I stayed there for 3 nights, stay was very helpful, located in the hub of CBD, CAT & Transperth bus service available at max 100 m walk, Halal food is not a problem (a Lebanese food shop is available), Subway, KFC all nearby 2 minutes walk.
shopping centers are at 200 m walk.
Very quick Check in & Check out service provided by Hotel.
Complimentary Soft Drinks were provided when we arrived at hotel.
Perth Connect (Air port transport shuttle bus service) dropped & picked up at 30 m walking distance.

Hotel situated in the main street and rooms at the back suffer very little street noise. Room small, decor very old and tired. the lighting was totally unsuitable for reading and the en suite bathroom smelled like sewage.Bed was comfortable with good mattress. The airconditioner could not be set below 18 degrees, never actually got below 20 and came out of the arc. The air conditioner automatically switched off when you left the room which meant that you walked back into an extremely hot, stuffy and smelly room.WhenI enquired I was given a spare key so that the air conditoner could remain on whilst I went out and this helped. The inernet which was free - that was a plus -was in the main unaircondtioned foyer and you had to stand to use it. I loathe the heat with a vengence and would never stay there again.

I loved The Criterion in Perth! It's a gorgeous old Art Deco building with many original features still intact. Yes there are aspects of it that are probably suggestive of 'past glories', but considering it's right in the middle of the city you can't go far wrong if that's where you need to be.

The rooms are big and airy in that old high-ceilinged way. Lots of light via big windows - staying on the first floor and about halfway along the building between front and back, the view out of the big windows was nothing to write home about, but I guess you can't expect too much from a 70+ year old building surrounded by other building of the same or greater age. Big fully funtional bathroom, if a tad dated. In fact it's all a bit old and probably in need of some TLC - in fact, the in-room hotel guide proudly boasts of the place having been fully renovated in 1996! The Criterion's website also tells a story of it apparently having been called something else prior to 1996, painting a picture of the Criterion facade leading into an interior that was specifically designed to give the feel of yesteryear with the modern touches of today... not too sure how accurate that is! In reality the place really just looks like a very old hotel that was given an el-cheapo renovation about two decades ago and is probably in need of another one! But again, there are lots of nice Art Deco touches about the place that make up for the slightly crass mid-90s reno feel!

Complaints? A few - they're probably insigificant in the scheme of things and call them "first world problems" if you will, but they're worth nothing nonetheless:

1) I booked the room online many months before our arrival. In the online booking I clearly stated that we were three individual people requiring three individual beds - more than seven months later, we checked-in to find one single and one double bed in the room. Lucky we were family!

2) We had a leaking air-conditioner in our room. Judging by the stains on the wall and under the air-conditioning unit itself, it had been leaking for quite some time. Judging by the plastic sheeting and pile of white towels on the floor underneath the air-conditioner, the staff were fully prepared for the leak! Rather odd to go to sleep with the sound of a constant drip onto a towel in one ear.

3) When you check in, you get a "welcome drink" voucher, which is nice. The voucher is redeemable at the hotel's Cafe. It gets you either a tap soft drink - overly syrupy and sweet - or a red or white wine - both revolting. The welcome drink is a nice idea in theory, but if they're going to do it, it would be nice to not do it so obviously on the cheap.

4) The staff at the hotel's Cafe seemed to be almost entirely backpackers who were newly arrived into the country and who clearly hadn't taken many English lessons prior to their arrival. It's always slightly disconcerting when you have to tell the person at the cash register what coins you've just given them and provide instruction on how to count them! It's even more disconcerting when the only thing they seem to be able to say in English is "no worries" and when the only description they can come up with, when asked what kind of wine it is, is "a fruity grape". Hmmmm...

5) The hotel apparently has (or had) some carparking available, but it currently isn't available due to some kind of building works beside or behind the hotel (presumably the entrance to the carpark). This wasn't an issue for us, having arrived after 6pm on Christmas Eve, as on-street parking is free between 6pm-8am and all day on Public Holidays. Clearly, however, the hotel staff don't know this because when I asked them for advise on where to park, they gave me the on-street option sure enough, but then told me I should go move it into one of the nearby carparks or get a parking ticket at 8 o'clock the next morning. It's only when I read the fine print on the parking metre that I realised I didn't have to. Kinda basic stuff that I'd expect reception staff at a hotel with no parking to know. Like I said, not a big issue for us in the end, but the story could be different for others not lucky enough to be there after 6pm or on a public holiday.

Would I stay at The Criterion again? Maybe. If I needed to be somewhere in the vicinity of 560 Hay Street. It worked for me this time as I was only staying one night. But Perth's far too beautiful to stay somewhere with no view, so I'd probably choose somewhere with a nicer outlook next time I need to stay in the Perth CBD.

Don't stay in this hotel if you have other choice. This hotel is very rundown. The room is very small and everything looks old. I asked for a triple bedded room and I got a room with the size of a single room. In this very small room, there is one single bed and a queen size bed with no headboard. There is a side table between the beds which is too small to hold the digital clock and the phone. We have to slant the phone so that it will not slip down. There is a small dining table with 3 chairs next to the door. There is hardly any walking space in the room. The bathroom has no towel holder so there is no place to hang the wet towels. All the taps (the vanity and the shower) are dripping no matter how hard we tried to turn the taps. The electric kettle is so rusty that it can't be used. The lighting is very bad too (too dim). The breakfast that come with the room stay has very limited choice of food. The waitress in the cafe looked very unfriendly. But, the hotel helpdesk personnel are quite friendly and helpful. The hotel is located at barrack street so it is near to many food outlets and shopping. Overall, a lousy hotel.