Quest World Square

Hotel is spacious but need renovation, consider a 3 star hotel

We stayed at the Quest World Square as a part of a three week holiday in Australia. We are form the US and this was our first time "down under". We stayed at the Quest World Square for four nights. Our first stop was in Sydney, at Quest World Square. They had a normal hotel-style front desk that was manned 24/7. We arrived around 11AM, but they wouldn't allow us to check-in until 2PM. They did however allow us to check our bags so we could be rid of them and explore the city a bit. Right across the street (literally, right across the street) was the World Square shopping center, which included a Coles supermarket and a JB HiFi. We went over to JB to buy cell phone SIM cards for our phones, grabbed a cup of coffee, and bought some groceries for later. The room was a very nice studio apartment. The kitchen included a full refrigerator, a four-burner electric stovetop, a small oven, a dishwasher, and a hot water pot (for tea), toaster oven, and microwave oven. (We took advantage of the kitchen facilities making hot breakfasts and lunches for ourselves. We did not cook dinner while in Sydney.) The bathroom had a stall shower, no tub. The laundry facilities were in a small closet attached to the kitchen and included a stacked washer/dryer unit, large enough to do a reasonable load of clothes. (We took advantage of this the night before we left Sydney, and the machines did a bang-up job.) The television was set up for comfortable viewing either from the bed or from a small loveseat with a coffee table. There was a “breakfast nook” style dining area in the kitchen, complete with a small table and two chairs. Also a work desk with an office-style chair adjacent to the TV. This is where the internet cable was located, right next to a power outlet that we used for charging our various devices – iMac, phones, PSP, etc. Sadly it is cable-only internet (no WiFi was available) at a cost $5.50 an hour or $20 per day. (We declined.) The bed was king-sized and the mattress was thin enough to feel the “ridge” between the two box springs. Not terribly uncomfortable, but not great either. The entire place was clean and neatly kept, with a full room turn-down on a daily basis. The maid service did not disturb any of our possessions, including the small pile of Australian currency we left on the dining room table. The room was very well lit with three square fluorescent lamps, and a couple of MR16 down lights in the entry hall in front of mirrored closet doors. All of the fixtures and outlets worked as expected. The only real downside to this apartment was that it is located on a very busy street and there was a lot of noise all night long. Our first night there, a Red vs. Blue AFL game as on and the revelry went on literally until 6AM the next morning. I'm pretty forgiving of drunken celebration (we've all been there) but I had been travelling for two days before checking in. Listening to some drunk footie fan belting out his team's fight song all night long was not fun. Subsequent nights were better, but overall, there was still a lot of street noise that never really went away. Between sirens, shouts, traffic noise, etc. I suppose that is to be expected in a business district of a major urban area.

Pros: Very close to anywhere you need to go in the city. Secure Has all the things you need. Spacious Helpful front desk staff. Cons: I'm lacking a TV that should be there. Cleaning needs improvement

I am appalled that I have had to write 2 emails to have the $200 bond (deducted from my credit card) transferred back into my account. I stayed there one week ago and todate I am still waiting. I won't be stay there again.

Travelers beware, this hotel is ROACH infested. I saw something crawling on the kitchen floor, so I went to have a better look around 11pm. To my disgust it was a large cockroach. But that's not the end of it. After turning on the kitchen light, I was horrified to find 20 or so baby cockroaches crawling across the counters. DO NOT STAY HERE. Obviously, I don't have to go into the health aspects of sanitation... BUT IT DOES NOT STOP THERE…. when I went to complain to reception to ask to be changed to a new room – THEY REFUSED ME. They said there was nothing they could do and they could not switch rooms. (Mind you I had the standard apartment where the bed is right next to the kitchen (no divider or anything)…Shaking, crying, and having a panic attack I asked – “So you're telling me I have to sleep on the street or sleep with a room full of cockroaches?” Reception: “Yes.” …Finally after much debate (and another phone call to some mystery person), they reluctantly (and with attitude) moved us to a new room. After my partner asked how a room just magically became available, the front desk clerk replied, “I don't know, I just work here.” WORST Customer service EVER. Oh and don't expect a king size bed…instead it's two beds pushed together with a king size sheet over it...I've slept in hostels that were cleaner and had better facilities. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.