Executive Apartment, 1 Bedroom | Living room
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Reviews of Serviced Apartments Melbourne - Empire

4 out of 5
Serviced Apartments Melbourne - Empire
81-85 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne, VIC

Reviews

6.6
Rating 10 - Excellent. 41 out of 199 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 60 out of 199 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 39 out of 199 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 26 out of 199 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 33 out of 199 reviews" "

7.2/10

Cleanliness

6.0/10

Staff & service

6.2/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Paul

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I followed all the protocols to get the keys and got no response from Empire Apartments. After multiple attempts to contact them I ended up having to seek alternate accommodation. I spoke with lastminute.com who were very helpful and got they me a full refund.
Stayed 16 nights in Apr 2023

2/10 Terrible

Adrian

Host took my security deposit and did not respond, I had to book another property. Do not ever pay any security deposit via bank transfer.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Unprofessional and unethical
Stayed 13 nights in Jul 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities
They request a deposit but they do not refund it. Also they advertised the property with wifi but there was no wifi. I think it is bad for Wotif's reputation to have dodgy operators like this on their listings. I left the property on 29/06/21, emailed them on 2/07/21 requesting the refund and got no reply, called on 15/07/21 and spoke to Rae who took my bank details and said that I would be paid within 24 to 48 hours, I then called again today and spoke to Janty. I am not sure if that was his name because when I asked him to spell it he said he couldn't spell it and when I asked to speak to a manager he said there were none. He also said he couldn't do anything to assist with my refund today because the system was down.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2021

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Broken dishwasher and microwave. 1 pot with no handles for cooking. Furniture grubby. Apartment stayed in wasn’t the one advertised
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There was nothing to like as we got given the wrong key and my family slept in the foyer for the first night. Then were forced to pay $310 for a locksmith to get in the room but couldn't leave as we couldnt lock it. Still waiting on our bond and locksmith refund and i have since discovered this is a scam thats been going for sometime now and Wotif will not help resolve this for me or try to prevent it happening to anyone else
Stayed 10 nights in Jun 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Amenities
Great location, close to city sites and lots of eateries. The apartment building had a lovely pool that the kids loved using.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
WORST APARTMENT I HAVE EVER STAYED AT!!! Customer service is non existing. From the broken oven, mattress on the floor for a bed, to a broken bathroom tap and electrical cord running across the kitchen sink to operate the fridge, just to mention a few. This apartment should not be available to hire and I will be putting in a formal complaint and asking for a full refund. This apartment is dangerous and needs some maintenance done ASAP before being available to hire. If they allow these noticeable things not to be kept maintained, what else do they let slide? WILL NEVER STAY AGAIN!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Beau

Stayed 2 nights in May 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Mouldy kitcken utensils, fire/smoke detector covered in plastic bag. Pubic hairs in the shower. Filthy floors, unit not clean, it looks like it hasn't for a long time. Chipped crokery with limited cutlery for 2 people. Dishwasher full of stinky stagnant water. Not working. Fridge leaks and washing machine floods. No in house service. In the 15 days of stay no return email and calls. Building is good but this owner of this apartment couldn't care as long as you have paid the money then you get the key to unit not fit for humans to stay in. I just wish I could display the photos I took of this unit. It would make you sick in the stomach.
Stayed 15 nights in May 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Apartment was filthy and completely unacceptable. We arrived late in the evening and had no choice but to stay the night. We called the next morning and after complaining they moved us to another apartment at Eporo which was great. No wifi in either apartments however which was frustrating. Would recommend Eporo. Empire apartment had no working fridge, stank of cigarette smoke, gaps in windows made the room freezing, broken bed frame in one room so the mattress was on the floor. There were burn marks on the comforter and sheets and the dining table and they reeked of cigarette smoke. I could go on, but that was the main bit. They stated they fired the cleaner after being notified by us of how bad it was, but how any other guest stayed there without complaining is a mystery. Overall the customer service representative was helpful, and the rest of the stay at Eporo was good.
Stayed 6 nights in May 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in May 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The condition of the property was terrible... there was a fridge in the hallway on a trolley ready to be moved out, a broken television screen on the floor, the bedding was dirty, kitchen tap did not work, the dishwasher was making a beeping sound all night, heavily damaged walls, disgusting shower, old printers and rubbish on the balcony... the list goes on. It was late by the time I checked in so there was no option but to stay here, however it was most definitely the worst hotel/apartment that I have ever stayed in & the pictures online were not even remotely close to what I encountered. Would never recommend.
Stayed 1 night in May 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Condition of apartment was appalling. Walls had patch marks, couch had huge water stain marks, table was wobbly. Furniture looked like it came out of hard rubbish. Comforter layer was too small for bed. No antenna cable or internet on tv making it useless. Stained sheets were the last straw, we left without staying the night.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2021

