Royal Exhibition Hotel

To me, this place is a pub. It is spacious and has big windows. So it is light and it has good views. It has alot of fruit machines and it also has a rooftop area. It is very relaxed and quiet. There is a bar up there, but when I went, it wasn't open. Fair, as there were only 4 people up there.

Just located next to Central station in Sydney and light rail, so convenient access to the everywhere in the City. It's under repair and upgrade, top level already completed, double glased windows so quite no noise, air conditioned, clean, it is located on top of a bar.

So we came here before the cricket match for some food and drink - great call. Historic pub within stumbling distance to the train and the pitch! There is a open bar downstairs with plenty of seating with televisions providing highlights of various sporting events. Upstairs provides a birds eye view of the area in an open air type of environment. Very nice - will come again.

Oh God, where to start. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon for the final stop of our Christmas holiday and were greeted by an old-fashioned, grimy English-style pub. There is no real reception, just staff behind the bar. We thought, at least the rooms look nice in the photos. We were given a door code and took the lift up. The room we were assigned (first floor) looked nothing like the Booking.com photos. It was dark, dirty, and run-down, with a mouldy, dilapidated chair, one broken bedside table, and a very high window that looked out onto a filthy, creepy attic space. Completely misleading and clearly false advertising (see attached photos). I went downstairs to ask to be moved to one of the rooms shown online. I was told only the second floor had been renovated (if that’s even true) and that they were “fully booked,” so moving us was impossible. One staff member even claimed it was the same room from a different angle, which was insulting - I’m not blind. I asked for a refund so we could leave. They refused and told me to contact Booking.com. They said they’d try to reach their manager, who had already gone home. Booking.com’s phone wait time was over 30 minutes, and I couldn’t get through. After going out for a quick dinner, we returned to find nothing had been done and were told the manager wouldn’t be available until 7am. When I went back to the room and entered the bathroom, I found multiple cockroaches in the shower - including small ones, suggesting an infestation (again see photos). That was the final straw. I showed the staff photos and again asked to be moved or refunded. They were embarrassed but still refused to help. By then it was after 8pm on a Sunday during Christmas holidays in Sydney, and almost everything else was fully booked. We felt trapped and had no choice but to stay the night, barely sleeping, and left before 8am. Despite being told the manager would be there at 7am, the venue wasn’t even open. When I tried to speak to staff through the window, I was told it “wasn’t her problem.” We immediately checked into another hotel (thank you, Meriton Suites) and spent the entire day dealing with Booking.com customer service. I provided photos and was repeatedly confirmed, by Booking.com and the hotel manager, that a full refund would be issued. This stay was on 28 December. It is now 30 January. I have spent hours on the phone with multiple customer service agents, some of whom hung up on me (gotta hit those KPIs and clearly this case is not going to be solved easily because the hotel refuse to refund). I have spoken to the hotel manager again. Everyone confirms a refund is owed, yet no refund has been issued. We stayed 1/2 nights. People are likely still staying here. This has been an enormous waste of time and energy and a bad end to a wonderful holiday. Avoid at all costs. Disgusting.

Today Sunday at lunch time the kitchen obviously had serious issues one & a half hour wait for a roast. A whole family & others asking for refunds & leaving. I continued waiting until the food finally came & was offered a coke. The food was up to standard & just as well because I & others was not happy about the excessive waiting time & really should have been told when ordering it will be an excessive wait. I have been there in the past & never had issues but Management you really need to sort out what went on in the kitchen today & do better in the future because it is not good enough.