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Sydney Hotel Reviews

Refereeing Hotel Reviews: The Kirketon Hotel

Where: 229 Darlinghurst Rd | Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia, 2010

January 5, 2007 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments

The Kirketon Hotel in Sydney's Darlinghurst district was once voted the Coolest Hotel in the World by Conde Nast Traveler but recent reviews suggest a place that's not so cool. So we put our refereeing skills to the test.

The hotel is located in the city's Soho-like neighborhood of Darlinghurst which is where popular restaurants and nightclubs exist and it's close to just about everything fun and hip in town. So you know the location is good.  Plus being in such a trendy district the decor is what you would expect from a boutique hotel here--modern, minimalist with dark colors and just plain old cool. The price is also right with room rates averaging a US price of $114.

But when it comes to the rooms, things start to get a little hairy:

The rooms I had (had to switch because of noise) were a bit smelly (carpets needed cleaning desperately) and the cleaners did a pretty bad job in general (i.e. not washing the bathroom floor, etc...)

To be fair, that's what we do here, this reviewer loved the staff and the hotel's low room rate.

Another reviewer claims:

The room was small and had a slightly grubby feel to it. The combination of no window and "minimalist" decor gave it the feel of a prison cell. Worst of all was the airconditioning, which for some reason didn't want to move from its ultra cold setting. After a night of huddling together to keep warm, we decided to check out, forfeit the next night and find somewhere else.

Again this reviewer also praised the staff but said the low-price was too much for a "country motel with no windows and nothing on the walls."

Another point against the hotel is the lack of an elevator, so if you are coming from oh, let's just say, Los Angeles, you probably don't want to get off a 15-hour flight and haul your bags.

Yet, there are plenty of reviews in favor of the hotel, mostly for its location, friendly staff, cool bar, and the hotel's management has done a good job establishing a presence on TripAdvisor addressing most of the big complaints.

In the end, the Kirketon is probably a good hotel for an Ozzie making the trip into Sydney for a night. Or for those with a strict hotel budget and who probably won't be in the room much anyways. Oh yeah, and for those who pack lightly.

Related Stories:
· Kirketon Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]