Rydges Newcastle (formerly Crowne Plaza Newcastle)

4.5-star property
Wharf Rd & Merewether St, Newcastle, NSW
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4.6 out of 5
Exceptional!
See all 783 Wotif Reviews

"Very convenient and clean, relaxing and close to restaurants for those who simply want to laze around " More

By a verified traveller on Mon 02 Apr 2018

Points Of Interest

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Hotel Description

A luxury stay in Newcastle awaits you at Rydges Newcastle (formerly Crowne Plaza Newcastle). You'll be within a 20-minute walk of Christ Church Cathedral and 1.6 km (1 mi) from Fort Scratchley. Highlights at this hotel include a restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool, and a bar/lounge.

All 175 rooms feature plasma TVs with satellite channels, and you can enjoy sitting areas, wired Internet, and coffee/tea makers. Minibars provide refreshments, and 24-hour room service is also available. Free newspapers, safes, and hairdryers are also available.

The restaurant, Seasalt Restaurant, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A meeting room and a business centre are among the business amenities offered. Other amenities include a fitness centre, WiFi in public areas, and laundry facilities. Full breakfast is available daily between 6 AM and 10 AM. There's also the convenience of valet parking.

Places within a 30-minute walk of this 4.5-star Newcastle hotel include Horseshoe Beach and Newcastle Ocean Baths.

Rydges Newcastle ratings based on 783 Verified Reviews

Review Summary
4.6 out of 5 4.5 out of 5.0
Room cleanliness 4.5 out of 5.0
Service & staff 4.5 out of 5.0
Room comfort 4.5 out of 5.0
Hotel condition 4.5 out of 5.0
2 out of 5

Not worth the expensive rates

Pros: The concierge service was fabulous. Very friendly, Very helpful.
Cons: Have a different (cheaper) rate for Harbour View with restricted views.
Location: Location is fabulous. Newcastle has done all the dock area up and it's just lovely with really nice restaurants.
Booked two rooms with Harbour Views and paid a fortune for each room. Don't believe it was value for money. The views were nice but restricted by the trees. The room wasn't anything exceptional. Had to move the bed to get a power point. Not a happy experience. The other room commented on that too. Pillows not very comfortable. Best part of the stay was the lovely concierge! I think we just thought we'd get more for the amount we paid per night. If I stayed again I wouldn't worry about Harbour views as it wasn't worth paying the extra and having restricted views.

Posted by on 13 Apr 2018

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4 out of 5

Homely and relaxing with good vibes and food

Very convenient and clean, relaxing and close to restaurants for those who simply want to laze around

Posted by , from sydney on 2 Apr 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

4 Apr 2018 by Courtney P

Hi Wil, Thank you for the great feedback. We are so pleased to here that you enjoyed your stay and our facilities. We hope to welcome you back to the Hotel in the near future and help you unwind once more. Regards, Courtney P

5 out of 5

Beautiful location on the harbour

Close to everything we needed, room was clean and well stocked. Staff courteous and well presented. Breakfast was tasty and generous. Will definitely stay again!

Posted by , from Windella on 24 Mar 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

4 Apr 2018 by Courtney P

Hi Charlene, Thank you for your wonderful feedback. So glad to see you enjoyed your stay here as much as we loved having you here! Looking forward to welcoming you back soon. Regards, Courtney P

4 out of 5

Wonderful service all round.

The staff were courteous and very understanding with our needs during our stay for my husband to go for an operation.

Posted by , from Port Macquarie NSW Australia on 8 Mar 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

11 Mar 2018 by Fiona O

Thank you for your feedback we hope to welcome you again soon.

2 out of 5

Rdges has work to do

Pros: position, the building, some very friendly and hard working staff
Cons: bathrooms and fittings, pricing needs to be more competitive for a 3.75* property
Location: .
This was the last day of the hotel branded as Crown Plaza, and with things like a broken chair in the room, no sugar for a coffee, eggs benedict at breakfast served on a side plate with 2 eggs, and nothing else. Also shower over bath went out in the 70's. Clearly staff and management had lost interest and had no budget. I hope Rydges can resurrect the hotel, as it is in an excellenr position in Newcastle (for my needs) and there management of other facilities seems good

Posted by on 6 Mar 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

10 Apr 2018 by Courtney P

Hi Maria, We are sincerely apologetic of the situations that you were presented with on this stay. I can assure you that this is not of our usual high standard. We would love the opportunity to showcase the true hospitality that we offer.

5 out of 5

Great spot

Pros: Location, pool
Cons: Television reception
The only gripe i have is the television reception is terrible, and $18.95 for a movie?! With a snowy picture!

Posted by , from NSW on 19 Feb 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

11 Mar 2018 by Fiona O

Thank you for your feedback, we will definitely look into the television reception in the room you stayed in and we hope to welcome you again soon.

3 out of 5
Breakfast was the best part. Staff were lovely. Dinner was over priced and ordinary.. The room was the biggest disappointment, believe we were placed in a disabled room, no bath and when you went to shower you pull a curtain around to block the toilet. The whole floor floods, slippery as. You then have to place towels over the bathroom floor to be able to safely go to the toilet after someone has showered. Over $500, wasn't worth it. Breakfast and the staff were the only thing that saved the trip.

Posted by on 10 Feb 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

11 Mar 2018 by Fiona O

Our sincerest apologies that you were disappointing by your stay, we would love the opportunity to welcome you back and alter your experience at the hotel.

