Georgian Court Guest House

The location worked for where we needed to go, but the rest of the stay was awful. The place was old, run down and not very clean, with grimy hallways and dirty carpets on the way to our 2nd floor room. There’s no elevator, so be ready to carry your luggage up stairs. Parking out back was okay once we got in, but there weren’t enough spaces for all the rooms. Check-in was pretty awful too. The room was advertised at $129, but extra charges brought it to $141.50. Then they wanted a separate $50 deposit by credit card in case we lost the key, and said it would take one to two weeks to return it to our account. The 'key' was just a little plastic disc. We refused the deposit, discussed it with them, and were still allowed to stay as booked. It felt like a scam, collecting an extra $50 from every room and holding it for a couple of weeks. I wondered if they wanted the interest. The room was VERY tiny, with no desk and a small square fridge that didn’t get very cold. The air con sort of worked but was very weak, barely cooling the room even set to -16. The beds were OK, but the shower grout was blackened in many places. Trains nearby run all day and night, so expect that noise too. We would never stay again.

We left late on Christmas Eve after finding a Holiday Inn downtown, luckily, because this was meant to be a special part of our holiday, a Boxing Day cricket visit to the MCG. The front garden was swallowed by weeds, and inside, dust and debris covered the stairs. Our room was filthy too: the desk was broken, a cupboard shelf dropped when I touched it, the curtains were frayed and torn, the shower curtain was moldy, and mattress springs pushed through. The place clearly hadn't been cleaned properly for a long time. We asked for a refund and got nothing from the hotel. Booking.com eventually sent just over 100 AUD, which had to be spent with them and was less than a sixth of what we'd paid. This place is a disgrace. Do NOT stay here.

I was left stressed and without a place to stay just days before my Melbourne trip for a major sporting event. I'd booked through hotels.com 3-4 months ahead, having stayed here before, and selected payment by card a few weeks before arrival. Hotels.com sometimes also offered payment at check-in. When I rang two days before the trip to say I'd be arriving late, the man on the phone was rude when I asked him to confirm the booking. He then said it had been cancelled because they couldn't charge my card, likely due to its security settings. I hadn't received any notice, and he said they had no way to notify me. Hotels.com support confirmed the hotel hadn't told them about the cancellation either. The staff could have passed on the failed payment through Hotels.com, and I would've called straight away to sort it out. Georgian Court turned out to be a lemon and a liar, which really suited the rude staff member I spoke with.

The staff were lovely and breakfast was great, but the room needs much better care. There was dust and grime, mold in the bathroom, and the bathroom light was putrid. Finding a bait box in the corner wasn't welcoming either. The rooms have plenty to offer, but please invest in decent cleaners. We paid way too much for what we got.