Hotel Sophia

Hotel

Terrible customer service. Left on hold for minutes whilst you can hear staff chatting and laughing in the back ground. Not willing to help, frankly don’t care about providing any customer service. 100% do not recommend.

Had friends stay and they refuse to give the room bond back. And even though one guest was 12 and the other pregnant, they say they were smoking and are refusing to repay money and will not take phone calls or reply to emails. Completely trustworthy and well below par. Staff are rude and unhelpful. Don't waste your money on these thieves.

Rude owner stated that I was getting room cheaper and new phones were going to be installed
Not mentioned when booking room
No phone in my room that’s a risk
Noisy room — Wi-Fi not good very very slow
Reception is not manned 24hrs
Have to chase the staff to find them absolutely ridiculous
Aircon worked only on 20c couldn’t change the temperature to make room warmer
A positive is the position
I’m not returning.

Pleasant, convenient place to stay. Close to all public transport, comfortable room. Double glazed windows cuts out street noise.
Staff very pleasant, some were trainees and if they didn't know something, they would find out.
Breakfast very good, also had some trainees learning the job, and some slowness due to this.
I would stay there again, even with the trainees present. Value for money.

Let me get the pros out of the way quickly: 1. Shower. Water pressure and heat was fantastic. Best I've had in a long time. 2. Wifi. After a spotty first few hours, zippy and solid. Shame it was only for three devices. 3. Ventilation. A window that opens. A ceiling fan. An air conditioner. A very good combination. Otherwise, I feel like I spent far too much. Used to be, this sort of place would be maximum 80 bucks a night. For starters there was no one at reception. And wasn'…t for a good 10 minutes. No back in 5 minutes sign or anything, just, no one there. One elevator. Ancient. Slow. Rooms and corridors: not even remotely sound proof. I could hear every drunk, every footstep from every room surrounding my own as though they were in my own room. Made sleeping rather difficult. Another thing that made sleeping rather difficult was the mega uncomfortable bed. That's a mattress that sorely needs replacing. TV was mounted on a weird angle and had dreadful sound issues. Upside was the HDMI ports weren't locked out, so I was able to use my Android TV box which had perfect sound… so I guess there's a loose aerial connection or something weird with the hotel's system. Dunno. But freeview/cable was a no-go. Fridge barely kept items cold. Place wasn't clean. Toilet roll holder wasn't even attached completely. This is a place I would only stay at again for 80 bucks or less a night. There are much better options in similar price ranges.

The best hotel in terms of budget, location and room structure. It is close to at least 4 tram Station and is within the free tram zone. The front desk is manned, but I believe the receptionist does a lot of other work too. That keeps her away from the reception most of the time. But, just press the bell and she'll be there. The staff is courteous. There is a bar and restaurant just next to the hotel and Southern Cross Station is at a walking distance.

The customer service is like nothing I’ve ever experienced, having flown in after a nights travel we got to our room and there was construction on our roof. Went down to the front desk and asked if we could change rooms or resolve the issue so we could just get a couple of hours sleep. The front desk told me there is no noise in our room so we just had to deal with it. This noise was for our whole stay there. Rooms never got made towels never got changed. If your looking to stay here I would strongly recommend you reconsider. Worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at.

We booked this hotel but ended up cancelling (at their request). Watch out for them — they charge a credit card fee which they do not refund. But this is not the worst thing — after I amended my booking, they did not refund the correct amount and have not responded despite numerous emails explaining the numbers and providing copies of my credit card statements. I have tried to phone but they do not answer the phone. The only time I managed to speak to someone, she asked me to cancel my bookings so that they could refund me properly, but they did not do this.

Lovely family run hotel. Awesome staff so friendly. Rooms are basic but have everything you need. Close to Queen Victoria Markets. Close to train station.

Staff is friendly and helpful with all your questions. The Room is small, but clean with very pretty basic facilities. Door doesn't block much internal noise though. Otherwise, price is unbeatable.

My friend and I stay at Hotel Sophia from 18/5 to 24/5/18. Stay purpose was for business training and just used the room for night. We requested for clean cups and room cleaning but the service was not done. Really bad for what they charged $90 per night. Reason we select this due to some reviews are 3 stars so we don't want you to get the same experience.

