Sydney Central Hotel — Attraction in Sydney

Last night, I booked a one-night stay. For the following night (tonight), I made the booking at 4 PM yesterday and then messaged the property asking, “What time is check-in tomorrow, please?” I also requested an early check-in. The hotel responded at 5 PM, advising that I could check in at 3 PM and that early check-in would depend on availability. They mentioned that if I arrived before 3 PM and my room was not ready, I could store my luggage in the lobby. They also informed me that check-out was at 11 AM. I acknowledged this and thanked them.

Today, when I arrived at 4 PM to check in, I was told I was a no-show and that my booking was for the previous night. Upon reviewing my booking, I saw it was for the 16th-17th, which indeed was last night.

I am still trying to determine whether this mistake was mine or Booking.com’s. I am usually meticulous with details, especially bookings. However, if it was my mistake and I accidentally booked for the wrong night, this does not change the fact that I communicated with the hotel at 5 PM regarding my booking for the following day. They confirmed I could check in at 3 PM or earlier and store my luggage if the room was not ready. It makes no sense why I would want to store my luggage in the lobby two hours past my booking check-in time.

When I spoke to Sanjhi Goswami, the duty manager concierge, she was unprofessional, rude, and unhelpful. She offered no resolution or compensation for the mistake, repeatedly stating that they could not help me, would not provide a refund, and would not give me a room. Her demeanor was aggressive, and she was visibly frustrated, making faces and discussing our complaint with the barman while glaring at us. She treated the situation as a joke and provided no resolution.

This was supposed to be a night in a hotel with my two children, our only holiday during the six-week school break, but we were turned away and had to drive home. I value accountability, and if the mistake was mine, I would accept it. However, the hotel could have offered a solution, such as a 50% discount or partial refund, which would have encouraged us to book for tonight. The hotel had plenty of vacancies at the same price we had already paid, so they had nothing to lose by accommodating us.

When I questioned Sanjhi Goswami about why the hotel did not inform me at 5 PM that my booking was for the same night, she explained that the hotel sends generic automatic messages and does not actually check the bookings they reference or the staff replying do not check the bookings they are answering questions about. I asked why the hotel does not verify bookings before replying to messages, and she responded that they do not have to & it’s my fault the wrong night was booked. Honestly why on earth would I be asking the hotel for an early check in for a booking that night when it was already 5 PM!!

Additionally, our booking included breakfast and free parking, but Sanjhi Goswami refused to validate the parking, even though we were there the next day, which is when we would have checked out if we had stayed the previous night. As a result, we had to pay an extra $19 for parking, even though we were only there for half an hour.

I am now dealing with Booking.com and seeking a full refund for the mix-up. I have attached screenshots of the messages from the hotel, which clearly address my questions about my booking for the next day. The hotel should have informed me if there was an error in the booking and that I could have checked in two hours earlier. Do hotels no longer take responsibility or exercise due diligence in answering questions about specific bookings? I was asking a question specific to my booking, and I should have received a correct answer. If the hotel had informed me that my booking was for that night, I could have adjusted it to the next night free of charge, as that option was available. Instead, I showed up today, unaware of the mistake,...

I recently stayed at Sydney Central Hotel and overall had a very good experience, the staff were lovely, the room was comfy, the pool and gym were nice and the restaurant service and food were great but their was one noticeable downside that left me a bit disappointed.

First, the positives: the location is absolutely fantastic. It’s right in a convenient spot that makes it easy to get around the city, and I really appreciated how close everything was. The room itself was clean, tidy and very comfortable, so I felt at ease straight away. My favourite thing about the stay by far was the bed – it was absolutely massive and incredibly comfortable. After a long day of walking around and exploring Sydney, it was exactly what I wanted to come back to. Honestly, one of the best hotel beds I’ve slept in.

However, what really let the experience down for me was the TV. At the end of the day, I was so ready to curl up in that amazing bed and watch a movie, but the TV was extremely basic. It wasn’t a smart TV, so I couldn’t log into any streaming services, and the only channels available were the bare minimum – basically just news and some kids’ shows. There wasn’t even a movie channel. In this day and age, I think it’s a pretty reasonable expectation for hotels, especially ones at this price point, to at least have smart TVs or provide a few decent entertainment options. To give some context, the night before I stayed at a much more basic budget hotel in Melbourne that cost less, and even they had a proper smart TV. So it was quite frustrating to feel like I had “downgraded” in that sense while paying more for this stay.

It might sound like a small thing, but it did affect my overall experience because relaxing with a movie in bed is part of what I enjoy when staying in a hotel after a full day out. Instead, I ended up stuck watching on my phone, which wasn’t what I had hoped for.

That being said, aside from the TV situation, I can’t fault much else. The hotel is comfortable, well-located, and the staff I interacted with were pleasant. I would still recommend it, but I really hope management considers upgrading the TVs, because it would make a huge difference and turn a good stay into...

The hotel is ideally located near Central Station. ||The hotel itself is dirty and dated. I stayed for 4 nights in a 'superior room'. It did have a small balcony looking into an office block. Nothing about the room was superior. The carpet was dirty and stained - it was not vacuumed once in the four days we stayed. The bathroom is very small - only 1 person can be in it at a time. The shower is over a bath, so you have to climb into the bath and around the shower screen to turn on the water (individual taps - which made getting the right temperature harder) lastly the bathroom didn't have a window, so it smelled moldy. ||With the exception of the person who served us when we checked out, the staff were uninterested and on the three occasions I approached for help - customer service was very poor. For example, I asked the main desk if there was a public bbq nearby - the response I received was 'no'. I then googled it myself and found there was one 700m away. The staff just didn't seem to care. I went back to let the chap on the desk to let him know what I found, he shrugged.||Breakfast was poor. We paid for breakfast for 4 days - and after the first day we didn't go. On the one occasion I had breakfast I informed the Chef (person dressed in chef whites) that the vegemite pot had been contaminated with the peanut butter knife (someone had put the peanut butter knife in the vegemite pot). The Chef took the knife and washed it, but didn't remove the contaminated vegemite pot. As someone who suffers from serious peanut allergies, I was appalled.||The entry to the hotel is via stairs. No ramp, no lift. Upon asking at check in if there was a ramp, I was told there was wheelchair access via the carpark. I witnessed every guest I saw struggle carrying their suitcases up the flight of stairs. ||The lobby is dirty, the carpet is stained, and the furniture is old and stained. ||My husband and I had dinner in the Thomas St Restaurant. Food was ok, albeit expensive (a small steak and a side of veg was $65+). Service was poor and slow. ||All in all, at $1600 for 4 days, a room in this hotel...