The Robertson Hotel — Hotel in Robertson

My young family stayed at the Robertson Hotel for four nights for a little getaway to end 2024; the hotel is situated in a beautiful area and is a sight to behold, with brilliant potential. The staff were very helpful and welcoming, however these pros are outweighed by many cons.

The family suite we booked was spacious, and organising portacots for our toddlers was very smooth. The ensuite in the master room was also beautiful, however the bathroom in the other room was old and really not appropriate for children - i.e. the chain flusher for the toilet was also barely reachable, so a bit confusing as it was the designated kids room as it contained single beds.

The rooms also lacked basic amenities such as a bar fridge, hair dryer, bin (frustrating as our room was not serviced by housekeeping at all during our four night stay) or kettle, which was disappointing. Also, the room had a glass coffee table whose top slid off at the slightest touch, which is really dangerous. I removed it to the adult ensuite to stop our children touching it and hurting themselves. The lack of air-conditioning was also horrendous in the face of the humidity and the heat - perhaps there was indeed a time where the Southern Highlands were an oasis in the heat, but that is no longer the case. We were given fans when we requested these from the front desk.

The dining was inconsistent - breakfasts were pleasent, however the dinner service was worrisome. We were presented with a black and white printed menu where many dishes were unavailable and poorly substituted, and this was not clearly communicated by the staff. It would have been easy to print a substitute menu for the evening. My husband and I sought to order a beautiful octopus dish, and after being told that octopus was unavailable and would be substituted with prawn, we were presented with a series of fried prawns with chilli and herbs on top as the flavour, with no resemblance to the dish given. Another night had us waiting 45 minutes for any food, without a warning, which was confusing as the dining room was barely half full. The response of the floor staff was the best it could be, and we were compensated with complementary desserts, but truly the whole situation could have been avoided with better preparation from management.

The hotel is not really family friendly in terms of amenities and access, but all of the staff were lovely and...

A bit like staying at Faulty Towers! This was a Girls Weekend away for the Christmas in July. We originally booked this well over a year ago and had to reschedule due to Covid. The rooms are ok. Hot but I managed to work out how to turn down the heating. One girl tried to open a window but it fell apart as she tried.

Coffee and tea was provided in the rooms, but no kettle. We were told they don't provide kettles in the room due to the old wiring. Strange as you can use your own hair dryers and other electrical appliances. There is a large urn on the landing of each floor. These must chew some electricity as they are on 24/7. We sat down for our Christmas dinner. I ordered a $58 bottle of white wine which was unceremoniously dumped in front of me. I asked for a ice bucket to be told we don't have any left. Eventually one was found. The entrée was ok. One of our group has no sauce on her Polenta. Every serving looked like it had come from a different kitchen. No uniform in the way they are served or presented. The advertised Rocket, pear and parmesan salad was a pile of of Rocket with a sprinkle of grated cheese in the middle. When asked where the pear was, we were told they had run out at lunch time. Really?? They had over a year to organize this surely they knew how many ppl were coming and would have catered for them?? The main dish was enjoyable. a bit like what grandma would have served. Again, one plate arrived without gravy and no two plates looked the same. It was food slapped onto a plate. Desert was some store bought strudel with a small squirt of whipped cream and smear of caramel sauce. Breakfast: A two slice toaster with a queue of 5 ppl waiting. A coffee machine that took forever to make a coffee, again we waited in line to have it stop working as it needed cleaning. Thankfully someone did go and make us two coffees whilst the staff tried to work out how to clean the machine. My shoulder and back are still aching from having to lug my suitcase up the stairs to our room as there is not staff to assist nor a lift. Not recommended for anyone with a disability. Its the little things that make the difference. This is such a lovely place that could be quiet remarkable if it was...

My husband and I stayed August 2024 in room 202 and were very disappointed. In short, we wouldn't stay again and it offered poor value for money. Cleanliness; bathroom floor appeared dirty, rust on floor, tiles missing, felt like footy showers in the 80s, I seriously regretted not having brought my thongs to shower in. There was also thick dust on top of the border tile, previous guest hair on tiles surrounding sink, the rubbish bin was placed under the S bend to catch a leak and the toilet brush holder was also rusty. Comfort; although a king bed in a spacious room, the bed and pillows were very uncomfortable. as others have said, no fan, no air con, no fly screen on the window, no other amenities such as a fridge or kettle. 1 play toilet paper was a but average. shower was hot and pressure good, but it seemed to pulse meaning you were switching between steaming hot and cold General; absolutely stunning scenery, really the only positive. Hotel/room and subsequently all our belongings stank of smoke from the wood fire (in the lobby, 2 floors down). the parking situation is inadequate and the one way/one lane driveway exit is like a goat track. only powerpoint is in the room, really hard to do your hair, especially when staying for a function. no elevators and given its design/age has quite a number of stairs due to the ceiling heights. This becomes an issue when you move around your baggage, which is made even worse by the parking situation.

It is a beautiful old building in a beautiful location but it gives off the vibe of cheap highway motel as opposed to anything regal. I fully understand that a building of this type and age would pose unique challenges as a modern hotel, however some of these issues rest solely woth the operator and not the structure. That said, I have stayed in that type of motel previously, and at times have found some of them to be in far better order and much cleaner as well as better value.

We have not left this review to hammer the business or staff, we've only done this to be honest for future guests.

We paid $339 for a Friday night however, given the experience I would still have concerns if the price was less than half...