The Palms Motel - Formerly Flinders Motel in Wollongong

This stay was very disappointing and fell far short of our expectations for the Adina brand.

We booked a one-bedroom apartment, which included a bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room. We were one adult and three minor children. At check-in, the front desk staff initially told us we "should have booked a two-bedroom unit." Only after I asked about the purpose of the sofa bed did they change their tune and demand an extra AUD 30 per night, which I paid on the spot. The whole interaction felt stiff and unfriendly.

Even more concerning was the condition of the room: the overall cleanliness was very poor, not just superficial issues. The room door was visibly damaged, and no repairs or action were taken during our stay. For an apartment hotel, this level of maintenance and hygiene is truly disappointing.

I reported these issues through official channels afterward, but I haven't received any reply yet. We're not new guests; we frequently stay at other Adina locations, and it was our positive past experiences with the brand that led us to choose this one. However, this visit, from the check-in communication and room hygiene to the post-stay feedback handling, was incredibly disappointing.

Not recommended for families.

We stayed at Adina Apartment Hotel Wollongong from 5 to 10 October 2025, and the experience was extremely disappointing — far below the expected standard for a property claiming 4-star status.

1. Room Cleaning and Servicing
The room was serviced only once during the entire 5-night stay. Even that single service was superficial — the toilet was not cleaned, dirty towels were left in the bathtub, and only minimal tasks were done (making the bed and vacuuming the open area). The toilet bin was not emptied, and basic hygiene standards were clearly neglected.

Whenever we needed clean towels, we had to call reception, and housekeeping would only deliver clean ones without taking the used, wet towels. By Tuesday night (7 October), the situation became unacceptable — the bins were overflowing, and a pile of damp towels was blocking access to the bathroom. When I called to request cleaning, I was told that our room was “booked for cleaning” the following day (Wednesday, 8 October) and that someone would only come to collect the towels.

When housekeeping finally came, the staff member did not even enter the room. She stood at the door and asked us to bring the dirty towels to her. When I mentioned the overflowing bins, she simply handed me garbage bags and asked us to bring the rubbish out ourselves.

2. Balcony and General Cleanliness
The balcony was never cleaned, either before or during our stay. It was littered with cigarette butts, despite none of us being smokers. These cigarette butts remained there the entire stay until we checked out on Friday, 10 October.

3. Sauna, Hot Tub, and Pool Facilities
This was my third stay at Adina Wollongong over the last three years. On two of these visits, the sauna and hot tub were out of order for the full duration of the stay. This time was no different — from Sunday to Friday, the facilities were marked “Out of Order,” with no sign of repair or maintenance work being carried out.

The pool area was also poorly maintained. The pool water was visibly dirty, and no cleaning or servicing was observed at any point. My children used the pool once and refused to return after seeing how filthy it was the next day (video evidence available).

4. Overall Experience and Value
When booking, Adina’s rates were comparable to Novotel Wollongong, and I deliberately chose Adina for the sauna and hot tub facilities — expecting a comfortable, relaxing stay even if the weather wasn’t suitable for the beach. Unfortunately, that decision was a mistake.

Between the non-functioning facilities, poor housekeeping, lack of hygiene, and even finding a cockroach in the room, this property’s operations are well below 4-star standard — closer to a budget hostel experience.

I will not be staying at Adina Apartment Hotel Wollongong again. The ongoing issues across multiple visits — unsanitary conditions, lack of maintenance, and poor service culture — demonstrate a serious management failure. This is unacceptable for a supposedly premium brand.