Morayfield Tavern & Motel

The location has plenty going for it. Bounce, Cheeky Monkeys indoor playground, Morayfield shopping centre, op shops, McDonald’s, Hungry Jack’s, KFC, Indian food and Morayfield Tavern are all within walking distance or in the same complex. The Tavern is affordable, too. The rooms are modern and have a larger-than-usual fridge and a microwave, though the cleaning could use a bit more attention to detail. Our back door to the smoking area wouldn’t lock. That area doesn’t seem to get used, and guests and staff smoke out the front of the rooms instead. If you don’t smoke or have kids, walking to and from your car means going through a wall of smoke, which isn’t pleasant. There’s a lot to like here, but a few things have slipped and let the motel down.

I was promised a refund twice, the second time in writing by email, but nothing happened. After more than 11 days I had to threaten to contact the ombudsman before I got a response and a refund. They refunded just one night and ignored the $130+ in fuel and hours of driving I spent solely to see my family at Christmas. There was no apology or accountability. I stayed from 24-26 Dec. On the second night my key stopped working, so I left Christmas dinner early and rushed back by 8:30pm for a cleaner to let me in. I was then effectively trapped in the room, missed the rest of Christmas with my family, and spent the night alone. I spent around 40 minutes trying to reach staff, but there was no emergency or after-hours contact. Management later said it was because Christmas was a public holiday, which isn’t acceptable for a hotel. I later found out the cleaner contacted the manager, who didn’t come back to fix the problem. Maybe she didn’t want to give up an hour of her Christmas time off, but it completely ruined mine. I was lied to, ignored, disrespected, and treated unprofessionally. The air conditioner sounded like a jet engine and made it hard to sleep, and the food wasn’t acceptable for the price. Serious management problems here. Avoid it if you expect basic service, honesty, or respect.

We’ve been making Morayfield tavern our treat-night choice over the past 12 months, and tonight was no letdown. Gemma greeted and seated us, and Tyla served us at the bar. They were lovely. I’d name the others too, but they weren’t wearing badges. The chef and kitchen staff deserve a big shout-out for a delicious meal.

We spent $120 on meals alone, so it was really disappointing that the food wasn’t close to its usual standard. There was hardly any oyster in the shell, and my husband’s steak was inedible. We went on Mother’s Day, and the new staff need better training. While one person was taking our order, another staff member kept interrupting her.