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The Benson Hotel offers boutique newly refurbished rooms and suites suitable for all types of travellers. Offering Standard, Superior, Terrace and Suite room types with picturesque views of the mountains, Coral Sea and city centre. Each room includes complimentary Wi-Fi, ensuite with walk in shower, smart TV with Netflix capabilities, reverse cycle air conditioning, desk and tea and coffee making facilities. Onsite facilities include an outdoor pool and deck area, onsite restaurant and bar on Level 3 and multiple event spaces. The restaurant is open for breakfast daily and dinner with live entertainment on Fridays & Saturdays
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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The Benson Hotel is appreciated for its vibrant atmosphere and central location, favored by guests for the ease of accessing local attractions and dining. However, some travelers note that the lively ambiance can lead to noise disturbances.
While the rooms are generally found to be clean and spacious, there are mixed feelings about the hotel's value, with additional costs and inconsistent service cited by several reviewers. Cleanliness and maintenance have also garnered mixed reviews, though the amenities, including a good breakfast, are typically well-received.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We stayed here for one night, being locals we wanted to do a pub crawl around Cairns, this hotel is excellent, lovely fresh rooms, bar area great & a well stocked bar, all the staff we encountered were professional and very welcoming, breakfast was excellent their eggs Benson got the thumbs up, plus the Chef is thinking outside the box with kale instead of the usual spinach, loved it. We will be back on our next overnight extravaganza in Cairns. A huge thanks to Bensons for brightening up our city.
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Date of stay: August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 31 Aug 2021
Hi anthonykJ4031YP, Truly appreciate the review and the wonderful comments from your fun trip in Cairns. Delighted to read you enjoyed our restaurant, bar and facilities and a memorable breakfast to top it all off. We hope to see you again soon! The Benson Hotel team
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The hotel is still undergoing renovations and we were so lucky to have a fully refurbished brand new room on level 6 which was absolutely gorgeous. We stayed for 6 days 5 nights. It’s in the perfect location and walking distance to the wharf, Bus stops, Woolworths and lots of restaurants.
The front of the hotel (outside) is still old so it does throw you off upon arrival. Then once you walk in to the lobby your greeted by the amazing staff and the look of a 5 star hotel.
Our flight was early and we arrived at the hotel at 10am. Our room obviously wasn’t ready yet and reception advised they would try to prioritise the cleaning of our room. We left our luggage at reception and went for a walk. came back just before 12 and our room was ready for us earlier than check in time which was fantastic.
I highly recommend paying that little big extra for the buffet breakfast which has a great variety of cereals, fresh fruits, pastries, hot food and even barista made coffee. My favourite was the eggs Benedict.
The rooms have a sliding door to a very small balcony which is probably 1/2 metre long and 2 metres wide.Just enough to get some fresh air.
We had issues with our brand new fridge and within 10 minutes of calling reception maintenance was up to fix the problem.
The staff were all so friendly and helpful (even though I was asking a million questions a day) I loved how they were all wearing black casual/comfortable clothing but still very well presented and professional. You could see that it was basically one big happy family and the staff truly enjoyed working there. Which then carried on to receiving one of the best hotel customer service you could ask for.
Whilst here, You must also try the Yuros from the Greek restaurant across the road called Feta. Family owned restaurant, amazing flavours and the best value for money.
Do yourself a favour and book your stay at the Benson Hotel :)
Rob & Nat
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 24 May 2022
Dear Rob and Nat, It was our pleasure to look after you during this recent stay and we are thrilled you had a brilliant Far North Queensland getaway! Sincere thanks for taking the time to do a thorough review of your experience - we are looking forward to welcoming you back for your next adventure. Ian and The Benson Hotel team
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Stayed overnight at Benson Bronze room with 2 double beds at Level 8.
The room is semi refurbished but the bathroom is as old as probably 4 decades ago. Had a mountain/city view and could see the nice pool from our room. A sliding door to access the balcony which was only half a meter.
Buffet breakfast was included which was the highlight of our stay (includes one barista coffee). Location was good too as only 10 mins walk to the wharf as we were catching a ferry to Fitzroy Island.
This was the old Rydges hotel which I stayed at 18 years ago. I can’t remember how it was then but I would be hesitant to to stay here unless it’s fully refurbished room. The bronze room was ok for the price I paid but anything more than $200 you will be disappointed due to the bathroom is so outdated. The gold room are the ones fully renovated so far.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Just book gold rooms to avoid disappointment.
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Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 24 May 2022
Dear Sabb11y, Thank you for your feedback and as mentioned, we have tiered room options for our guests to choose from to meet all budgets. We do hope to welcome you back in one of our fully renovated Gold Rooms in the near future. Ian and The Benson Hotel team.
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My wife and I stay here for our first visit to Cairns. We found it via Booking.com and doing some research discovered that it was only just opening. It had previously been the Rydges Plaza Cairns and underwent a refurbishment and rebranded to a Choice Hotel.