2/10 Terrible

S B

Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2021

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness
The apartment was close to shopping and public transport .Right in the centre of the CBD. There was plenty of room for our family of 4. Didn't like: the dishwasher was broken and was full of stagnant water and dirty dishes, the bedding 1 double bed only had a single quilt there we're no covers on the quilts and they were paper thin, A cutting board had been left in the cupboard with mould all over it, and for a family of 4 there was only 2 forks in the cutlery draw. Communication was all but non-existing emails went un-answered and phone calls constantly went to message bank. The Wi-Fi didn't work and the washing machine leaked all over the bathroom floor. Finally there was a plastic bag covering the smoke detector in the living room.
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2021

2/10 Terrible

Deanne

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
A nightmare to deal with & NOT clean
At the very last minute Empire changed my booking to another 1 of their properties at 108 Australia. The operator on the phone was most rude while swearing at me. They were difficult to deal with, the accommodation they sent us to was filthy dirty with hairs in the bed, no cord to the wifi modem and NO pots to cook with.
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2021

6/10 Okay

Avinash

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness
Unhygienic Apartment
There was no communication at all. Bed linen was really dirty and stained (refer to pic attached) There were lights bulbs missing (refer attached). No internet provided.
Bed linen has a damp patch in the middle
Dirty linen
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2021

2/10 Terrible

S B

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness
Not very clean “serviced” apartment
Although the name mentions that it’s a service apartment, there is no service whatsoever. I booked for 7 days but the description tells us that the service would only be provided when booked for more than 7 days. There were not enough toiletries proved for even 2 days. Since there was no communication from the reception, we had to get our own. Also there was no internet provided. The room was not in a very clean condition- there were crumps still in the floor. Please save your money and book elsewhere!!
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities
The property was ok but clearly not loved. The walls had been touched with an in matching paint so it looked scruffy. The furniture was cheap and scruffy. We had no wifi which meant we couldn’t use the tv at all (not even free to air) despite numerous emails, which were never answered and phone calls where they said they would send someone and never did. They changed my hotel on me which I only found out about after receiving an email thanking me for my stay days before we were due to check in. We couldn’t use the amenities because of covid. Car parking cost me a fortune because all my answers I received were very vague. There was only 1 fork and no bowls in the room. Luckily I didn’t pay much otherwise I would have been furious
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
I found this experience very difficult in regards to communicating when I needed directions. There is no assistance at all when you call the number provided unless you are interested in leaving a message if you want to purchase an apartment I will not be using Wotif again.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
DO NOT BOOK THIS APARTMENT. We thought we had booked it for the Easter long weekend but were told on arrival that the apartment had been vandalised by the previous guest and that we would be moved to a alternative apartment with similar specifications. Upon arriving at the alternative apartment, the Eporo, we found the place to be FILTHY with disgarded tissues and band-aid wrappers in drawers, and dark brown and red stains on the carpets in several rooms. When we contacted the apartment owner we found ourselves connected to a booking agent based in South Africa who could not organise cleaning or for any alternative apartment. We have raised this issue with Expedia and are waiting on our refund. DO NOT BOOK HERE. They are using 'bait and switch' tactics to leave you stranded upon arrival.
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2021

6/10 Okay

Jeff

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness
Not Clean and unsafe
Extremely run down. I think the cleaner is only making the beds. When was the last time the owner saw their property? The walls were a complete mess, pet hair all over the furniture, all surfaces were grimy, and no working smoke alarm with exposed light fittings.. It doesn't even make safety standards. Never again. The only positive was the location, but next time I'll find it elsewhere.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
You cancelled my booking at the last minute - not impressed
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2020
Response from Customer Support on 21 Mar 2020
We do apologise for the inconvenience caused you. We had overbooking during that time... Thanks for understanding.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Customer Support on 5 Mar 2020
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Customer Support on 28 Feb 2020
Thanks for your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Murin, Auckland

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The apartment was clean, spacious and close to great public transport and all the other amenities.very safe building. Quiet even though we are in the city. They had no parking or luggage storage. We had to go to another building to get our keys. The lady who gave the keys was friendly. We couldnt use the pool or gym due to corona virus scare, which we understand. However i chose this place because our family could use these facilities. I would still recommend this apartment to anybody who wishes to stay in the heart of the Melbourne city for a reasonable price.
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 23 Feb 2020
Hi, We thank you for staying in with us and we're so happy to know that you felt satisfied during your stay! We also thank you for understanding that for now pool and gym can't be used because of this corona virus that we are all known nowadays. We hope to see you soon again.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was in a great location. Unfortunately not the location that I booked at. I booked an apartment at their A Becket Street location which had a gym and a pool. However, instead they put me in an apartment on La Trobe which had No gym and No pool. One of my criterion for selecting the apartment when I booked was to have a gym. So this was disappointing. But what was really bad, was they didn't bother to tell me the address. They gave me the key and I found out I was standing outside the wrong building when the key wouldn't work
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Customer Support on 21 Feb 2020
Hi, Thanks for your feedback. We do apologise for the inconvenience. We wil have this improve further.

