobile you couldn’t get in. An elderly couple who arrived just after me were grateful when I helped them get their room card key. Perhaps the owner should put the money spent on the Ferrari in the lobby toward repairs and cleaning. I suggest looking elsewhere.

We had a confirmed booking through a third-party platform, but in the middle of our stay we were told to leave. It seemed obvious they wanted to cancel the existing booking so they could charge more for a direct booking. Pushing guests out mid-stay for more money is unacceptable and shows no integrity. The place was badly managed, with staff and management not communicating. One staff member, chris, told us one thing, another told us something different, and nobody took responsibility. The so-called premium bedroom had two single beds pushed together, despite being described as a large double, and there was no balcony access. For the price, the place was well below average. Dealing with Reuben was the worst part. He was difficult to talk to and seemed uninterested in what staff had already told us. Trying to explain the situation felt like talking to a wall. We were left stressed and frustrated instead of enjoying our trip. Absolutely the worst accommodation experience I’ve had. If I could, I’d give it zero stars. If you want professional service, honesty, and a hassle-free stay, go somewhere else. The place clearly doesn’t care about guests once it thinks it can make more money.

I spoke with Rubin before booking, and he sounded lovely. I explained that I had a long drive ahead of me, and he said there might be a room available early, so I booked online. When we arrived, there was no room ready, and we went to the local shopping centre. At 1:55pm I called again. The room still wasn’t available, so I said surely one should be ready by the 2pm check-in time. He then told me one was ready. The first apartment was filthy. The toilet seat was coming loose, and there was feces in the bowl, unacceptable with my 90-year-old mother. The couch was covered in vomit, which I tried to clean myself, and there was dirt everywhere. Lennon came up straight away after I called reception and moved us to another apartment. That one was dirty too: grimy kitchen sink and skirting boards, long black hairs on the sheets, a broken bed, filthy windows, cracked tiles lifting inside and outside, no dishwasher handle, rusted shower head, mould in the bath, and a terrible bathroom smell. The shower was over the bath, so my elderly mother couldn’t get in safely. We were moved again. Rubin told me that if I didn’t like this one, I’d have to get another hotel, and he wasn’t friendly at all. At least its walk-in shower meant Mum wouldn’t have to risk falling, but the sink had no plug, just a hole into the pipes. There was mould in the cupboards, stains on the bedding and cushions, thick dust on the walls, and the air conditioning looked filthy. We cleaned what we could ourselves. When we sat down for a long-awaited cup of tea, the coffee cups hadn’t been cleaned after the previous guest, so Lennon brought more. The TV had only two channels and there was no Wi-Fi. By then we were exhausted and went to bed early. When I turned down the sheets, a bug was crawling on me. We found another in the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. Moths were all over the ceiling, and we worried they’d get into our clothes. We even thought sleeping in the car might be better. When we left, Rubin said, "I suppose you won't be staying here again hahaha." I said, "NO THANKS." I have photos of the last two rooms, but can’t attach them.

The room smelled, and there was dust all over the table lamps. I hope you’re saving money by not providing cleaning. At the price advertised, you can get much better accommodation around Brisbane. Shame. We extended our stay through a third-party application after staff confirmed we wouldn’t need to check out in the middle. Then Reuben came into the room without permission and told us to leave. Is that really happening here in Australia? Even after I explained what staff had agreed and that we had extended the booking, Reuben wanted us to vacate while the booking was still active for one more day. Ridiculous. Has anyone even trained you in customer service? Zero service from Reuben. Horrible experience.