Sydney Central Inn - Hostel

The owner was really sweet and nice, so I’d still give the hotel five stars, even though you might arrive with high expectations. There’s no elevator, and sometimes we had to wait to use the shower.

For this price and location, I’m not sure what people expect. It’s loud, so bring decent earplugs, but the rooms are neat and tidy and the shower gets hot. Check-in instructions are on the front door, then you just walk up the street. I’ve stayed elsewhere for the same price that was filthy and uncomfortable, just as described here. This place is neither.

The location was the one good thing about Sydney Central Inn, but the place was old, outdated, and poorly maintained. Our room wasn’t very clean, there were no basic things like bed sheets, and the mattresses were awful and uncomfortable. The tiny fan barely helped with the heat. Getting the keys and instructions was so disorganized that check-in became unnecessarily stressful. We paid for three people but had only two chairs. The old windows were frustratingly hard to open or close. For the condition, it felt way overpriced. I wouldn’t recommend it or come back.

The room smelled of mold, and with the windows shut, the only ventilation was a small fan. After I spoke to an agent, he opened the window a little, but that made things worse because a sort of generator right outside ran loudly all night, switching on and off, so sleeping was difficult. There’s no elevator, so you have to carry your luggage upstairs, which can be tiring depending on how many bags you have. The bar downstairs is extremely loud too. It was as expensive as you can imagine, so I don’t recommend it. Also, check-in isn’t at the "hotel" but at a different location.