— Room not made two days in a row. When notified they were indifferent. — Thin walls — you can hear EVERYTHING from the rooms around you. I literally got 1 hour sleep. — Milk in the fridge was 5 months overdue. When notified staff was indifferent. — Breakfast — eat if you dare. — Good location. — There was an espresso machine. — My room card was one use only: went down to the reception on four occasions to get it re-magnitused to open my door. They explained that it’s for one use only and cannot do anything about it.

It was amazing In the heart of downtown, walking distance from the sky bus and train. Cozy place, a little small but you don't need a big room. Nice staff. Very friendly. I would definitely go back! Reasonable prices. It is less if you sign up online.

Nice place. Pretty basic facilities. I'd rate it higher but the taps and toilet were flakey and I struggled to get them working.

They didn't mention about Deposit when I booked it, they charged me 150 extra and still couldn't get it. I highly recommend you to not staying here. mostly the staffs were extremely rude. to staff, think what if you guys be treated like that ;

Good rooms, cheap cooked breakfast, excellent location, close to central station and free tram. Would happily stay there again.

Really good for the price paid — definitely recommend for those after a reasonably priced stay. No luxury features, decor a bit shabby and facilities too. But like I said, worth it for what was paid.

Excellent service. Thanks Loboni. We really enjoyed our stay. Great location in the city. We will definitely stay again when we visit Australia again.

Our rooms were separated by a door to another occupied room, and adjoining to the lingerie that starts at 6:30 in the morning, from the sheets not changing to our arrival, a completely stained carpet and a moldy fridge, there is by cons a nice coffee machine "pod" but its NS the latter. Strange stay at the Sofia Hotel, unfortunately well placed.

Not great! The carpets in the rooms are really dirty, the hotel is very poorly insulated for noise, the doors of the rooms close hardly, so we hear each neighbor talking, close his door, sneeze… Not to mention the maid who vacuums the door at 8:30 a. M.
The sheets are not changed from one day to the next, we hope however that they are changed from one customer on the other… In any case there cleanliness remains very dubious! We see that the women of the rooms are not very concerned with the fact of doing a good job (cans of empty tissues upon our arrival, unemerged tea, stains on unironed sheets) positive Points, there is air conditioning, and it is close to the center by not being I expensive than that, the breakfast is 6 dollars, but the still nothing crazy, sliced bread that must surely date in part of the day before, eggs, bacon, coffee (not top) orange juice and cereals. We see that this is not super quality products but for the price it is honest.

Never stay here, the rooms are dirty, the staff rude and quite frankly does not deserve the ratings it has elsewhere. When contacting the manager I have had no luck because of the rude and ignorant receptionist.

Location is great. Just a few minutes away from the South Central Station you can reach anything within a short walk. The Room is small, but clean an you got everything you need. A cozy bed, a clean shower and towels and a small fridge for your convenience. Staff is friendly and helpful with all your questions. I recommend it.

Excellent receptionist. Clean kitchen and caters at reception.

Excellent service and friendly staff. The rooms were really clean and everything you need. The breakfast was cheap and the food was awesome. I will definitely stay here when I visit Melbourne again.

Would never stay there again. Would never recommend.

Horrible! We found blood in our bedsheets, they didn't want to change it until we yelled on their faces! Very bad service and not clean.

Solid hotel. Comfy beds and great location. However loses a star because of lack of Wi-Fi and iron in the room.

Well for sure if everyone looking at hotel Sophia its a waste of your money, your time and savings. The rooms was filthy and unstable if you could fix up your rooms and and customer service more at least you would have a chance but you took the hard. Not happy at all.

The smell of the room made me nauseous, there were no chairs or places where I could lie my luggage and no storage facilities at all. The reception lady was rather blunt and rude and it wasn't specified that the bathroom was located outside the room. At least it was clean enough but I found some pubes lying around.

One star for the nice night shift staff. That's the only good thing. Very poorly designed and maintained room without even a proper power outlet. Rooms are separated with wooded board so I can clearly overhear nextdoor chatting. Some machine is making very loud noise every half an hour. Worst of the worst. A $40 backpacker can be much better.

