Rydges Southbank Townsville

The Southbank location is great, the staff were friendly, and the facilities were good. Room service responded straight away when I asked. The room was clean, comfortable and nicely presented, and the pool area was pleasant. It was also handy to use the free gym across the road at The Palmer Collective. Just ask their staff to let you in, easy enough. My main frustration was the bed arrangement. I booked a King Deluxe through Agoda at a really good rate but was given two single beds. The staff member said third-party sites can take payment before the hotel's live inventory is fully confirmed, which caused the mix-up. They were nearly full, so there wasn't much they could do. I wasn't thrilled, though I understood, and the price was very competitive. That's the missing star for me. The buffet breakfast had plenty of options and was really good. Proper barista coffee costs extra, while the complimentary choice was Blend 43 instant, which isn't great. If booking through a third-party site or app, double-check the bed setup.

The room was really dirty, with food, wrappers and other rubbish under the bed. I reported the drop in cleanliness to reception, but they basically brushed me off and didn't seem to care. The staff were half rude that day. I've stayed several times and the rooms have usually been pretty good. It's generally a nice motel with good staff, so maybe they just had a bad run, but this was very disappointing.

I work in construction, and this room had so many questionable finish and repair jobs that it wouldn't have passed an inspection. There were gaps and odd drafts, bathroom fittings at what felt like child height, and sections of floor without finished tiling. In a few spots, tile adhesive showed around fixtures installed over unfinished flooring. The repairs looked poor and made little sense. We'd changed hotels often during a three-week trip, with a double-digit number of places in total, and stayed here for one night. We'd specifically asked for a higher standard. The room's quality and workmanship fell well short of what I consider acceptable. You can put up with a lot while travelling, but this was a major disappointment. When I raised these problems, staff said this was their “front room,” their best one, and described the property as four-star. I had to tell them that wasn't realistic. To me, it didn't reach even three-star level, unless that's only in their imagination. Of all the hotels on our 3,200 km east coast road trip, this was easily the most disappointing. I can't recommend it.

The room itself was nice and quiet, with a good TV, desk and chair, comfortable bed, and clean bathroom. I enjoyed the buffet breakfast, which was good value at $22. There's undercover parking, and the hotel sits on the main strip of Palmerston Street, close to a nice range of restaurants. I didn't care for 'The Pub' next door, though. I used its charge-back option and the place wasn't very good. People I know suggest the Yacht Club across the road, so I'd try that if I returned. It's a nice hotel in a great location, and that's a yes from me. This was my second visit after staying here on my last trip to Townsville. At check-in, the whole floor smelled of glue, so I asked to move. The next room they sent me to hadn't been made up. I went back to reception, and the manager told the woman he'd let it out for a day rental. I ended up in room three, which was good.