The Grand Hotel Newcastle

We spent one night in the apartment room. The location is central in the CBD and close to most attractions. The old building is great fun, especially if you're into spooky places, and the pub staff were friendly and helpful. It was budget friendly too. The room, though, smelled musty and a little smoky. Paint was peeling from the walls, and everything felt very dated. A resident cockroach jumped onto my leg while I was in bed in the morning, and we saw another crawling up the bathroom water pipes. The rooms need serious updating, starting with the floors and walls, but it's a fantastic old building with lots of potential to become a beautiful hotel.

There were bugs on the carpet and cockroaches in the bathroom too. After this traumatising stay, I messaged the hotel through booking to ask for a full refund and got no response or call. I tried phoning several times. They said the manager wasn't there and took my number, but he never called back. I've never felt so terrified in a hotel. I was staying alone and genuinely feared for my life. It's a pub with no private entrance to the upstairs rooms, and there's no security on site to control access via the only staircase connected to the pub. At 2 am on my last night, I woke to loud banging on a wall and door. No staff seemed to notice or sent anyone to check. After half an hour, I opened my door and found an intoxicated man lying right outside it. I was scared he might try to force his way in. I called the hotel number, but nobody answered. I reported it to the police, but they never came. The man kept banging on the door opposite mine and the wall. Another hour passed without help. At 4 am, when I had to leave for the airport, he was still there. I called police again; they said they'd send someone to remove him, but no one came. This is the most unsafe place I've stayed, and I would never recommend it. Please avoid staying here.

Room #19 was clean and tidy, the beds were comfortable, and having a kitchen area was great. We stayed with three friends for Howlin’ Country, and the location made it easy to walk to the Foreshore. Staff were happy to help when we asked them to split the beds into singles. Thanks for a great stay!

My partner and I came to Newcastle after a tough year, hoping for a getaway, and spent thousands on the trip. We were really disappointed by what happened at your bar. It looked lovely from outside, so the experience made me sad and embarrassed. I hope the team learns from it. Being kind is free. We went to the ground-floor bar for a drink before dinner at around 5 pm on Thursday 4 December 2025. My partner ordered a pint, and I asked for a “pot.” The tall bartender with short blonde hair and tattoos looked at me disdainfully and said, “a what?” I glanced at my partner, then smiled and clarified, “a half-pint.” She gave me another disdainful look, sighed, “oh a middy,” and then loudly said “YUCK” in front of the whole bar. We were shocked and embarrassed. We waited for our drinks and sat down. My partner was frustrated and wanted to leave; I suggested we finish our drinks and go. I called the hotel twice last week and was given the wrong email address both times. I wanted to sort this out privately, but couldn't, and management doesn't seem to respond anyway. For anyone visiting the area, I'd suggest staying in the Hunter Valley instead. It's beautiful and the service is much better.