Marco Polo Motor Inn Sydney Hotel

The room looked nothing like the clean, modern, spacious place in the photos. It was small, old, musty, and dirty. The listing promised a queen bed and two singles, but what we got was a queen and a dirty trundle bed hidden underneath it. Once we put a mattress in the middle of the room, there was hardly any space to walk. Because of immunity issues, I wiped the surfaces down with antibacterial wipes. They came away brown with dust, spills, and grime, so it didn't look like the room had been properly cleaned in a long time. We all woke with sore throats and phlegm on both mornings, likely from the dust and dirt under the beds. The doona stank and had heavy stains, and it seemed to have been put between two sheets instead of washed. There were long black hairs on the towels and bedding, and the bathroom had only been partly cleaned. I asked for a "do not disturb" sign and told the cleaner not to come in because I didn't want the dirty doona put back after I left it on the floor. Even so, the beds were made and one towel replaced, though luckily the doona stayed on the floor. Good thing we'd brought our own pillows, because we wouldn't have been comfortable using the hotel's.

I paid nearly 700 AUD for one New Year's Eve night for five people. I understand the price was higher that night, but what we got looked nothing like the photos. We booked a queen bed and three singles, but there was a queen, a bunk bed, and a low-quality mattress on the floor. Once that mattress was down in the middle of the room, there was no space to walk. The bathroom had no ventilation, and the shower leaked. I've never posted a bad review before, but this was the worst place I've stayed. Agoda, or perhaps the owner, wouldn't let me post my one-star review on Agoda, so I'm posting it here.

The main problem was the balcony security light. It shone through the window and door frame, so the room wouldn't get dark. I booked a basic room, and that's what it was. The bathroom had been cleaned, but the grout needs a deep clean because it looks dirty. Reception was tidy, and the staff there were very courteous and polite. The motor inn was affordable and 8 km from the event. Some rooms are up two flights of stairs with no lift, which should be mentioned for people with heavy luggage.

There is a fridge, microwave, plates, bowls, mugs, and silverware in the room. We stayed three nights. After the second, housekeeping didn't really clean, just took out rubbish, removed some dirty towels, and half made the beds. The floor wasn't swept properly when we arrived or afterwards, and we also saw a spider and a cockroach. The beds were soft and comfortable, and the room was fairly clean. But there is no lift, and the place isn't wheelchair friendly. A folding wheelchair can be managed, but you'd need to carry it upstairs or take the fairly steep ramp used by cars. If the parking lot is full, there isn't enough room to get past the cars on the ramp without carrying the chair. There's also a step to get into the rooms.