Linaker Art Deco Motel (Formally Historical Nursing Hostel) — Hotel in Northern Victoria Region

I'm a repeat customer and have left glowing reviews in the past but I don't want to return. Deano isn't at all what I expected to find to check me in. Barefoot, trakky daks, old t shirt, tattoos all over him and absolutely capable of doing his job. I felt ashamed of my first impression, but it didn't help that he was having an argument when I arrived. When I arrived to check in at 2pm Deano was on the phone, shouting a conversation with the owner. He told the owner he had people here to check in and had to go but the owner kept him on the phone for a long time he and I stood waiting, the unwilling listener of their conversation. It was very unprofessional and I heard Deano repeat more than twice that he had a customer with him and had to go. The gist of the argument: Deano had catered to someone's request as they were a repeat customer and the owner wanted Deano to cancel the rest of the repeat customer's stay and ask them to leave. The premises outside the room was dirty (old cobwebs on the hall art deco lighting fixtures with black stuff hanging in the web; filthy front windows at reception that should be cleaned every week or fortnight as they are an art deco feature; and there was a damp smell.) I was there on a very busy weekend for Beechworth and the car park was full - they needed to have the place sparkling, especially the art deco features, which are an advertised attraction. Cleaning staff loitered around reception, chatting loudly with Deano while I waited for a break in their conversation to be served. The bed was clean, the TV worked, they supplied UHT long life milk, teabags, a kettle and toaster. The grime in the corridor didn't install confidence in the room, I just felt nervous about how clean it really was but the room did seem clean. Breakfast was offered in the advertising but there was no instruction on where to go - they no longer seem to be connected to the hotel across the way, which is where we used to have the complimentary breakfast. The room was quiet and clean enough but there was no wifi. They have a password but it didn't work between 2pm and the next morning at 9.30am. Adding insult to injury, I was charged $130 for a room that cost $110 on booking dot com - yet the owner's business card said to book direct and get a cheaper price. I booked direct, the price was not cheaper. The whole experience felt like a rip off in comparison to what it had been like in the past.

I wondered where I could stay next time and saw a motel down the road that charged the same ($130) price. I'll try...

I recently had a 2 night stay. The grounds are beautiful, the huge trees and the beautiful wind they create. I was sad to see the front covered in so many thick cobwebs. The nursing staff who used to reside within the hotel would turn in their graves at some of the area's that are not maintained regularly. The two upper balcony/seating areas are also very dirty. You dont get access to operate the exhaust fan in bathroom. It gets manually turned on, and only from about 6-9pm Makes it annoying when you pay more for a spa bath and that's partly dependant on the exhaust fan getting rid of some steam that there will obviously be a lot of. The bath itself had a film of grime covering it, had to clean it myself when the room didnt get made up on request the next day. Many scuff marks on the walls, and I found some blonde hair on the bedding (I have black hair and no one else was sharing the room...) Made me super uncomfy. I don't think the place has been dusted in some time.

No air conditioner. THE LISTING SAID IT WOULD HAVE IT. Also told there would be a ceiling fan, part of why i booked the hotel, there wasn't. I always sleep with a fan. As a result I struggled to sleep. You would think with no air conditioning some fans would be installed. The walls are paper thin so you hear everything and with no fan like I'm used to - this made it much harder. Wifi doesn't work. Neither does phone service. As much as I would have liked to, I dont think I will return. All of this; you would assume I would be entitled to some sort of refund or reimbursment but after noticing all these things and reading the reviews more thoroughly I am assuming it would be redundant and possibly cause a scene. I have anxiety and will avoid conflict at all costs. Either this place needs to undergo some serious improvements or the price needs to be adjusted! 3 star hotel or not, no one deserves to be misguided into handing their money over when expectations are also not met prior. The photos online did not match what I walked into. I feel like this place is severley let go, it could be something really special. Beechworth is beautiful. I will be back, but I'll be checking in somewhere else. I would advise you to...

DEANO!! WOW!|He doesn't look like your cookie-cutter, stereotypical front receptionist at an accommodation, but don't let that fool you. ||The man is genuinely so welcoming, friendly, helpful and considerate.||He doesn't speak like a robot reading scripted lines. He's sincere and actually cares. ||Deano went above and beyond to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Nothing was too difficult.||They've had such a busy weekend from Easter but it didn't dilute his customer service. |He noticed that we were staying with our 2 year old and made sure we chose the best option room for our stay. ||He and his wife were genuinely so lovely and made all of the guests feel welcome. Even while they're running around helping out others and getting rooms ready etc.||The accommodation itself is clean and tidy. Quite spacious. It had everything we needed. |It was very nice and quiet at night. |And not a long walk away from the town centre. |We actually chose to walk into town rather than drive. |There's plenty of free parking at the accommodation.||There's plenty of info around the hotel about what restaurants are nearby, their opening times, disability access etc.|Info about local markets too.||Before checking in, during our stay and even after checking out- Deano helped us.||Our car battery died and he immediately grabbed a jump start kit and helped us again. Without hesitation and without making it seem like an inconvenience to him. |He just kindly helped us.|I can almost guarantee nowhere else would do that for guests, or one that just checked out.||The Wi-Fi didn't work in our room, but it didn't matter for us. |We have mobile data and there's free Wi-Fi as you walk down the road if you really needed to rely on it.||If you're looking at decent priced accommodation, a quiet area to sleep at night, close to the main town but not in the centre, and exceptional customer service - go to Linaker.|We would definitely book there again. ||Thank you for everything, Deano.|You are...