Clayton Monash Motor Inn & Serviced Apartments

I’ve stayed at this hotel many times, but when train cancellations forced me to call off my trip, they refused a refund for my one-night booking. Very disappointing. In response to Graham: I use Agoda to access hotels around the world, not to get a better price. If you’re surprised people book through an international hotel platform, you could stop listing your prices there and keep them low on your own website. I spoke with Agoda, and they said they transferred the money to you after deducting their commission, so you received it. They also said that if you’d allowed the cancellation, they would have given me a full refund. So Agoda definitely isn’t at fault here. People have more access to honest feedback on Google than on Agoda, and I’ll leave feedback there too if you wish. Thanks, Graham. I’m disappointed, so this may not be the best response I could give. Apologies!

The rooms were clean, fairly comfortable and had the basics, though they looked dated, and the motel is very close to Monash Uni. After that, things went badly. We had confirmed two rooms for our family of five through booking.com, and my elderly parents had a separate booking for two. They were made weeks apart, paid on separate cards and held in separate accounts. The only thing in common was our surname. When we arrived late in the evening, there was just one room for us and one for my parents, leaving five of us to squeeze into a small room with two beds. I called Graham, who seemed to be the manager, hoping he'd acknowledge a mix-up and help sort it out. Instead, he blamed us and booking.com, said I should call booking.com, that we hadn't been charged so it wasn't a problem, and that he couldn't pull a bed out of his bum. He even told me to walk down the street and find another hotel, then hung up. There were no rooms available, and he seemed more concerned with assigning blame than addressing the booking error. Mistakes happen, but a little empathy and accountability would have made this easier to accept. His hostile response and lack of customer service were unlike anything I've experienced in hospitality. The signs around the motel also lay out rules for getting a “good” room and threaten to report guests to the national hotel register if they don't comply. That attitude toward customers seems to run through the place. We won't return, and other travellers should know what happened. I wonder whether Graham will review the confirmed bookings and accept any responsibility, though I doubt he cares.

Management were so friendly and went out of their way to help with what we needed. We stayed three nights at Monash Clayton Motor Inn, and found it clean, comfortable and affordable. It's also really handy for Monash Medical Centre. I'd recommend it if you just need somewhere to sleep after a busy day.

The rooms are pretty average, but this is still a decent place for one night or a few. There's a natural, green feel around the place. The owner was welcoming and said booking direct gets you a better room and a few extra goodies. I'd come back if I get the chance.