We booked this hotel before & after we went to Heron island. we paid $165 per night. The hotel now called the Rydges was like stepping back into the 70's. It even smelt that old! Our room was very tired, bedroom and bathroom needed serious refurbishment. We really didnt want to spend much time in the room. We were led to believe our breakfast was included in the room rate but on check out we were charged for this bringing our night stay to $210. just dont go there! i know there are not many hotels in the area and we didnt see any that looked any better to be honest but if you dont have to stay in gladstone then dont as there is nothing to do or see anyway.

We stayed here both on our way to and from Heron Island. The hotel was sufficient and clean, but nothing spectacular. Gladstone itself is a very industrial, average town without a lot of tourist destinations. The hotel is situated in a small downtown plaza, which is close to shops and restaurants (most of which are closed on Sunday). It is also within walking distance of the Heron Island ferry. On our first visit, we were surprised that the room had three beds. The layout and number of beds made the room feel very cramped, even with only two people in it. During our second stay, we received a suite, which was more accommodating. The hotel staff was very nice, and let us store our extra luggage with them while we were on Heron Island. However, the transportation situation was sporatic. There is a shuttle to and from the airport and the boat dock, but the front desk clerk drives it, so it only runs if they are not too busy with other activities. Overall, it seems to be the best option for people passing through to the island.

If you have to stay in Gladstone then this hotel is the best in town. It is located in Goodoon Street, which is the main street of Gladstone’s city heart, so you just walk outside and you have the shops. (Hopefully you may see someone.) I have never seen a town so quite. The hotel is a comfortable country style hotel offering harbour views from some rooms. If staying here make sure, you ask for harbour views otherwise you will just get the street view, which is rather boring. I had booked a harbour view room and on arriving, we were given room 414, which did not have a water view. I asked to be changed and they were happy enough to please. Our new room 413 was on the fourth floor and had distant views of the water and Heron Island. The room consisted of double bed, couch and two leather chairs, good size working desk, large modern TV, mini bar, air-conditioning, complimentary in-house movies, laundry service, tea and coffee facilities with a small private balcony. The hotel has a good size outdoor swimming pool with plenty of table and chairs. There is a very nice restaurant on the lobby floor. It is about 10 minutes by taxi to the airport or if driving there is ample parking available. Tip: have drinks at The Grand Hotel one block up the hill from hotel. An $8.00AUD shout of wine and beer, wine being Oyster Bay (NZ)….and $18.00 bottle for a take-away, usually $25-30 retail in a bottle shop. For a good night out go to the Yacht Club. Overall, a good quality country hotel, just make sure you book the water view rooms...the other rooms are very ordinary.

We stayed here one night before going over to Heron Island and were really pleased with the front desk's help. The hotel has a shuttle that took us down to the marina and also picked us up from the airport (we took the helicopter back after a rough sea crossing over to Heron Island) even though we weren't staying with them again that night. The hotel breakfast (not included in room rate) was adequate and fairly priced. They also had no problem with us parking our rental car in their lot while we were on Heron rather than paying for marina parking. All in all, it's the best we saw for what we needed in Gladstone.

We stayed for a night, during a months holidays mostly in apartment style accomodation.We were pleasantly surprised by a recently modernised room - very clean and quiet. We overlooked the main street -on which it was difficult to find any establishment open. There is a very obvious array of heavy industry in the city, but there must be other tourists and visitors who would like to find a restaurant within a walk of the hotel.