I was a game show contestant, and needed someplace to stay that was close to the studio (to save a long, early morning drive). The closest hotel I found on Wotif.com was the Richmond Hill. I booked the day before my stay.
Upon arrival, check-in was swift and professional. I was led to my room, number 107, by the clerk. As we went down a few steps, it appeared that my room was partially subterranean (though it had big windows, so it wasn't too dark).
There are several different kinds of rooms in the hotel. Some use shared bathrooms, but I wanted my own shower and toilet so I booked an ensuite room with a double bed.
The room was on an outside wall, which was solid brick (painted white) and COLD. In fact, the room was like a refrigerator when we entered it from the nice, warm corridor (which had a nice, old-fashioned cast iron radiator). My room didn't have any heating fitted. All that was provided was one of those small oil-filled heaters, and it had to be turned on. As it ended up, it took about 5 hours until the room was sufficiently warm to remove my coat. I left the thing running overnight because I was afraid I'd wake up to a freezing cold room (the outside temperature was around 0 degrees C).
The room had a small but adequate TV, a bar fridge under the desk, and an electric kettle for making tea or instant coffee. I wanted to make a cup of tea while watching TV but had to unplug the TV to do so, and I solved that dilemma by making the tea during the commercial.
Furnishings were plain but in good order.
There was an ensuite bathroom on the room, and it was clean and modern. It was long and narrow, but quite adequate, with the sink in front of the door as you entered, the toilet to the left, and the shower to the right. The whole bathroom was the width of the shower stall. There were no shelves or storage spaces in the bathroom to put things you needed to use (like makeup), and no hair dryer . If the TV station's makeup and hair people weren't doing it all for me later that morning, I would've been annoyed. But on this occasion, I wasn't.
The bed was OK, not lumpy or anything like that. It was made up with crisp, white sheets.
I did have some difficulty getting to sleep initially because the bathroom for the room next door backed onto the wall where my bed's headboard was. I kept hearing a man using the toilet right behind my head, and the sound of water hitting water came through LOUD and CLEAR. Once I fell asleep, I didn't notice it anymore.
My tariff included "continental breakfast", which was served buffet-style in the dining room. I made myself some toast from the bread I chose, had a cuppa, and enjoyed it very much. Kudos for the lovely breakfast.
Would I stay at the Richmond Hill again? Sure, why not? - if I had business in Richmond again, that is. I would, however, ensure that I had a heated room.
My husband said I should've rung the front desk to complain about the cold, but I figured they'd probably bring me another heater, and if I wanted to plug it in, I'd have to forego TV. And those little oil-filled things take ages to warm up a room (I was considering buying one for a chilly room in my house, but now I'm not).