Gladstone Palms Motor Inn

I travel for work and found the room more spacious than most places I stay. The bed was comfortable, and the bloke who runs the place is good as. It was only $100. I reckon the negative reviews expect everything for nothing. I’ll stay there again next time I’m in Gladstone.

They kindly arranged my late check-in at short notice, and the instructions for getting the key were easy to follow. The room and bathroom were bigger than I expected, the bedding was comfortable and there was plenty of parking. The price was good too. I could hear neighbours and traffic, though with a normal sleep schedule that’s no worry. I only stayed six hours, so can’t say much more.

The room was very clean and the bed really comfortable. There was no TV remote, but it wasn’t a big deal. I mentioned it to the owner at checkout and he was very apologetic. I’d definitely go back.

I arrived at 5:30 pm with my children to check in. Check-in was from 2 pm, but there was already a woman at the office door with her elderly mother, trying to reach the owner after a journey of more than six hours. Her mother needed the toilet, and the woman said she’d already been waiting about 30 minutes before I got there. I messaged my partner, who was still travelling, then joined her in trying to contact the man running the place. We kept getting hung up on. Another half hour passed, and a second woman arrived with her children to check in. The three of us and my partner were all trying to get hold of him. I eventually got a message with a PIN for the lockbox. There were a pile of keys inside, and I was able to give the other women theirs, but our room key number wasn’t there. I checked twice, called and got hung up on, then messaged to ask if I had the right key. When I said our key wasn’t there, I got no reply. About five minutes later I tried again and was hung up on straight away. By then it was getting dark. My six-month-old twins were starting to fuss and wanted out of the car, and my four-year-old was tired and wanted dinner. I called my partner and explained what was happening. He rang and finally got through, and was told the owner would come down. When he arrived, I explained that the other women had their keys but ours wasn’t in the box. He immediately accused me of stealing it and said he knew I had. I was standing outside at 6:30 pm with my babies crying and was beyond frustrated. We went back and forth, with me saying I hadn’t stolen the key and him insisting that I had. I’d just paid for the room for the weekend, so why would I steal a key and then stand outside saying I couldn’t get in while my babies were screaming? I called my partner again while he was still on the road and told him what was going on. When he rang the owner, he got a completely different story: that there were no rooms available that night, the booking shouldn’t have gone through, and we’d be refunded in five days. I lost it. First, I was accused of stealing a key that had never been in the box. Second, we’d been charged for a room that wasn’t available, and they could have told us that from the start. I then had to find more accommodation at 7 pm. I went to Maccas to settle the children and look for somewhere else, and we had to spend more money after already paying over $250 for the weekend at this hotel. It’s now well past five days and we still haven’t received the refund. He still won’t answer the phone. When we ask to speak to the owner or get the owner’s contact details, we’re told he is the owner. Well, if you are the owner, we’ll be seeking legal action.