Alex Hotel

I've never stayed somewhere this loud. The rooms are okay but small, and the hotel looks cute. Live music goes all night, then cars keep making a racket until 3am and shops start up around 7am. The walls are so thin you can hear neighbors sneezing. Our ac was hit or miss too.

The staff were very pleasant and helpful at check-in, and the linens, towels and room were clean. The Alex is in a great spot for Northbridge bars and restaurants, including the LGBT quarter. If you just need a small no-frills room in that location, it could suit you. If you want a nice coffee in bed, look elsewhere. The room was compact, with only a couple of wall hooks instead of a wardrobe. Our bathroom was nicely finished but small. The towel rail was inside the shower, which is odd unless you like damp towels, and the open shower let water splash across the rest of the room. The frosted window's blind didn't seem to work, though people outside would only see a blurred outline. We paid extra for a "balcony", but it was a platform under a metre square, just big enough for one chair and looking onto the restaurant kitchen opposite. Not worth the extra. There was no tea, coffee or water in the room. Unlimited tea and coffee was available in the 1st floor lounge, except during breakfast hours unless you'd paid for breakfast. That's when many people want a drink, so the offer felt a bit misleading. The hotel provides complimentary earlier plugs for the nearby clubs and bars. Light sleepers will need them.

We had everything we needed in the room, and the staff were fantastic, helpful and professional. Hot and cold drinks were available in the breakfast area at all times. It's a cool hotel, well placed for exploring Perth, with the train and bus stations nearby and lots of good bars and restaurants close by. We'd highly recommend it and would definitely return. Thanks, team Alex hotel. 10/10 from us.

The hotel has lovely artwork and a good bed, but whether it's enough may depend on what you expect. The street noise was noticeable. Once the surrounding area is finished, the place might come across very differently. The rooftop terrace is really nice and makes up for quite a few things. Four hangers also felt like too few for the room. We had to pack up and move on Christmas night after finding a cockroach in our room. It had a small balcony with one chair, as someone else described. The next day, the front desk lady asked how the new room was. We said the 6th floor was nicer than the 5th, and she replied that it had been the only option that day. I'm not sure why she asked if the response was essentially, “well unfortunate for you”. Breakfast was $28 per person if it wasn't included. It was bread, a good one though, with butter and jam, plus cereals, very good chia yogurt and nice fruit. There was no cheese or cutlets. Coffee came from a thermos. There was a barista, but they didn't seem to know how to make coffee after the machine broke, mixing its coffee with heated milk. Why have a barista there if guests paying extra for breakfast can't get coffee? The coffee machine and tea on the 1st floor worked fine for us. In both rooms, the vanity tap seemed clearly out of place and water went everywhere.