Citadines on Bourke Melbourne

For what we paid, the service should have been much better. We arrived to find no toilet paper, empty toiletries dispensers, and no milk in the fridge. We asked for those things to be sorted while we were out the next day, but they still hadn't been fixed when we came back that night. The following night, the dispensers were still empty. The room itself was cramped and dated, with sparse, cheap furnishings and a dirty shower. The photos had little in common with the room we got. After we complained, reception moved us to one that was only slightly better. Melbourne has plenty of good hotels, and this wasn't one of them. We'll never return. Avoid it, it's a rip-off.

The shower was awkward to use because the head was held with adhesive tape and the mount was so loose it wouldn't stay in position. The room also felt old and poorly maintained. Cleanliness was another problem. There was a half-open carton of fresh milk left in the fridge, after we'd already reported a damp, stained tissue sitting on the table when we arrived. I called reception about the tissue and was told someone would come up, but after a long wait I had to go down myself. A staff member eventually came up, picked up the tissue, and put it in our room's own bin. My companion and I accepted that changing rooms during a busy period might be difficult, but these issues made us question how carefully the room had been cleaned. The stay fell short of basic expectations for hygiene and comfort.

The staff were decent and the location worked well, but the room's dim lighting made it uncomfortable. The bigger problem was the kitchen. I needed to use it often and found visible food left on the spatulas and ladles, which was disgusting. When I told the front desk, they gave us dishwasher powder and said to wash everything ourselves. The dishwasher was heavily rusted, so we didn't feel safe using it. We ended up hand-washing the utensils and sanitizing them with boiling water. With the poor lighting and these hygiene problems, I wouldn't recommend staying here. Management should make sure the utensils and dishwasher are properly checked and cleaned for future guests.

Getting around was easy: the hotel is right in the CBD, a few steps from the tram and about a 4-5 minute walk from Chinatown, with lots of restaurants nearby. The lobby has comfortable sofas, and at Christmas the tree and pleasant smell gave it a festive feel. The staff were polite too. We only had one set of toiletries for two girls with long hair, but they brought several extra bottles when we asked. The bed was very comfortable and the room was clean, though the lighting was dim and the view was just an office building across the street. I fell asleep on the sofa. Not having a handheld shower was inconvenient for me as an Asian, though I guess that's something I have to adapt to locally. I'd seen reviews mentioning dirt and dust but didn't notice any during our stay. We were told to call before 10 AM if we wanted the room cleaned. We didn't need cleaning and never called, but it had been cleaned when we returned anyway. I also wasn't sure why my pajamas had been moved from the bed into my suitcase. I'd have preferred them left where they were because my suitcase is dirty. The kitchen looked well equipped with cups, cutlery, and a dishwasher, though we didn't use it. A washer and dryer in the room would have been a nice addition.