Honestly, I have stayed here twice in the past. Once in September 2016 and then about 4 years before. Both stays have been great, the rooms were clean, the included breakfast is always awesome and the service was fantastic. This is actually my go to hotel for when I stay in Melbourne because it is so close to everything. Yes there may be construction and road noise, but what hotel doesn't have that these days! They even let me hold my bags there for a few hours in between my checking out and moving into my new apartment. If you want something simple, with great breakfast and old school charm, this is the place to go!

Small but clean and comfortable rooms. I walked in off the street at 12.30am after flying in late to Tullermarine, staff was more than welcoming. Coffee in room was pod or coffee bag, which is much better than instant sachet coffee that you get at most hotels. Good value for money.

Rooms far to small the bed was against the wall on one side and only a few inches on the other side. No room for the best table which was at the foot of the bed. No room for your luggage. Water pressure was low. Hotel under renovations which they didn't warn us about or apologize for. Breakfast wasn't as good as the last time we stayed and not included like we thought it was. It's a budget hotel in a convenient location and it is clean. Fella on reception not at all friendly. Wont stay there again.

Worst hotel I have ever stayed in, room was run down and low water pressure. There was a large crack x2 on the window that let in all the street sound of a night. There was never any staff manning the desk and when we finally did get someone we felt like we were inconvincing them. We paid extra for a hot breakfast that was supposed to be available after 7am we got an egg at 7.45. Steer clear of this one!

Rooms are decent, small but clean. Aircon and TV which is good. Pressure in the shower could be better.

Very disappointing. This hotel is extremely unprofessional. Due to unforeseen circumstances it was necessary to cancel my reservation on their web site cancellation form. This took place within 30 minutes of the booking. However, they did not reverse the charges and it then cost me $55 as a cancellation fee. Their web site advertises no cancellation fee so beware of their promises! They continually emailed me so say they would contact me to clarify the matter, but this never took place. I will never stay at this hotel in the future!

Its bad! Old rooms, tired staff, they don't provide amenities which they promise on their website. 1. If you book through third party website (expedia etc), then expect a 30mins delay when you arrive at reception for check in, as their website has no direct integration with third party websites. They will search manually either by phone or external websites to verify your booking. 2. Ex: Basic ironing and board was part of standard room, but you will not find it in standard room, you have ask them as it is shared among multiple rooms. 3. To have your breakfast you need to enter a special room, which can be unlocked only by receptionist. After you enter, there is only one chef who denies to cook for most of what you ask. Btw $6 deal, which is OK. 4. I caught up back pain, after sleeping on these beds. Overall I would say, avoid it, you dont get what they promise, moreover no respect on your expectations, there are many other good and cheap hotels.

Was worried that we will just be dissapointed with this hotel after the reading the reviews. Our flight was canceled and needed to book a room for a night came across with this hotel and booked. The king size befroom that we got was clean and has comfortable bed. A TV and an aircon in the room. There is a hair dryer in the bath room and extra towels. Also kettle and coffee machine tablet. I would comeback here again next time. Although they have a really slow connection internet. But overall this hotel is really good for a price.

Hotel Sophia is by far the worst accommodation I've ever stayed in. There was loud unannounced construction going on in the upper floors of the building, as well as refurbishment in the lobby which meant it was impossible to get to the reception desk without navigating around wet paint and workers. At no point were we informed that it was going to be taking place, nor were any efforts made by the staff to avoid inconveniencing guests (we frequently had to jump over wet painted areas since both entryways were so blocked — good luck with heavy luggage! ) As seen in the photos, the "double bed" is made from two single beds pushed together, and you can really feel it while you're trying to sleep. The carpet was also stained in multiple places both in our room and in the hallway. Our window had a large crack through the middle of the glass. The walls are paper thin, and not only can you hear conversations in adjacent rooms, but the alleyway beside the hotel had trucks moving loudly through it at 5am most mornings. The bathrooms are out in the public hallway, shared between guests. The key cards also override the locks, meaning anyone can barge into your shower stall. Toilet paper was not provided in the bathrooms, nor was there anything to dry your hands with unless you brought a towel from your room. The hairdryer was broken and the maintenance tag implies it has been broken for years without replacement or repair.

Hotel sophia is on great spot nice and close to all the night clubs. Only a little walk to crown. Rooms are nice and cozzy.

This is definitely a budget hotel — but our double room was clean and comfortable. Missing toilet roll holder, some sketchy fittings and a heater that refused to work stopped this place from being a 4 star though.

