The Gateway Inn

The lovely rooms, great location and very nice staff made this almost a five-star stay for me. The problem was the soundproofing. When someone used the bathroom on the top floor, I could hear the loud water flushing through the ceiling.

The parking facilities are poor, and the plumbing isn't soundproofed. When you're in bed and the guest upstairs showers, you'll hear water running down the drainpipes, then dripping for about 10 minutes after they've finished. Watch out for the badly placed doorstop beside the toilet too, it can cut your foot if you accidentally stand on it. This place won't be on my return list.

The location was great for visiting the museum and walking around downtown, and having West right across the way meant several places to eat nearby. The hotel is lovely, but I don't think it deserves the four stars it had. Staff were friendly, and they did send someone after we reported the sink draining badly and some lights not working. One light still only worked intermittently. We stayed several nights, but the room wasn't cleaned properly. It hadn't been vacuumed or had the bathroom wiped down, and the dirty cups were left there, so I had to call for clean ones. It seemed like they made the bed and changed the towels, and that was it. There's a laundry room, but the washing machine didn't seem clean. It cost $3.00 to wash and another $3.00 to dry. The hotel also had gambling and bingo.

We left before checkout and moved to another hotel to salvage the rest of our holiday. The room wasn't worth the cost or stress. The website photos were misleading, as the room looked nothing like what was advertised. It was old, poorly maintained and felt neglected. On arrival, the rubbish bin was already full. The air conditioner was broken even though it was 29°C outside, so we barely slept. The bed was uncomfortable and seemed unclean; my body got itchy after sleeping on it. The carpet was dirty and there was a bad bleach-like smell. The lighting was poor too. We were also charged for bottled water left in the room, with no sign or note saying it would cost extra. A very disappointing stay.