I needed a place to stay for 1 night in Townsville and was lucky to find a room available at The Allen as it was the last weekend of the motor racing. The Allen was the only hotel with a room available within my price range. My room was clean and comfortable but very outdated. I probably wouldn't stay much more than 1 night as there's very little storage space in the room. Only 2 small sets of drawers and no hanging space at all. While the TV was tiny and had no remote, it did come with Austar channels and there was a table, 2 chairs and an electric kettle/tea and coffee station. The room price included a free breakfast which was a nice surprise.
The real draw of The Allen is it's location and facilities. It's only a short stroll to The Strand and plenty of lovely shops and restaurants. We had breakfast and lunch at The Allen's restaurant because breakfast was free and they had a great range of $10 meals as well. The pool area looks nice and the staff were all lovely. We arrived after reception had closed and the gentleman that checked us in after hours walked us right to the door.
All in all a good spot for a stopover or maybe even a weekend away.