Rydges Darwin Central

I recently stayed here with my mum, There was so much false advertising for this hotel and we were very disappointed, There is no bar or restaurant attached when we booked we were under the impression that there would be a buffet breakfast available at the restaurant and bar attached to the hotel, they aren't open so instead we where given 3 options a day at a local cafe down stairs and around the corner, while it was nice after 9 days it got boring and we weren't allowed to use the vouchers for any other meals so we ended up loosing money and giving them to the staff at the Rydges to use. We had to pay an extra $29 per night for car parking, the card details were taken upon check in and since leaving we keep receiving phone calls about payment when it has already been paid for! It shouldn't cost any extra to park as it is. The pool is very small and doesn't look at all like the photos online. The shower didn't drain properly so had to stand in about an inch of water during a shower and no body wash was in the container. The beds were really uncomfortable and my back was killing me the whole time we stayed there. There isn't even a microwave available to use in the room. No cutlery to make anything we had to buy plastic knives and forks. When they clean your room they don't clean the room properly. We had to ask for extra toilet paper after they had already been. Overall very disappointed in our stay and the general consensus with other people I spoke to staying there felt similarly. I wouldn't recommend staying here the city was really dead apart from on the weekends.

Stayed here over the Easter and Anzac long weekend. If you don’t want an expensive hotel but a reasonably priced one, this is it. The rooms are clean and a good size. The service is good. The rooms are cleaned on week days but not on weekends, that was fine with me as we requested an extra towel and it was provided. The hotel is close to the mall and walking distance to great cafes and restaurants. It’s about a 5-10 minute walk down to the wharf area from the hotel, where there is also some great restaurants. There is parking underneath the hotel. We really enjoyed our stay here and will stay here again if going to Darwin in the future.

What’s good: the location. that’s it. The service was non-existent. You have to self check in and check out via a little computer. I mean.. it’s supposed to be a 4 stars hotel ??? I booked by mistake 2 rooms and explained the situation several times to the guys at the reception and absolutely no effort was made to help me get a refund. I really felt like I was bothering them even though I was very calm and nice… that’s a shame. :( all they could say was: “it’s our policy” The room was very basic and the shower was terrible with very very low water flow. I absolutely do not recommend this place. Go to Cavenagh Hotel instead! It’s cheaper and the people are really nice there !!!

You can tell Rydges is Australian because there is absolutely no brand standard or consistency. To say this is the same chain as Rydges Melbourne or Brisbane Fortitude Valley is laughable. Cheap and dated motel style furniture and mattress. Bed rolls away from the wall when you sit up. Basic tv that I couldn’t actually get to stream anything. Tiny window. Instead of stock in the mini bar there’s a vending machine. It was however faultlessly clean and the room was very quiet. Location was convenient.

We accidentally made a double booking at this hotel and realized it only when checking in. We immediately explained the situation and asked to cancel one of the two rooms. The second room was never used, and not prepaid. A staff member told us the hotel was fully booked and refused the cancellation. However, this was clearly a lie — we checked online and found multiple room types still available for the same dates. We contacted them twice, politely asking for a goodwill cancellation, but they completely refused — hiding behind policy instead of showing any understanding or flexibility. In the end, they charged us for a room we didn’t use for even one minute. This was not just inflexible — it was deliberately dishonest. This kind of treatment is unacceptable. If you expect honesty and even basic customer service, I recommend you stay far away from this hotel. One of the worst experiences I’ve had in years of traveling.

The hotel is well located to shopping and restaurants, as well as easy vehicular access. Their downside is the limited undercover parking and the need to book a space. Otherwise, you will need to use available, nearby public spaces. The hotel has automated checking, but staff were on hand to make sure all goes smoothly. If a second key is required, it has to be generated by staff.Breakfast is not done in the hotel, but a voucher is provided to go to Salvatores Cafe in the same building. You have a choice of dine in or take-away.Our room was spacious, clean and comfortable.

Location was really good as it was centre of CBD. Hotel is tired and ordinary. Our kitchenette had 25 year old bench tops and just a microwave. Housekeeping was a bit haphazard filling tea/coffee and did not supply wash cloths. Room was good size. We signed up and did not get any discounts and staff were not helpful. Suggested we use the card readers to checkout. We received several emails to pay in advance and checked if they were scams.

Room was supposed to be early check in, ours wasn’t ready till 3pm. Room not cleaned very well as found nail clippings on sofa. Rubbish bin not emptied nor tea, sugar etc replenished. Parking is cheaper than external and quite secure. Not much cupboard space, shower is huge. Shampoo and conditioner bottles are either empty or broken. Very central to everything. No restaurant etc except a halal Indonesian cafe that closes at 5pm. It appears that the air con turns off at 8pm and comes back on at 6am