The Wi-Fi is basically non-existent. Don't bother asking the front desk to help you with it because they don't really care to help. Room was spacious but nothing fancy. Literally never someone at the front desk. Sad water pressure. For this price, I don't expect much but more than this at least. Won't EVER come back again.

Stayed here recently for 4 nights. Rooms small but clean with ok beds. Walls paper thin — had idiots next door who partied til 3am and we heard everything! Rubbish picked up outside our window every night too — no hope of a decent night's sleep. Ate in bar one night — cheap and ordinary food. Manager is incredibly rude to staff — embarrassing to watch. Barked orders but did absolutely nothing to help — no such thing as teamwork here. Poor staff deserve medals for working for this bloke. Very understaffed as there was never anybody in reception or manning the bar. One girl was taking food orders, running bar, fetching food from kitchen and manning reception — absolutely ridiculous. Do yourself a favour and pay a few extra dollars and stay at the Ibis Budget if this is your price range.

The room looked like it hadn't had a decent clean for a quite while. Room filled with the smell of garlic after lunch. Bar staff were MIA every time we wanted a drink after a day of wandering. Housekeeping do your room at 4-5pm in the afternoon when you are usually in there getting ready to go out or relaxing after the day. King Bed was two hard singles pushed together. Walls paper thin — neighbours alarm at 7am woke us up each day. Current renovations they're doing looked dodgey af. But it was $80 a night in a convenient spot on a long weekend, so we probably got what we paid for.

Hotel Sophia was very clean with a king sized bed and lots of extra towels and pillows. We were also supplied with a coffee pod machine with pods, a kettle, tea bags, bar fridge, milk, shampoo, conditioner, soap, shower caps. Unfortunately, our shower taps were reversed (hot water came out of the cold water tap), the hairdryer was broken and we had a plumber let himself into our room without warning in the morning, but overall it was a pretty good experience. I would not recommend for a romantic getaway, but its perfect for a night or two away when you want to explore the city.

This was my first stay at this hotel for the Australian Open in January 2017. Not a bad position, no trams on this street. Breakfast was OK, same to pick from every day, could only eat there 2/5 days. Mattress was old, could feel the springs, woke with a sore back each morning. Room was small and noisy, with street traffic, fortunately I was only there to sleep. For $89 a night it is was OK. I was alarmed to see that the Hotel had raised their nightly rate for the same time in 2018 by $100 a night (now $189 a night). Certainly not worth $189 a night. I have booked elsewhere for 2018! Oh and don't expect to check in before 2:00pm!

We stay at this hotel for 4 nights. When we check with the counter why there was no room cleaning, surprisingly I was told by the staff that room service can only provided after 3 nights stay. We were told that breakfast starts at 7am. The staff only prepare the breakfast when we were ready there for the breakfast at 7am sharp and it took 30 minutes to get the food ready.

My friend was staying there and I was with him checking in. The staff were wonderfully friendly and the rooms were nice and clean.

Would give no stars if I could. Manager was rude and nasty. Refused to show us the room. Took a full charge for the three nights when we cancelled. She has been dodging my calls and refusing to reply to my emails.

Good value for money, good location.

Clean. Comfortable, plus friendly and helpful staff. Well located. Construction work next door a nuisance but offset by all the pluses. Good meals, pleasant ambiance and good value. Will go back again.

Was a no show but that was ok the room was paid for BUT HOTEL SOPHIA TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES TO THE CREDIT CARD DETAILS AND TOOK OUT THE $150 on the Monday of the so called check out that did not happen. 7 days later we are still awaiting the funds returned. Never again.

Friendly staff. Good beds, clean rooms, highly recommend.

We stayed for 4 nights. The room is a bit small but very clean. The staff at the from were very friendly and helped with directions. This hotel is very close to bus and trams. There are a lot of great eating places with in 3 or 4 blocks. We will recomend to others.

Good price point but very uncomfortable bed. I could feel every spring digging into me. Small rooms but everything you need considering you are only sleeping there…

Paper thin walls, could not sleep all nigh. I could hear neighbours all night talking.