Unfortunately, the refurbishment wasn't fully completed one our stay, we discovered it wasn't expected to be completed until early to late 2022.
It was obvious on arrival as the receptions area was done out spectacularly in marble and bright fresh white.
The staff were extremely pleasant and helpful throughout our stay but that is where our enjoyment of the hotel ended.
We could see that the 3rd floor restaurant had been refurbished as well as it looked fabulous but everywhere else was still drab, old and poorly constructed. The walls may have had a lick of paint but overall a shabby looking place.
The lifts were old and noisy. The hallways/corridors fresh looking but dated. The rooms were a complete disappointment.
The bathrooms haven't been touched in the refurbishments, still dated and ill fitting fixtures. It just didn't feel clean.
The bedroom has a massive space with no furniture in it, which we later learned would have a couch there, but not due for at least another 9 months.
The carpet tiles were new and so was the TV but very little else.
The "balcony" and door to it were dangerous looking.
The bed was maybe new but not obviously so, and either way it was so uncomfortable and provided with a terrible nights sleep.
Sleep was also interrupted by all of the lights that are in the room, from the TV, smoke alarms, fridge and coming under the door which had a gap of about an inch.
The lights in the room were not atmospheric as they were blindingly bright and misplaced.
Overall not a place we would return to even if it did eventually look like what is shown on their website.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Daniel Allia, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 16 Aug 2021
Hi PomAdventure, Thank you for your feedback and for your kind sentiments regarding our team - they will will be very pleased! It is a shame to to see that there were several things you didn't enjoy about your stay with us and what is more disappointing is that we didn't hear about these at the time. We pride ourselves on offering a great experience and being able to remedy any concerns for guests during their stay. Even if expectations may be different at least the communication is there. We'd still like to have a chat with you so we can look into the details you've mentioned and will send you a private message. For the benefit of other readers we aim to be very transparent in what we offer at the Benson Hotel and the ongoing project. The rooms underwent a refresh with carpets paint, curtains, new bedding and 55 inch TVs. The pricing is attractive for a Boutique hotel with great services in the heart of the city of Cairns! Thank you The Benson Team
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We enjoyed a one night stay at The Benson on the weekend of the Cairns Festival. The city was buzzing and we appreciated the location of the hotel as it is easy walking to The Esplanade. The rooms have been renovated (this building used to be a Rydges hotel and was built almost 40 years ago) and the bathroom in our room was “original” but still very clean and comfortable. The beds were excellently comfortable and the room had a huge flat screen TV. However, with several night clubs nearby, we could hear the sounds of partiers until quite late. We enjoyed excellent views of the city, hills and the ocean from our little balcony. And after an excellent breakfast (included in the price) we walked across the road to wander through Rusty’s market.
Overall, an affordable and trendy “new” hotel with some residual character of a mid-80s built in an excellent but noisy location.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
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Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 31 Aug 2021
Dear MissMapleLeaf, Thanks for the review and feedback - The Cairns Festival is a brilliant city wide yearly event and we are so pleased we could be your home away from home during this visit. Great to read you had a great stay and enjoyed our refreshed hotel rooms, please do not hesitate to contact us in future stays so we can offer assistance with minimising noise impacts from our great location. We look forward to welcoming you back soon | The Benson Hotel team
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I stopped off at Rusty's Market and found this hotel across the road. The lady at reception was very friendly and helpful. The old guy with grey hair gave me a bad vibe when I asked what was the value of the complimentary breakfast. He asked me, "why do you need to know?" So I know how much to order. Should be pretty obvious mate. The complimentary breakfast had no low carb/keto options. I eventually decided to get the breakfast burger and asked the waitress if they could take out the egg yolk. She said they couldn't because it was mixed into the burger. Didn't know what that meant. I just removed the egg yolk when it came out. The burger buns and cheese slices looked extremely processed while covered in a thick layer of BBQ sauce so I didn't eat it. Rooms are spacious and well equipped with nice views of the city. The bathroom had a decently sized bathtub. Overall a 4/5 star experience. That old guy and the poor breakfast was the reason it's not 5/5 stars.
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 21 Feb 2022
Dear Bruciferous, Thanks for the review and appreciate the candid feedback which we have shared with the team to improve on. We appreciate your patronage and look forward to welcoming you back - Ian and The Benson Hotel team
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Best value in town. We booked a King room - very reasonably priced and the price included breakfast for 2. We booked the seafood buffet for dinner. I was more than happy paying $79 for all you can eat mussels, prawns, bugs and crab ..... but there were 3 salads, a variety of cheeses and crackers, plus 2 types of cake and fruit salad for dessert .... plus a free drink (beer, wine or soft drink), plus a choice of a main meal off the a la carte menu ...... and to top everything off, there was a 20% discount on the food and drinks because we were locals. The seafood was incredible and so were the cocktails. To be honest we had three plates of seafood each and couldn't eat a main meal. We did share a tapas plate of haloumi fritters that were delicious (included in the price). Thoroughly recommend the Benson for a great local getaway. Best value around, plus the staff couldn't do enough for you.
