THE NAKED CITY: FROM SNOB HOUSE TO FLOP HOUSE

I seldom take notice of high priced hotel reviews in newspapers or magazines but a recent item in the Sydney Morning Herald (22.3.2024) caught my attention, if only for its elitist appeal. The reviewer was extolling the virtues of the Nine Orchard Hotel, a recently renovated boutique establishment in New York’s groovy Lower East Side. Steeped in history, with no expense spared in the designer fit out, it supposedly reeks of artistic good taste. The reviewer summed it up as “a unique way to experience a slice of New York history”, that’s of course if you have around $1000 (AU) a night, the starting price damage for a room.

Readers then learned that the room price included a continental breakfast with a pastry (how mighty generous) but an upgrade to an omelette would set you back another $24 (AU). Compare the deal to those offered by equally historic hotels in Malaysia and Thailand for example. Here a nicely furnished room will cost you between $60 and $100 and include what often amounts to an all you can eat banquet for breakfast. Sure it’s all about location and the difference in economies but it does demonstrate the absurd extremes when it comes to value – and those people with more money than cents or maybe ringgits.

Throughout the world there are hotels which run from $10 a night for a very basic room and shared facilities to those costing thousands of dollars if you are opting for a penthouse and the pinnacles of luxury. Here in Sydney, hotels also offer a wide range of prices but the days of the ultra cheap flop house or fleabag appear to be long gone. There are plenty of upmarket and middle priced hotels, but unless you opt for a very spartan backpackers  finding anything under $100, and half decent, is almost impossible.

Perhaps it’s a reflection of the overall housing shortage or the rising cost of everything, but even a night in a basic pub room, with a noisy band belting out covers below, will set you back around $150. It wasn’t always that way and Sydney has a long history of so called private hotels, budget hostels and the kind of skid row digs that Jack Kerouac would have lapped up had On The Road included a side trip to Australia.

From the early 1900s through to the late ‘90s, the city boasted a great selection of el cheapo hotels, many of them clustered around Central Station and the lower ends of Pitt and George streets. The West End, the Salvation Army run People’s Palace and Mansions House all offered affordable accommodation to both travellers and Sydneysiders on a tight budget. Together they involved a fascinating social history of the city, but sadly little has been recorded and documented.

We do know however that a Mr Andrew Blanchard, one time licensee of the Mansion House Hotel in the Haymarket and a celebrated vocalist, dropped dead on stage at a function in Dapto after a heartfelt rendition of “Their Heads Nestled Closer Together”. That original hotel building dates back to the 1880s and stood for well over a hundred years. I can remember it in the ‘70s and ‘80s as a rundown private hotel, no doubt housing many of the city’s less affluent, and badly in need of repair. It’s now the Mountbatten Hotel, one of many long running Sydney hotels that have been completely renovated, gentrified and as such, taken on a whole new identity.

That’s certainly the case with another Sydney landmark, the one time notorious Astoria in Kings Cross. Today it has been given a fashionable makeover as the Astoria Space Pop-up, but for many decades, particularly in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000’s, it was a hangout for drug users and sex workers. It was declared a “disorderly house” in 2009 by the Supreme Court, which enabled police to enter at any time without a warrant. For an entertaining recollection of its glory days check out local identity Cass Cumerford’s YouTube recollection at:

So, I guess the message here is you don’t need to visit earthquake prone New York and blow a grand to enjoy a good night’s sleep, even if a complimentary croissant awaits you in the morning. The cheap hotels in Sydney aren’t as cheap as they used to be, but many are steeped in history and still evoke a sense of adventure. Check out the multitude of good and bad reviews on the net and don’t necessarily believe the photos displayed to win your booking. You can pick up a pastry or two at Coles or Woolies for around $3 to $4 and an omelette at the Tropicana in Darlinghurst will cost you less than $10. Who needs high style and snob appeal when such everyday bargains abound!