Oaks Toowoomba Hotel

To note, the reason I am giving 2 stars is due to the lovely female receptionist who was doing her best. We normally stay at the Burke and Wills and really like it there, but decided to give Oaks a go because of the reviews. The check-in experience was okay, but as soon as we went up to the room, we noticed a huge stain (only part of it is pictured in the attached photo - it came all the way from the door) on the carpet that honestly looked like bodily fluid. We reported it to the receptionist and she referred us to the manager, who said that he knew it was from a previous guest and it wasn’t our fault. He provided a story about it being from some sort of cord and that they had cleaned the carpet with their materials, but we’re waiting for it to be professionally cleaned in a few days time. We were paying $299 for the room for one night and said that we weren’t satisfied with the cleanliness of the room. The manager responded that in his opinion the room was clean and all he could do is comp our parking ($15 a night) or refund our stay so we could stay somewhere else. As it was the night before the Toowoomba marathon, there was nowhere else we could book at the last minute, so we really had no other option than to stay in the room. The main receptionist was lovely, but the manager was frankly rude and didn’t seem to care at all that the room should never have been bookable in the first place. Additionally, breakfast was included in the price we paid, but is at the cafe downstairs where you order from a menu. The taste was good, but the portion sizes were way too small and not worth it. We will personally never stay at the Oaks again when visiting Toowoomba, which is a shame because I was really happy with the size of the room itself. There was also another negative review that was posted a few hours before our stay started, which makes me believe the manager didn’t care about our comfort at all. I have had much better service from other local hotels/motels (including ones that don’t market themselves as luxury).

We had a two bedroom dual key apartment which we shared with another couple. It was great having separate access while still having an interior door we could access each apartment. This came in handy twice when one member of a couple misplaced his key and couldn’t access his apartment and then another time when his key didn’t work, so we could give him access to his apartment. The location was great, the pool was a perfect temperature in mid-winter and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We will come back.

Two of the three days I stayed, I didn’t have any hot water. I was staying for a wedding and had to wash my hair in freezing cold water. Thinking it was a one off, I was looking forward to a hot shower in the morning, but no such luck, freezing cold shower again. When I approached the admin staff on Saturday I was told they were trying to fix the problem, but then was received with sarcasm and the sentence, ‘I don’t know what you want me to do, it’s not like I can go up there and flip a switch’. I left it at that and walked away. I didn’t raise my voice, I wasn’t rude, and to be spoken to in such a way was offensive. It’s not unreasonable to expect hot water at $230 a night. When I checked out, I requested a manager contact me to discuss this matter. After waiting two days with no call, I chased the matter up myself. Twice. I eventually spoke to the Assistant Manager who was apologetic. I had to prompt for compensation and the Assistant Manager indicated she would speak with her Manager. After another two days I was offered a minuscule compensation and told that it wasn’t their fault. I concede that it’s in fact not their fault, but the fact of the matter is that I paid nearly $500 for two nights of accommodation where I had to have two out of three freezing cold showers. I was told they could consider a discount when I stay again in the future. Obviously that’s a joke because I won’t be staying there again. When I tried to discuss the matter further with the Assistant Manager, I was told she was too busy to talk and advised I could take it up with the manager via email. I’m not really interested in wasting anymore time. I’m disappointed in the response and feel that even $200 a night is outrageous when basic amenities aren’t available at the time of stay.

Affordable, Central, Clean Rooms, Plenty of parking. Overall, a great stay in Toowoomba whilst I was visiting family.

Great location and in walking distance to local shops and the Main Street, room was clean, bed comfy, all that we needed for a weekend away.