Empire Apartment Hotel

The room was set up for a proper stay, with a big living area and balcony, plus a full kitchen with an induction stove, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, fridge and freezer, pots, pans, dishes, cutlery, kettle, toaster and iron. There were TVs too. Hotel guests can use the pool and gym, and the space would work well for having people over or a party. The location is handy, right by the river and near Rockhampton city centre, with Coles and Target inside. Pacino, an exceptional Italian place, is above the hotel. At night, though, the birds in the riverside trees chirped constantly, which was pretty disturbing.

I was looking forward to staying here, so this was pretty disappointing. The TV kept cutting out, crackling and turning purple when we tried casting Netflix. The regular channels paused and disconnected too. Reception suggested restarting the Wi-Fi, but we’d already tried that, and they said there was nothing else they could do. We only stayed one night. The room itself was alright, but reception was rude when they couldn’t find my name because they’d spelt it wrong, even though I was polite about it.

A huge, clean room with lovely river views, and steak houses are an easy walk away. Great value for the money.

The blonde manager with the gap in her teeth made this stay miserable. She rolled her eyes, snapped at basic questions and kept me waiting 25 minutes while she chatted with a colleague. Then she snatched my card and said, “Here, go.” Every interaction felt hostile and condescending. One manager’s contempt ruined what could have been a decent stay. There are friendlier places nearby. 1 star.