The George Hotel Ballarat Quality Inn — Hotel in Grampians

I had the unfortunate experience of having to endure my Christmas Day lunch at this establishment. Where do I start? On booking my place for lunch in early November, it was a total fiasco. The guy was happy to take my booking... could not answer any of my questions... assured me that Renee, who was in charge of organising the lunch, would contact me on a specific date. 8 messages to Renee later, and a mere 2 days before Christmas, after I'd gone out and purchased food for Christmas, as a Plan B, just in case they'd messed my booking, which in hindsight, would have been a blessing. The lunch was scheduled from 12pm until 3pm. We arrived at noon to find the guests lined up outside the locked doors...Classy!!! A little after 12pm, we entered. Unsure of the menu, there was absolutely no information regarding what food was on offer at the buffet, the bar had only one poor staff member frantically trying to serve many disgruntled patrons. They were doing their best under difficult circumstances with no management in sight. The entreè buffet was nice, food was fresh... but that's where it ended. Mains were dry, bland meats with vegetables floating in slop without a serving spoon available... resembled pig swill. Many diners were appalled , angry and in disbelief at the sight of the dry meats and many bypassed the Bain Marie. Some diners even asked to speak to a duty manager. Food was unappetising, bland and like something they'd serve in an aged care facility. No seasoning, No roast vegetables, and the crackling came out after most had left the buffet. It was left on top of the Bain Marie where no one of short stature could reach. Many unhappy diners left their plates, almost full of food, and left the establishment altogether. Desserts were okay... and thank goodness for that... we had to fill up on something. For $120 per head, would I do it again?...

So glad we pushed past a recent bad review of this hotel as our first visit to Ballarat was excellent in this historic town. Check-in was efficient and friendly in this hotel which is full of character and also clean, super comfy and obviously recently renovated. We appreciated our good sized room (hey, we are two adult males and I am of substantial girth) with plenty of space. I hate beds pushed against a wall so the double bed with plenty of room on three sides is heaven. The bed and pillows were cosy and the fact that there was absolutely no noise at all despite the hotels location in the city centre meant we slept well and woke refreshed. ||All the staff we interacted with were so friendly and professional however the young woman who worked in the bar next to the poker machine room, who took some time to talk to us is exactly the sort of person you want to have as front-line staff. In a world lacking customer service she had heaps of it: the appropriate skills, attitude and talent. She was a real joy to talk to. Congrats to whoever hired her, thank you.||I almost forgot -- we had no issue with car park, which was exactly where check-in explained, so I have no idea how it was "unusual". In fact it was immediately behind the hotel with walk-in access through to the hotel itself!||Do we recommend the Hotel George? Definitely! Would we return??? Absolutely! And we are already plotting...

Function hall is nice, alcohol is pretty good, and the nightclub section of the venue is great. Very happy that the bars offer free soft-drink for the, D-Drivers! No other joint in Ballarat seems to do this at all, so good on the George for doing so! In addition, cold water is always easily available near the bar, so that's another plus from me. Security has always been very reasonable and respectful too. Music is of good quality as they play actual songs, and don't hire trashy DJ's who remix everything into the ground.

I am impartial towards the entry fee for the nightclub area as $5 before 12pm is okay, but $10 afterwards can seem a tad steep. In retrospect though, the other, more trashy venues such as Karova or Bluestone charge $10 all night, if not more, therefore, in comparison, its well worth partying the night away here every-time I decide to go out in, Ballarat.

However, the toilets to the nightclub area can be a hit or miss in terms of hygiene, but, as a nightclub toilet, this doesn't shock me much at all. Ordering a drink can take up to 15-20 minutes if its busy, but to be fair to them, it would be difficult to circumvent this. If anyone plans on going to the nightclub area, they have a somewhat stringent dress code, so be sure to try to follow this to their intended standard. Lastly, drink + food prices are a tad high, but this again, is to...