Meriton Suites George Street, Parramatta — Hotel in Sydney

I recently stayed at Meriton suites on George street in Parramatta NSW, and we had the worse experience ever, we’ve stayed at many Meritons in the past and this was a shocker, we will never even consider to stay at Meriton again. I paid for two suites before arrival, one was for my best friend, she arrived before me, below is what she had to go through;

“Christopher is the worst person I’ve ever dealt with in my life and he needs to be fired from any jobs relating to customer service or sales. Thank you so much Bryon for saving the day and helping me solve Christopher’s mistake. My best friend flying from another state has paid for my room as it was my wedding the next day. I checked in and Christopher kept telling me that I still needed to pay for my room. I paid however when I asked did I pay for the bond as I’ve realised I paid over $200 and he said no but I realised that I was paying for my best friend’s room. I asked for a refund because my room has already been paid for. I also wanted a refund because if I paid for my best friend’s room, I have access to her room and she will be confused as she wanted to make sure that I have the best wedding day (as she’s flying from another state). My bestfriend is a really kind person so it would be very confusing for me to tell her that I’ve paid for her room as she will definitely be mad as she has paid for mine. I asked for a refund. Christopher refused to provide me with a refund. I became extremely angry because I told him that I just paid for my bestfriend’s room and needed this refund and that he made a mistake and he KEPT saying he did not make any mistakes!!?? I have worked in sales and customer service for over 7 years, whenever I have an unhappy customer I would do everything to fix it. Bryon came to help THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! As Christopher did not want to give me the refund! He also didn’t want to refund me my surcharge as I paid with a credit card. Christopher ALSO KEPT saying to me that he did not make any mistakes and insisted that it was my friend’s fault for not making it easier when he clearly should have checked that there are two reservations , one being unpaid and one being paid. I don’t want to have to tell my friend “hey I paid for your room” as she will definitely say “why? I made sure staff knew that I paid for you”. What did Christopher expect me to do? Transfer Christopher’s ego and attitude was disgusting and I have never felt this appalled. Bryon was so calm , professional and tried his best to help fix this situation. Without Bryon it would be me AND my best friend yelling at Christopher. Luckily my best friend did not have to deal with his rudeness. Words can’t even describe his ego and horrendous attitude. Thank you Bryon, really appreciate you!”

Fast forward to 4 days later, I called them asking about the parking refund that my best friend had to pay for (which clearly shouldn’t have happened because I’ve paid for both of our parking and late checkouts), Christopher answered the call, he knew exactly who I was and he still was not apologetic and requested me to send them an email regarding the issue and they will go from there, but can’t guarantee the outcome?!?! I am not the type to complain about customer service, but this is unacceptable, this person is not qualified to be a manager, I don’t believe he’s had that many years of management experience, the company should definitely look into it. I also asked him to provide me their general manager’s contact details which front desk gave me initially but I have misplaced it unfortunately… he said he doesn’t have their contact details ( which is nonsense because I saw the receptionist pull out from the draw and there were a whole stack of cards). It had let me no choice but to write my dissatisfaction here.

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for reading to the very end. I don’t expect to get anything out of this, but just want to warn others if you are considering to stay with them, please reconsider, I wish I went with Novotel instead.

P.s. the 1 star goes to the rest of...

1. There are "only 33 parking spaces". On third floor. There's no full parking information, so you have to figure it out on your own. They only provide directions to nearby parking lots, and there's no vehicle registration. If you park at Wilson Parking(where they guided), you'll be charged the highest rate. For example Nearby Wilson Parking is 90 AUD for 24-hour parking. (The maximum is 45 AUD from 0 am to 24 pm, but after midnight, another 45 AUD is added to start another day, for a total of 90 AUD.) If you currently own a car, you shouldn't go.

According to Google reviews, if you're lucky enough to find a free spot in the hotel's 33-space parking lot and pay the 24-hour fee (I think it was around 40 AUD), you'll be left without a refund if you leave and return to find all 33 spaces are full. You'll need to pay an additional 90 AUD for parking at nearby Wilson Parking. The 24-hour parking fee can be 130 AUD (the hotel fee plus Wilson Parking fee).

Search Google Map Reviews for this hotel "PARKING."

2. Wind noise Search Google Map reviews for "WIND." Or, try "NOISE."

If it's quiet, it's a windless day.

If it's noisy, it's a gust of wind, so it's a matter of luck.

People who say it's quiet are referring to "windless days" or "rooms with good wind directions."

3. This is a hotel, but it uses standard sashes. It's not the sealed, high-end sashes you often see in hotels, but standard steel-frame sashes. There are no locks. Naturally, there are tiny gaps in the sashes, and wind noise is inevitable.

4. Conclusion I like Meriton Suites hotels. But this is a place you shouldn't stay.

Try listening to the noise around 1:00 AM.

If you set the volume to 100 on a Galaxy, it's similar to the actual sound level.

This was the loudest.

In addition to this, if the wind is strong, there's a high-pitched wind noise and the sound of marbles rolling on the building's walls, making it sound like an orchestra.

It's quiet when there's no wind.

My guess is that, being a tall building, it's structurally susceptible to bending in strong winds. (Of course, the design would have taken that into account, and moderate bending isn't the problem.) There's structural noise caused by this bending, and I suspect they didn't pay enough attention to soundproofing during construction. Furthermore, the cheap sash is not airtight, so it's impossible to improve. More importantly, the hotel is aware of this issue but doesn't inform guests about the noise generated by gusts.

While traveling in the US, I was told that a hotel was terribly noisy during strong winds. That hotel warned guests about the wind noise at check-in, provided earplugs, and offered to immediately change rooms if needed. They also explained that structural noise isn't...

Beautiful Views, But Customer Service and Policies Need Improvement

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I recently had an extended stay at Meriton Suites in Parramatta, booking a 1-bedroom apartment with high hopes for a comfortable and convenient experience. While there were some positive aspects, there were several issues that left me quite dissatisfied.

Let's start with the positives. The 1-bedroom apartment I reserved was indeed spacious and featured a stunning balcony with breathtaking views overlooking the Parramatta River. It was the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the scenery. The location is also excellent, with a Metro supermarket conveniently located just downstairs.

However, my experience took a sharp turn when it came to customer service and the hotel's policies. I had reserved my stay for a longer period of 29 nights, with the intention of finding a permanent place to stay during my time in Sydney. Fortunately, I found a suitable place within a week and decided to cancel the remaining portion of my stay. To my shock, I was informed that I would need to pay for at least 21 nights in order to get a refund for the rest of my stay. This policy felt deceptive and left a sour taste in my mouth. It's important for hotels to be transparent about their cancellation policies during the booking process to avoid any unpleasant surprises for guests.

In addition to the policy issue, the room service was disappointing. Most of the time, there was no response when I reached out for service. When they did come for cleaning, it was a lackluster effort, with a rushed and superficial cleaning that left much to be desired. The major cleaning only occurred once a week, and even then, I had to request that it be done properly. The lack of attention to detail and responsiveness from the staff was frustrating.

Furthermore, the ongoing construction work in the building was a constant source of disturbance. Guests should be warned about the early morning noise from drilling and hammering, which can disrupt your peace and quiet.

In conclusion, Meriton Suites has a lot of potential due to its beautiful views and great location. However, there are significant improvements needed in their customer service, room service, and transparency in their cancellation policies. If you can tolerate these issues, you may find it a decent place to stay. Otherwise, you might want to explore other options in the area for a more comfortable and...