CityLights at Flinders st

The room itself was nice, with a view of the Yarra River and casino, and it felt worth the room rate. But I wouldn’t return after the deposit issue. I stayed one night, and staff took a $95 deposit, saying it would be returned in two weeks. By the third week there was still no transaction, so I contacted them and sent evidence. I was told they couldn’t see the transaction in their records and that I should contact my bank. I did, and nearly a month later nothing had happened. I’ve worked in hotels for over eight years and have my own hotel, so I found this service apartment very disorganized and unprofessional. With the room rate plus the deposit, you could get a nice four-star hotel in Melbourne. Good luck getting your deposit sorted.

After paying $218, the room we finally got still had food all over the microwave and a gross fridge. Getting to that point was a mess too. The room I’d booked suddenly wasn’t available just before I arrived, so I had to change my route mid-Uber and head to another apartment. Check-in was meant to be at 1 as requested online, and I arrived at 1:10. We waited while they looked for a room, then at 2:30 they took us to a different one, the third place we’d been sent to. After that we waited more than an hour for the key. Between the hassle and the lack of customer service, I wouldn’t go back.

It’s been 30 days and I still haven’t received my security deposit, even though they apologised. It was meant to be returned after 14 days. I’ve read several reviews mentioning dirty apartments, not enough linen, and deposits that never come back. With so many people reporting the same deposit problem, I’ve lodged a complaint with Consumer affairs Victoria. Beware, and read the reviews before staying here.

The apartments are modern, clean, and had everything I needed. The service was great too: organised, punctual, and easy to deal with. Can’t fault them, and I’d recommend them to anyone.