Orange Stay Apartments

I booked Orange Stay apartments last year for a work and leisure trip, but my terminally ill mother went into hospital and I was told she wouldn’t be coming back out. When I called, upset and distressed, to explain that she was likely to die within a day or two and I couldn’t travel, they showed no care and wouldn’t offer a refund, credit, or date change. There was no interest in helping. If life might disrupt your plans, I wouldn’t stay here. The management was disgusting, and the large deposit rules and key pickup times are inconvenient too.

We stayed two nights, booked through Navan Corporate Travel, then had to move because the apartments were full for the weekend. While my partner and I were working on our laptops in the lobby waiting for an Uber to another hotel, the usher or door boy rudely kicked us out. He asked whether we were checking in or out, then said we couldn’t stay because we had checked out. The female receptionist who pointed us to the lift was the only nice person we spoke to. The bed had just two flat pillows, the quilt cover had white stains, and the shower was dirty with pink mould marks. Most other things were pretty OK. The air conditioning, location, TV, heated pool and spa were good. There was also loud construction next door. Orange Stay was hard to find, and collecting a key from a makeshift location two streets away was awkward, especially with construction stopping us from crossing the road.

Finding the place was difficult, and then I had to wait for someone to arrive for check-in. I think the staff member was new, which is understandable, but she had to call management because I didn’t have my physical business card for the $500 bond, only a digital one. When I got to the room, I felt sick seeing someone else’s bodily fluid on the blanket. I contacted management, and they responded by offering another room or a full clean. I chose to have the blanket changed. I left earlier than planned and usually strip the bed to help the cleaners and check I haven’t left anything behind. I’m glad I hadn’t looked earlier, because there were so many stains. More than a week and a half later, the $500 hold on my work credit card still hadn’t been released. When I called, they blamed the bank, which made no sense. The next day they called back asking whether I’d paid the bond and said they needed the ID number to trigger the release. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

I booked Orange Stay through Expedia for three nights, despite seeing many negative Google reviews about customer service, because I needed somewhere urgently and was drawn by the river views and location. I was due to arrive after office hours, so five days before the stay I sent them my passport and credit card details, including the CVV, to arrange a key lockbox and $500 deposit. I heard nothing from the property after that until I asked for a refund following the incident. They contacted me only by private SMS to my personal number, which seemed suspicious. I checked the number with Expedia and wondered why they weren’t using Expedia’s messaging system. Texting customers this way seemed unprofessional, since no hotel I’ve stayed at around the world has done that unless I asked. I received no lockbox details by SMS, call, or Expedia chat before my scheduled arrival. I gave screenshot evidence to Expedia and Orange Stay. At 11pm I was stranded in Melbourne with nowhere to go. I tried messaging by SMS and Expedia chat and called their number, but nobody replied or picked up. I had to book another hotel at the last minute. Orange Stay denied my request for a full refund. The next morning they asked if I’d stay for the other two nights, but I refused because they had left me stranded late at night and I’d lost all faith in them. I booked a proper hotel for the remaining nights. I’m gutted by their poor, unprofessional service and lack of empathy or responsibility toward guests. I had no reason to skip the booking, let alone arrange two other places to stay and put myself through that stress. They took no responsibility for their conduct. I highly wouldn’t recommend Orange Stay because of their poor business ethics and lack of respect for customers.