Clearly other people reviewing had a bad experience. For me, it cost $6 more than I typically elsewhere for a room with shared bathroom. For that I got air con, a private bathroom, and a lift. Best $6 I ever spent. Staff were helpful and polite. The room was more than big enough, and quiet. Wifi worked OK. And it's walking distance to Southern Cross which is very useful when arriving late night. I travel a lot on business, but I'm no Bronwyn Bishop. My expectations were "cheap and nasty, " but I was so happy with it that I'm specifically booking with Sophia (rather than "cheapest on search") when I return to Melbourne. Some have written that the good reviews must be fake. I'm not. I've stayed there exactly once, and was very happy. I'm not reviewing every room and every staff member.

Never, ever again! I think I would rather sleep in the back of my car than ever go near this "hotel" again. A last minute booking due to some changes in plans. After I booked, arrived and paid in full for my room, the young man at reception handed me my room card, informed me that I was on the third floor and then happily told me that the lift was out of order and I'd have to carry my luggage up the stairs myself. 10 flights of stairs later (I counted) I, my heavy suitcase and two pieces of hand luggage eventually arrived at my "Superior" room. What a dump! I walked into a foul smelling room with a huge gross stain of some description in the middle of the carpet — carpet which would have been more suited to an outdoor construction site. The room had one of those old time connecting doors to the next door room — a connecting door which was paper thin and may as well not have been there for all the privacy it provided. I could hear every single second of the "enthusiastic" couple next door, their subsequent shower, conversation and everything in between. Did I mention the room stank? I was actually really shocked by this stage because I had been expecting the usual 4 star standard. This was more like an ultra-budget motel. I forgot to mention that I had confirmed previously that there was hotel parking available — when I arrived I was directed to park my car at the train station (at least a ten minute fast walk away from the hotel) at a cost of $41 per night!

The worst hotel ever — — The walls of the room are so thin that you can clearly hear what your next door's neighbours are talking, what TV they are watching, what song they are listening. I could hear a Chinese couple talking even at 4AM. Moreover, TWO construction sites start working at 7AM to wake you up for breakfast. I made a complaint about this. The hotel staff said there was no room for me to change. What they could do is to give my neighbour a warning in Mandarin. I really could not enjoy my stay there. I will definitely not consider this hotel again.

I would give this hotel 0 stars if it were an option. Me and my partner stayed here and they charged us twice, got told by the lady at reception we were 'ruining her day and that we should go away' when all we were doing was trying to figure out what to do. After an hour into our argument they decided to give us a free night, but on arrival still took out TWO deposits rendering me basically penniless for the remainder of our stay. do not stay here.

Hotel Sophia isn't flash but it is excellent value for money in Melbourne. We stayed there for two nights and will stay again — the room was reasonably big, and nice and clean, and the service was good. We took a room with shared bathroom, which was fine; I think I'd generally prefer an ensuite when I can, but they keep the shared bathrooms clean and dry. I've stayed in premises in Melbourne that provided far less at double the cost. The breakfast is plentiful and the staff were always helpful when we had a request. Not for someone who likes their hotel to be a luxury treat, but is the best budget hotel I have found in Melbourne so far.

The room was microscopic, no room for even a bag, reception could never be found, not at desk. Didn't even stay one night, noisy smelly and definitely not 4 star. Unless you are a mouse don't stay here, parking is ten minutes away walking uphill, no valet parking available. Expensive for what it is.

WARNING, stay here at your own peril. The most inefficient service we have ever encountered can be found at this, so called, hotel. Our credit card was mistakenly charged for 5 rooms, when we only booked 2. Over two weeks later and we are still waiting for our refund. We are also still waiting for our $150 'security deposit' that was charged off our credit card before we landed a foot in the hotel. I wonder about the legality of holding customers money for this length of time. 'Complimentary' breakfast was ok, as was cleanliness of the place — room looked out to a building site so, no early wake up call is necessary. The King size bed is two singles pushed together, careful you don't fall through the gap. Coffee pod machine is provided, but no coffee pods, so bring your own. Staff do not speak much English, so practise your Chinese so you can get your complaint across. And even if you do get your complaint across, staff simply do not care to even apologise. I would rather stay in a family room at a backpackers.

Worst hotel experience of my life. The staff were rude and unhelpful. Make sure you are 30 minutes early for breakfast because the impatient elderly chef will switch of all appliance and your food will be cold. The room was tiny and the sheets were stained. do not go here.