Quality Hotel Batman's Hill on Collins

As a traveler 40+ weeks per month, this is definitely the worst hotel I have ever stayed in claiming to be 4 star. This is not a 4 star by any other countries standard. When I arrived, the room which was assigned to me & designated (by the hotel itself) as a 3.5 star room although I booked a 4 star hotel. I paid for an upgrade to a 4 star room (for which I never heard of a hotel having various star rated rooms). I checked into the hotel at 8pm. I exited the elevator to my floor and tripped over a food tray from someone else's (room service). The hallways were blacked out, set on a motion detector. So when I 1st stepped off the elevator the hallway is blacked out for 1-2 seconds until it detects movement. Same as when you exit your room, the hallways are blacked out until you actually step into the hallway. There were dirty food trays & dishes (room service) outside of 2 other guests rooms sitting in the hallway from the time I checked in at 8pm and still there when I checked out at 11am the following day (14 hours later). I booked a 5 night stay, prepaid reservation but I just cut my losses and checked into a different hotel. The hotel deck clerk was good about giving me a refund for 3 of the 5 days and it was worth the loss. The gentleman I checked in with the evening before wouldn't let me out of the reservation. Terrible hotel in a terrible neighborhood. I enjoy walking around the areas I stay almost everywhere around the world. This is not a safe neighborhood. It's misleading because it's on famous Collins street but, way far away from the good part of town. The room was not clean including a few stains on the carpeting. when I walked in there were 3 single sized beds I nearly tripped over when I entered. Then some really cheap furniture including a loveseat, a few wooden chairs and a desk made of pressboard complete with fake wood grain look. The furniture looks like it came from a discount department store. Avoid this hotel...

Plus: The in house diner was o

Minus: Uncomfortable mattress with low quality bedding. Upon exiting an elevator or room, hallway lighting are set on a movement sensor & completely blacked out until the sensor detects movement. Room service food trays sat in the hallway 15+ hours.

Rooms are old but clean and the beds are quite big. Rocation is very nice - just across the Southern cross station. Relatively satisfactory affordable, except the staff.

Plus: Big beds. 1 hr complimentary internet access. Towels.

Minus: unkind Staff at the reception. unable to access the internet as a guest.

Hotel is very average. A bit outdated, but it's clean and quite. The beds are saggy -- not terribly comfortable, and smoking is allowed in some rooms which makes the place smell of musty smoke. I would definitely not call this a four star hotel. Staff was accommodating, though when I asked if they give frequent flyer credit for airlines, the man at the desk said, 'not at the price you paid for the room.' Now, if a hotel doesn't like the price, why is it offered or accepted? And why make the guest feel badly about booking the room at the price offered on Priceline? The front desk will try to up-sell to a better suite for an additional $30/day -- hotel just isn't worthy more money per day.

Plus: Convenient location -- close to Southern Cross station for easy train/tram/bus transportation. Walking distance to many locations in Melbourne.

Minus: A bit outdated. Smoking is allowed in some rooms -- yuck. NOT desirable as the smell of musty smoke is evident in halls.

The location is quite convenient to the Southern Cross station (and buses to/from the airport). The positive ends there, however. We arrived fairly late in the evening, and the night staff was neither efficient nor friendly. For a long time they couldn't find our reservation, then sent us to a room only to call us back to the desk saying no, that room was occupied, and they would have to give us another. Before ultimately deciding that it was indeed unoccupied and sending us back to the same room. But the bigger issues were: 1) we had specifically bid on a four-star hotel. This property - as clearly explained by posters on the wall behind their reception desk - apparently has both 3-star and 4-star rooms available. Even after I showed them the receipt for the 4-star reservation, they without apology assigned us a 3-star room 2) that room was quite cramped and poorly designed, and generally did not represent what most people would consider even a three-star experience 3) upon arrival, I was asked if I wanted a double bed or two twins and I indicated that I definitely preferred a double bed. Without explanation or apology we were instead given a room with two awkwardly arranged (separated, arranged in an L arrangement) twin beds. I had the impression that this may have been related to disapproval toward us for some reason. Just because we had booked the room at a 'good' price (they had whined a bit about that)? Because we are a same-sex couple? Because we are an interracial couple? The property was definitely disappointing. And though the service from the ladies at the front desk the next morning was fine, the service from the night staff unquestionably warrants a 'poor' rating for this property.

Plus: The location is convenient to the Southern Cross station and buses to/from the airport

Minus: There appear to be decent quality rooms in another wing of the same hotel, but as a Priceline customer you won't be assigned one of those. The night staff is both incompetent and surly.