Mantra 100 Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia

Disappointing and Disgusting. We stayed 2 nights at the MANTRA at 100 Exhibition st Melb and found Windows were being held in by electrical tape (yep, I kid you not), Air Cond had failed (someone put a fan in there hoping we wouldnt complain), advertised room amenities were no longer available (DVD, movie channels, etc), toilet had been used and was not flushed with blood on the toilet rim(YUK!), door handles falling off, curtains looked like they had fecal stains on them and the pool that we thought was here - was actually available...but at another hotel 10 mins away!! (yeah - right...)Based on me taking photos of the above and then emailing the, the manager moved us into a new room - but as soon as walked in, we found a pool of old and smelly milk on the flloor - about half a pint. It smelt absolutely awful. The manager came back with a towel...we had to then leave the room. It was too late to go elsewhere based on the reasons we were at the hotel(concert) so we put up with this place. If im allowed, I will load the photos of all of the above later in this review...at the price we were paying, it was so disappointing, words cannot convey.

The apartment itself was clean and very basic. The building was cramped and run-down. The staff on the front desk were friendly and helpful. My biggest gripe was that the Mantra's policies made it difficult to coordinate two adults sharing a room that were not arriving together. I paid for the room but my friend was arriving first and it was impossible to allow him to check in without putting the whole booking in his name - it was also apparently impossible for me to prepay the deposit charge when my friend would be the one checking in first. The person I spoke to on the phone tried to suggest this was to protect my privacy and my booking, but this was rubbish. It didn't matter if everyone validated their identity, and agreed we were the two adults in the room, the Mantra had no way of accommodating this. (They also changed the booking into my friend's name with nothing more than my assertion that I was the person who'd booked the room.) Anyway, I couldn't even get a separate key card to the room I had paid for, merely because my friend checked in first and the Mantra has bizarre, unhelpful policies.

Great location - easy walk to Federation Square, Arts Centre Melbourne, Her Majesty's Theatre, Regent Theatre, Melbourne Town Hall, Forum Theatre, Victoria Hotel, Bourke Street Mall (shopping), China Town and a few hotels which provide entertainment. Close to Parliament House (tours cancelled twice without notice). I discovered Half Tix in Swanson Street late in my holiday after paying full price for many tickets they sell cheaply. Hotel ideally placed to attend Comedy Festival events. No safety issues walking around this area at night - quite populated. Large scale building works occurring immediately across the road; noisily setting up very early in the morning and continuing until dusk, even on the weekend -hardly relaxing The view of the construction site was the "city view" that you pay for! Higher floors might be better. Heaps of restaurants are within walking distance. Although it was possible to cook in the room, I did not test out these facilities, although it was great to be able to make breakfast. It was apparent from just looking at the bed that it dipped in the middle. Also, there is no furniture with "upright" backs (just deep lounges and bar stools), so between the saggy bed and the furniture, I suffered back ache for the duration of my stay. Jasmine at reception persevered with a problem in my room until it was fixed (other staff could take note). She was pleasant and efficient for the duration of my stay. Internet expensive without joining Mantra program.

We enjoyed staying at The Mantra, the staff were very helpful and friendly and any little issues were quickly sorted (like an extra blanket, remote control batteries). It was very close to Tram stop 7 in Collins Street and a short walk to Bourke Street . The theatres were all easy to get to from there too. We had a 2 bedroom apartment and the room was serviced each day. There was a stove top and microwave and a bar fridge. Having plates and cutlery made it easier if you wanted to eat in your room. The shower was over a small bath and it was a bit small and the water tended to go all over the floor when you had a shower, but the shower itself was good - nice and hot and a good supply of water. There was a couch and a table with chairs , so plenty of room for 3 people.

Two night stay in Melbourne with family. Staff were extremely attentive. However upon arrival were promised a high floor and quiet room as our aunt had been taken to hospital due to becoming ill on our flight over. When returning to check in we found we were in the 5th floor directly outside a construction site. After questioning it at reception we were advised they wouldn't be starting work before 7/8am. The first morning we were woken up at 6.30am by extremely loud construction outside our window and the second morning it was 5.30am! This is not acceptable and did not help our aunt in any way! You can also hear the traffic on the roads and trams passing constantly from the living room . The apartment was quite worn and is in need of some freshening up. The beds are quite hard and it's a bit of a hassle having to walk over to mantra on Russell for a swimming pool or breakfast facilities etc. The hotel is in a great location, walking distance to all main shopping streets etc. Overall it was an average stay, we were hoping for a little more. Not sure if I'd return.