Crest on Barkly Hotel Melbourne

We tried to spend as little time in the room as possible during our two-night stay because it felt so claustrophobic. The parking was complimentary, though the spaces were small and hard to manoeuvre in. There was mould on the bathroom walls and grout, and the toilet wouldn't flush properly. The shower was difficult to adjust and had poor temperature control. The complimentary shampoo, conditioner, and body wash looked half-used by previous guests. There was also old water left in the kettle, and we couldn't tell how long it had been there.

I booked this room on Boxing Day, 26/12/25, at short notice because it was the cheapest option available and convenient. I only needed a bed for the night, so I used the bed and bathroom and nothing else. Yet I'm still waiting for my $300 refundable deposit after being told there was damage to the stovetop. No one contacted me about any damage. I had to get in touch on 28/12/25 to ask about the deposit, and I told everyone I spoke with that I hadn't used the stovetop. Why would I pay $270 plus another $300 deposit for a room just for myself, damage it, and then not want my money back? This is appalling, and I wish I'd read the reviews before booking. I'm very dissatisfied. I told a staff member today that I'll take this to court if the deposit isn't returned, because this is unfair.

The bed was comfortable, the air conditioning worked well, and the front desk service was quite good. Still, the bathroom was awkward, the hallways were noisy all the time, and trams were few and far between. It felt like an average hotel with a motel vibe charging five-star prices. Extremely overpriced, but tolerable.

We felt traumatised and disappointed by the hotel and staff. We were given a key to a room that was occupied, and walked in on a couple having private time. From other reviews, it seems this has happened before. Reception was slow while staff shuffled rooms around, and they clearly didn't know what they were doing. Other guests were noisy and banging on doors at 2am. Management didn't listen to our complaint until checkout, after several requests, and only said sorry. The room had toothpaste still on the doors and stains on the carpet. The linen was so crinkled that I couldn't tell whether it was clean. The family rooms also had defects and dirty, very small showers. Parking wasn't free as the website said. It cost $20 for a bit of concrete in a maze. For the expensive price, this was no luxury experience. Please read the reviews carefully. This place is dirty.