Albury Paddlesteamer — Hotel in South Albury

I don't usually do motels, but we had an interstate move with some valuables in the car, so we needed to stay in places along the way that had the car-outside-of-the-room setup. Having said that, surely the state of this place isn't the norm, so here goes...

First of all, although I booked via Booking.com, I called before booking to be sure we had a ground floor room with a carspot outside - they said yes. When we got there, it was ground floor, but all the carspots were filled up bar one at least 20m away as parking was unassigned. Next thing, the room. It can be pretty cold in Albury-Wodonga, so you'd think a big gap between front door and floor would be non-existent - it wasn't, and it was cold. The chairs and armchairs had dirt, dust and oily bits, particularly in the creases, but also where you sit and where one might place their hands. The bed was like a deconstructed, then reconstructed, concoction of thin mattresses and wobbly wooden planks. We didn't want to inspect it too much, because right next to it was a new insect species lying on the floor that was kinda cockroach x cricket x ant. The floors had been vacuumed, but a few steam cleans to get rid of weird "old" smells would be a start.

The bathroom had hairs all over the sink and max 20 squares left on the only toilet roll in the entire room (luckily, we brought some), so we reduced our eating and drinking that night (I literally ate one Scotch Finger and two sips of water) to avoid anything to do with the bathroom. Of course, we didn't shower.

I didn't take photos because it was so sad and gross that it wasn't something you'd wanna have on your phone for any amount of time. The people in the room next to us arrived with bags and within 15mins left with them. Good for them, but we had already driven 11 hours that day. The best things about it were the street cat who meows a lot and is very responsive, tame and cuddly. The two older people we dealt with were quite nice, but they seriously need to improve their cleaners' processes and put some quality control checks in place. The price would be ok, I guess, if it would at least be...

I get its easter long weekend I understand that accomodation places were going to be fully booked, hence why i pre booked.

3 days prior my wife was looking for accomodation and found this place, however there was no vacancy left on multiple third party booking sites.

So my wife called and spoke to 'Nick' who confirmed the websites had a glitch and that there were a number of rooms available. So my wife booked a king room and stated we have the NSW accomodation vouchers.

He stated that was fine, we could use them and he would charge my wifes card the remainder and that the room was booked for the 14th.

So Thursday afternoon we drive from Sydney 5hrs and get to Albury ay 7.40pm. We pull into the motel and there are a number of cars idiling in the driveway. My wife got out and approached the foyer where she spoke with Maryanne.

My wife was informed that," all our guest have checked in, we have no morr rooms". She also mentioned that they had over booked by four rooms as there is a delay when third party websites book as well as them doing direct bookings.

So after travelling 5hrs we had no where to stay. We rang around Albury and Wodonga with no vacancy anywhere.

I understand these things happen, however they could have checked their booking system and seen they had already over booked earlier that day. Which meant they could have contacted customers affected by the overbooking. Instead they waited until families went to check in. We were lucky we were only a couple and i drive for living and travelled another 2hrs 40mins to source accomodation in Wallan.

Had they contacted us earlier we would have made alternative arrangements. So as far as excuses go there is no none.

You cannot use, "oh its easter, ohhh itd covid you know". Also i understand that businesses were affected during covid restrictions etc and peolpe are starting to get out and about again but this has just made a negative impact on me and my wife travelling around NSW until people learn to get there s@#t together, you have had two and a half years. 🤔🙄....

Disappointing Experience with Albury Paddlesteamer Motel – Poor Business Practices: On January 14, 2025, I had an extremely frustrating experience with Albury Paddlesteamer Motel. I booked and fully paid for my family stay through Booking.com, and my reservation was confirmed. However, upon arriving at the motel at 8:55 PM, I was told they required a copy of my credit card, despite already verifying my ID and credit card to confirm the booking. I offered a $100 security hold on my credit card or $100 in cash until I checked out, but this was not accepted. I tried to explain that asking for a copy of my credit card was inappropriate, especially since my payment had already been processed through Booking.com. Unfortunately, the staff insisted, and I contacted Booking.com when things escalated. The Booking.com agent spoke to the motel manager, who was uncooperative and even created a scene. According to Booking.com, I should not have been asked for any additional payment or security deposit, as my booking was fully paid. The motel refused to comply with the instructions from Booking.com and hence Booking.com made a full refund cancellation. Fortunately, Booking.com helped me find an alternative accommodation and assured me they would refund any additional expenses. Please be aware that if you choose to book with Albury Paddlesteamer Motel, you may be required to provide a copy of your credit card as a security measure, which is not only unnecessary but potentially illegal. This experience has made me question their business practices, and I strongly advise others to be cautious.

NOTE: In Australia, under PCI DSS guidelines, businesses are prohibited from storing sensitive payment card details. It is illegal for businesses to request a physical copy or scan of a credit card, especially if it includes the CVV, as this violates these...