Rydges Darling Square Apartment Hotel, an EVT Hotel

We paid 4,340 HKD (approximately 850 AUD) for a five-night stay in a one-bedroom apartment at the Rydges Darling Square Apartment Hotel. Despite the low price, I regretfully have to leave my first one-star review on Trip.com. The hotel held onto my deposit and stated that it would take three to five business days to process the return when I called hours after check-out. There was only one operational lift for eight floors, and it was dirty, with wet floors and stained glass. I struggled to rest due to the constant street noise, and the Wi-Fi connection was frequently unreliable. The carpets and bedding were stained, which was quite unappealing. Additionally, the bed was hard and made me feel itchy, and they did not provide any lotions. There were also two locked doors in my room that couldn’t be opened, making it feel more like a storage room than a living space. The staff were unhelpful, with poor housekeeping and ineffective communication from reception. Their “go green” programme, which claims to offer a $10 credit per night, was poorly managed. They were reluctant to issue this credit; even taking a single coffee capsule would render you ineligible. Housekeeping wouldn’t change the bedding unless specifically requested, and they didn’t replace the dirty bathroom floor mat, even when it had a dead bug on it and was on the floor. Moreover, they would enter rooms with the "go green" sign. To avoid this, you’d need to display both the "do not disturb" and "go green" signs, which is technically difficult since the signs easily fall off. Their policy allowed them to disregard the "go green" sign and enter without notice, which I wasn’t aware of and left my credit card details accessible. On one occasion, they left our balcony window unlocked, raising security concerns in case of a burglary; it would be hard to prove their negligence, leaving guests to handle the insurance claims. Overall, it was a terrible experience, even for a budget four-star hotel. There is no way to provide direct feedback to the hotel, as the reception team leader would blindly defend their actions with conflicting statements. When you point out inconsistencies, he would procrastinate with “investigation” and “review with management,” then disappear, while the staff acted as if nothing had happened.

The price for this hotel is so worth it for the room size, the location and the room amenities. The staff here had good service and the room is in good hygiene.

The hotel room is just a 5-minute walk from the bustling downtown area and 10 minutes to attractions like the city hall. The bus stop is about 5 minutes away, making the location very convenient! The hotel room is very comfortable and spacious, with a large balcony and even a kitchen. I will definitely stay here again next time!

Thank you so much for an awesome stay, wonderful buffet breakfast (loved the pastries)and Lisa's service at check in was exemplary!!!🤩 ✅👍😁🌈🦋

The hotel was clean and tidy, and the breakfast was okay, though the menu never changed. Nice :) The room was spacious, with a short walk to Coles and the train station. Skipping housekeeping earned us $10 F&B credits for 2 cups of coffee. The balcony was handy for drying clothes. The hotel would be perfect if it had a washer for laundry. We initially planned to cook in the kitchen, but the nearby food was too delicious to skip, so we ended up not cooking. No water was provided, and toothbrushes were available upon request. Bathtub was great. 2 rollaway beds provided with 2 pillows on each bed.

Great locations. Close to restaurants and CBD, love the fact that there is a stove and microwave so that can order takeaways and save for later.