3 out of 5

Soulless Event

Pros: Room size adequate
Cons: Everyone seems to come by car. Vehicular entrance to hotel is therefore critical.
Location: Proximate to what is available in Newcastle. At the moment Newcastle is re-inventing itself. Removal of the train divides the urban space.
Arriving by car I found there is no driveway to pull off a busy road. The hotel entrance is a short distance from a blind corner around which cars come at pace. There are 4 spaces as the front door to the hotel bound on each side by "No Standing" signs. Parking in the no standing zone near the corner is deadly. Getting out of the car safely is a challenge. I booked a harbour view room only to be given Room 118 - below tree line overlooking a very busy hotel family pool. So; nothing to look at. No reason to return. Stephen Goddard

Posted by , from Sydney on 30 Jan 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

11 Mar 2018 by Fiona O

Thank you for your feedback we hope to welcome you again soon.

4 out of 5
Excellent service and facility was at a beautiful location. Rooms were clean and spacious.

Posted by on 26 Jan 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

11 Mar 2018 by Fiona O

Thank you for your feedback we hope to welcome you again soon.

4 out of 5

Great Hotel Awesome Staff

Pros: Staff happy helpful and friendly
Cons: Keep the flies at bay at dinner time?
Location: We went to see for the love of mrs brown
The hotel was great staff very helpful seafood platter for dinner wine was fabo service was excellent staff where happy helpful made our stay feel special staff helped us with a taxi to our show concierge parking was great and easy to use

Posted by , from Berowra Sydney on 22 Jan 2018

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Comment from Hotel Management

11 Mar 2018 by Fiona O

Thank you for your feedback we hope to welcome you again soon.

About the Rydges Newcastle (formerly Crowne Plaza Newcastle)

Location Wharf Rd & Merewether St, Newcastle, NSW 2300

Property Features

Rydges Newcastle (formerly Crowne Plaza Newcastle) offers its guests an outdoor pool and a fitness centre. There's a restaurant on site. You can enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge. Public spaces have WiFi for a fee. A business centre and a meeting room are available. Tour or ticket assistance, multilingual staff, and concierge services are also featured at the luxury Rydges Newcastle (formerly Crowne Plaza Newcastle). Parking is available for a fee. This 4.5-star Newcastle hotel is smoke free.

  • 175 guestrooms or units
  • 4 levels
  • Dining venue
  • Bar or lounge
  • Childcare (surcharge)
  • Business facilities
  • 1 conference room
  • Breakfast available (surcharge)
  • Dry cleaning
  • Self-service laundry
  • Front desk (24 hours)
  • Staff members are multilingual
  • Storage area for luggage
  • Front desk safe
  • Tour and ticket information
  • Concierge
  • Newspapers in lobby (free)
  • Bellhop
  • Lift
  • No smoking on site

Family Friendly Amenities

  • Family Property
  • Laundry facilities
  • Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
  • Free cribs/infant beds

Internet

Available in all rooms: Wired Internet access (surcharge)

Available in some public areas: WiFi (surcharge)

Parking

Valet parking (surcharge)

Transport

  • Airport: Newcastle, NSW (NTL-Williamtown) (26.6 km / 16.5 mi)
  • Parking: Valet parking available for a surcharge

Room Amenities

Rydges Newcastle (formerly Crowne Plaza Newcastle) offers 175 forms of air-conditioned accommodation with minibars and a safe. This accommodation offers separate sitting areas. Plasma televisions come with premium satellite channels and pay-per-view films. Bathrooms include a combined bath/shower unit, complimentary toiletries and a hairdryer. Newcastle's hotel provides wired Internet access for a surcharge. Business-friendly amenities include desks, complimentary newspapers and telephones. Additionally, rooms include coffee/tea makers and an iron/ironing board. Housekeeping is provided on a daily basis.

  • Sitting area
  • Minibar
  • In-room dining (24 hours)
  • Plasma television
  • Satellite channels
  • Premium channels
  • Films for purchase
  • Coffee maker
  • Shower and tub combination
  • Cribs (free)
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Newspapers (free)
  • Hairdryer
  • Safe
  • Toiletries (free)
  • Telephone
  • Iron and ironing board
  • Desk
  • Climate control (air conditioning)
  • Ensuite bathroom
  • Connecting rooms available

Food & Drink

For a fee, guests can enjoy a full breakfast daily from 6 AM to 10 AM.

Seasalt Restaurant – This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar.

24-hour room service is available.

Nearby Activities

Recreational amenities at the hotel include an outdoor pool and a fitness centre.

  • Golfing nearby

Accessibility

If you need to make special requests for accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when booking your stay.

  • Roll-in shower
  • In-room accessibility

Hotel Policies

Check-in

  • Check-in time ends at midnight
  • Check-in time starts at 2 PM

Check-out

  • Check-out by 11 AM

Payment types

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Free cribs (infant beds)!

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Policies

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.

Fees

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Breakfast fee: between AUD23 and AUD33 per person (approximately)
  • Fee for in-room wired Internet: AUD 27.50 per 24-hour period (rates may vary)
  • Fee for wireless Internet in public areas: AUD 27.50 per 24-hour period (rates may vary)
  • Valet parking fee: AUD29.00 per day

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

Hotel Names

  • Crowne Plaza Newcastle Hotel
  • Crowne Plaza Newcastle
  • Newcastle Crowne Plaza
  • Crowne Plaza Newcastle Hotel Newcastle

You should know

  • Connecting/adjoining rooms are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property at the number on your booking confirmation.

National Rating

This property has been awarded a star rating from the Australian star ratings agency, Star Ratings Australia.