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Parking costs $20 for the night, but the security of the carpark was worth it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 21 Feb 2022
Dear Jeffkann, We are thrilled we were your home away from home for this recent getaway in Cairns. The team and I thank you for the wonderful feedback and are looking forward to welcoming you back again soon. Ian and The Benson Hotel team
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This hotel will likely be lovely in 12 months when it is finished but currently still has the feel of an old Rydges about it. At the moment it is ludicrous that they are charging full price to stay here, as many areas of the hotel are still under construction with some even unable to be used. The bathrooms are still to be renovated so very old and worn, the aircon system is loud and rattley, the room was very bare, felt thrown together and was not at all well equipped. Some of the staff were great but others were rude. Thankfully we didn’t have to pay full price as we were moved from our original booking, because that hotel was used for quarantine. When we extended our stay in cairns and looked at the prices here, we found an alternative hotel very close by that was cheaper, nicer and complete with all facilities available for use.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Daniel Allia, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 19 July 2021
Hi Gemma P We understand that the relocation from your chosen hotel to The Benson may not have been what you were expecting. It is a shame if it has somewhat overshadowed your experience. We do thank you for sharing your feedback with us and please rest assured wherever there may be an area for improvement we listen and work on it. We encourage guests visiting Cairns to do a rate shop around town and see what the value is like to determine what works best for their budget and comfort. We trust we represent good value in the mix and will aim to do so in the future. Thanks again Gemma hope you enjoyed the remainder of your time in Cairns! Warmest regards The Benson Team
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As a family of four, we stayed at The Benson for about 5 nights. The hotel is well situated just a few blocks from The Esplanade and it’s bars and restaurants. The hotel is opposite the weekend markets called Rusty’s. I booked a room facing the harbour, the hotel pool etc. as I read that rooms facing the other way can hear the partying all night at Gilligan’s partying backpackers. The rooms were of good standard of big queen beds but the door handle to the bathroom was broken. The room was always cleaned late in the afternoon so if we returned mid afternoon to the room it was still in the state we left it in. The bathroom floor had not been cleaned in the time we stayed there and there were no tea or coffee making facilities which I have never come across in my life before having stayed in hundreds of motels and hotels. The staff were kind and helpful. Because of the above faults I should rate the hotel 3.5 stars but because of the friendly staff I have rated it 4 stars.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian Pirodon, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 10 Oct 2022
Dear Curious47850018557 Thank you for your review and choosing to stay with us. Appreciate the feedback about the hotel service and information provided and we will review this with our team - please do not hesitate to contact us during your stay in future so we can help assist with making the stay better. We do serve a self serve coffee and tea making facility in all our rooms, they are in our drawers in the new rooms and above the minibar on the refreshed rooms. The Benson Hotel team
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Not good enough. To charge $200+ for a noisy, half finished room in a hotel touting itself as boutique is a joke. They are trying to window dress an old hotel and not doing a good job at all - clearly being done on the cheap. Thé whole atmosphere is cold and soulless, bad interior designing so unsuited. Upstairs terrace is vast, especially as there’s no one there. Food is average, bar drinks a 3 star standard at 5 star prices. Staff didn’t care at all, bad bad customer service, had attitude and poorly trained. One person did say that not many liked working there, that the owner was not a nice man but they needed the job. Seriously go to Crystalbrook for the same price and you’ll get a vastly superior and more enjoyable experience than the Benson. Definitely won’t be returning or recommending!!!
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Daniel Allia, General Manager at The Benson Hotel
Responded 6 Aug 2021
Dear Intrepidtraveller333, We are having difficult reconciling your stay in June to our hotel system database. With our doors opening on the 01st of July 2021, we’ve made no false illusions around the fact the building was built in 1984 or about the Benson Hotel building development; which is a reimagining of the former space in a 2-part project. For interested parties: Part One includes a full refurbishment of the hotel foyer, level 3 bar and restaurant and our event spaces. The elevated pool terrace has a facelift, really opening up the space and opportunity for some wonderful local events to be held here in the future! 56 bedrooms have had a refresh which includes new carpet, paint, curtains, bedding and installation of new 55-inch TVs. The bathrooms have had minor touch ups and the room joinery (which presents well) is also pre-existing. The exterior of the hotel was thoroughly cleaned and has been completely painted. Part Two of the project will see a full refurbishment of the 101 rooms and a revisit to the pool area bringing the hotel to a 4.5-star level. There is even some talk about the addition of another rooftop bar! We really don’t claim to be a 5-star product and encourage guests thinking about staying with us to do a rate shop online and see where we sit in the market. Our new and friendly team are group of professionals and add to the hotel’s aesthetic and service offering. As for the ambience, like in any place will in no doubt grow and blossom as the building and team settle in! The Benson Team
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There are more places to choose from in the Cairns area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$174 - AU$309 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
AustraliaQueenslandCairns RegionCairns
NUMBER OF ROOMS
101
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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