Docklands Private Collection - Digital Harbour

The location is a real plus: restaurants are close, including one of the city's highest-rated steakhouses for its price point, Woolworths is a five-minute walk away, and the free tram is easy to reach. The soundproofing and water pressure were also good. But the price doesn't match what you get. Hotels for the same money may be a little smaller, but offer much more service, hospitality and peace of mind, just as close or closer to key parts of the city. The place felt more like a glorified AirBNB than a hotel. The photos are misleading, and the apartments looked loosely maintained, like an investor had done the bare minimum. Hallways smelled damp, apparently from poor cleaning and airflow. The air conditioning wasn't enough for the room size, the paint was worn, the couch's fake leather was peeling, and carpet covered the whole place, hiding deficiencies in the building quality. The whole thing felt like "abandoned LINO". Don't expect room service, since it's a collection of apartments, not a real hotel. But expect the usual extra charges if you leave the room in worse condition than you found it, check out five minutes late, or need a last-minute extra person.

This was supposed to be a special occasion after we'd booked a year in advance and travelled from interstate, but the poor facilities, service and price ruined it. The penthouse was dirty: there was lipstick on a kitchen glass, the cups didn't seem properly washed, and there was hair on the shower floors. Two of the three bed frames were broken, a window in room 3 was broken, bathroom tiles were cracked, and a bathroom wall was damaged. There were no bathroom fans or WiFi, and the TVs couldn't be used for a day and a half. For a penthouse at this price, I expected much better. Manager Helen was terrible to deal with, rude and manipulative about what she'd assured us versus what was provided. When we raised the WiFi issue at check-in, she said they'd check because they were changing providers, and that they'd refund the parking fee if they couldn't fix it. That night it still wasn't working, so she said they'd refund parking for both cars. On Saturday morning, after someone came at 10, she said the current provider couldn't fix it and offered checkout at noon instead of 10. After we complained, she said she'd refund the full penthouse price if the new company couldn't come out, but if they could, there'd be no refund and checkout would go back to 10. About two hours later, halfway through Saturday, the new provider came and got the TVs connected with a new WiFi model. Helen then said there'd be no refund and checkout was back to 10, and was very rude while telling us. She apologized, but went back on her word about checkout after we'd already had a day and a half of bad service. At checkout, a gentleman was available and polite, and apologized. But each time other guests came to check out, he asked me to stop speaking until they left so they wouldn't hear how bad things were. That was poor. I said all six of us adults would leave one-star reviews, and he said he'd get a manager above Helen to respond. This was the most horrible experience and disgusting service from Docklands Private Collection.

The free parking was much appreciated, and with the free tram right outside, it was easy to get around the city. The three-bedroom apartment had an incredible view over the docks and around to the city, and was close to town. We stayed with our three children and found it spacious, clean, beautifully presented and well equipped. The concierge who greeted us was kind and helpful, and gave us all the information we needed. We really enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend the apartment and Docklands Private Collection for a city trip, whether for business or a holiday, with family or colleagues.

The main reason I'm leaving a review is the mandatory $500 credit card deposit, which they don't warn you about. They charge a 2.5% card fee on it that you don't get back. If you're a foreigner, your bank may also charge 3.5% for currency conversion both when the deposit is paid and when it's returned. That worked out to a hidden $45 charge for us. Most hotels avoid this by keeping your card details on file, so based on this alone I can't recommend it to tourists. Cleanliness was just okay, WiFi worked about half the time, and showering was tricky because the temperature shifted between scalding hot and freezing cold with very little adjustment.