6/10 Okay

Nils

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 8 nights in Jan 2020
Response from customer support on 9 Feb 2020
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Dirty bed sheets , looks like the room was just given a quick check and not even a clean
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Cess - customer support on 18 Jan 2020
Hi, Thanks for your feedback. Moving forward, we will make sure to improve our service further. We thank you for letting us know regarding your stay.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Great location, pool was fantastic, nice view, comfy beds, tv worked well and great shower, dishwasher fabulous, a little dirty, glass splash back had grease splashed over it (we didn’t cook!) the bedroom windows don’t close properly (one was duct taped up) which unfortunately made sleeping difficult due to noise from city streets below and air coming in which was also noisey. Small lounge for 4 people with just one couch, had to sit on dinning chairs to watch tv all up we enjoyed our stay.. great price! the windows need repairing.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 11 Jan 2020
Hi, Thanks for your feedback. We will make sure to improve our service further.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 11 Jan 2020
H, Thanks for your feedback. We will make sure to improve our service.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Room comfort
Good view
Ok for the price that we paid
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 11 Jan 2020
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us.

2/10 Terrible

Balvinder

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No sleep
The bed slots kept coming off every time I turned my side, really disappointed as sleeping is the most important part of any stay. Paying nearly 300dollars a night to get no sleep. Well done empire
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 11 Jan 2020
Hi, Thanks for your feedback. We do apologise for some inconvenience. We will make sure to improve further our service.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Services
Apartment should provide daily housekeeping services. Bedsheets, Towels & Vacuum need a daily change and clean. Must be more flexible on the guest late check out request due to late departure flight schedule
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 27 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for your stay. We consider your feedback as a positive one to make sure that we will improve our service further.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Amenities
Stayed 13 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 27 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

mikail

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 11 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 21 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for stay with us.

8/10 Good

Tamara

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We felt safe and were in a great location. Some things need fixing in the apartment like a window handle, lighting in kitchen and dishwasher, but the important things worked well. We stayed a second time and it was a good choice again.
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 13 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us. We hope to see you soon again placing your booking with us again.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Location was great, property was also good, clean spacious. Limited check in time and no baggage-check/concierge option for luggage is inconvenient.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Cess- Customer Support on 13 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us. We do apologise for any inconvenience caused you. We will make sure to improve our service further.

10/10 Excellent

Ambika

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 8 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for your stay with us.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
We had half hour window to check in. Car parking instructions were terrible and confusing. Although on level 21 the traffic noise and air conditioning hum were dreadful. Terrible sleep. We left early.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 8 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for your feedback. We do apologise for any inconvenience caused you. We will make sure to improve our service further

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Basic is the overall comment. With no reception available and having to collect keys from down the street at the car rentals wasn't a great start after being told when I rang the previous day that it was fine to leave bags at reception if arriving early. Lucky the car rentals were able to to keep an eye on our bags for the hour we left them in the front window. All neat, clean and tidy in the apartment which was good albeit basic and only small with a huge TV that was too big for the tiny sitting area. Bathroom had no shelves or vanity apart from a shaving cupboard on the wall so it was first in best dressed. No shelf in the shower either not even a soap dish. Would I stay again? Probably not.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 8 Dec 2019
Hi, Thanks for your feedback, we consider this as a good one so we can improve our service further. Thanks for your stay with us.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 30 Nov 2019
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us.

8/10 Good

Suzanne

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy enough
The unit itself was great. Very clean and modern and spacious. However the building was not so good. The hallways smelled really bad and were in disrepair. I requested a second key (I was given only one and we had a 2 room unit) and I couldnt get one which made my stay a little difficult.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 30 Nov 2019
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us. We do apologise for the inconvenience caused you. Moving forward, we will make sure to improve our service further.

10/10 Excellent

Anya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Greg

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Good if you don't require service
I had to ring numerous times to get someone to answer the phone - the lockbox system is not the best - if staying do within reception hours (limited) otherwise it is sophisticated guess work
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 30 Nov 2019
Hi, We thank you for your feedback as we will make sure to improve our service further. We do apologise for the inconvenience caused you.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 30 Nov 2019
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us.

10/10 Excellent

Anita

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Cess - Customer Support on 30 Nov 2019
Hi, We thank you for staying in with us. We hope you enjoyed your stay.

10/10 Excellent

JoãoVitor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
NIce view in a great apt
Very high quality apartment with a huge nice view
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Cess- Customer Support on 30 Nov 2019
Hi, Thanks for staying in with us. We thank you for your feedback. We are looking forward for your stay again with us.