The staff are friendly and helpful, and the location is wonderful - right in town where the Victorian Precinct is. Good value for money.

I've been living in rural NZ where it is very quiet at night so I'm used to silence apart from occasional rain, wind and the odd animal noise. I found being in town a bit of an adjustment. The bells chiming through the night, the freight trains at night, the sounds of other guests coming and going, sometimes talking loudly in the hallway. It is a good value place to stay and you might be fine if you are used to a bit of noise, but I found I had quite disrupted sleep here.

I loved that it was a very old building we stayed in built around 1887. The WIFI worked well. Lovely big kitchen and well stocked. They have two kitchens one on the lower level and one on the upper level. We made the mistake of putting our food on the lower-level kitchen, but we moved it to the upper level as that is were we stayed. Close to the city center. Good value for money.

The private rooms are a bit dated. They could do with new carpet, curtains and bedding. You have to do public street parking here. During the day out front of the building is paid parking or there is a free public car parking area the street behind that lines up with the back of the building. It is probably a 3-minute walk to get back to the front of the building.

Beautiful old building with plenty of its history dotted about the walls. Excellent location, so close to everything that brings a traveller to Oamaru. A good spot if you want peace & tranquility, good walks and plenty of wildlife (as in penguins roaming the streets at night). Well cleaned and refreshed daily and your dorm bed was dressed on arrival rather than just having the blankets provided. Solid duvet and extra blanket for a cooler night. Two kitchens and a large lounge. Pleasant unisex bathrooms.

The clearance between the lower and top bunk didn’t allow for sitting up in bed if using the lower bed. Top beds had no security railings. They were solid/comfortable, however. Just the more clumsy visitor will need a hard hat!

The staff. Marshall was great. It was comfy and relaxing. The place may look dated, but it's a historic building. All facilities are clean and functional. Bike parking in the cellar. Car parking out back. It's in the best part of town with other historic buildings. It's next door to a cafe and round the corner from Steampunk HQ. Penguins not too far. Other lovely bars and cafes round about. I'll be heading back there.

Marshall is a charming and personable manager. The ambience is friendly and welcoming. The kitchen is well equipped and cleaned morning and evening. The bathrooms are kept very clean and there is always hot water in the showers. The location is absolutely central, so convenient for all attractions yet very quiet. We greatly appreciate the fact that The Empire Hotel is still providing quality accommodation as it did when it was first opened. It continues to be part of Oamaru’s history.

Nothing negative to say.

Great friendly staff. Woodfire in lounge. Great kitchen. Showers hot and clean. Ample parking out back. Pub, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets in easy walk distance. Quiet part of town. Steampunk HQ and Victoria District a 1-minute walk away. Penguin colony, Farmers Market an easy walk. Used this trip to introduce my 19-year-old autistic son to the concept of hostels - I could not have picked a better place to do it - he loved the place.

Can't fault the place at all - only thing I didn't like was leaving. A pity that it's more than 2000 kms from home!

Great location in the middle of beautiful Oamaru (and just a ~20-minute walk from the amazing Blue Penguin Colony, which was my main draw to town). Older place with a lot of character, but still clean and equipped with wi-fi.

My stay here was honestly so short, I can't think of anything negative. Perhaps wayfinding inside the building. It took me a moment to find my room.

Loved the relaxed atmosphere in this hostel, the decor and grand staircase. It felt very chilled and safe. Great kitchen and bathroom facilities and location were fantastic too! Rooms were basic but that was all we needed/paid for

Double bed was a little small and a bit saggy - when my partner sat down I would end up moving. But still comfortable enough for what we paid

I love to stay here because of the kindness of owner, manager and helpers. There are so many nice and warm people. I feel extra warm and friendly like home. I appreciate the help from manager Vivian and boss Bruce. The location is super good to blue penguin colony and on the Main Street. I highly recommend the backpacker to stay here. ❤️

Very cool backpackers in a heritage building in the centre of town. It felt very much like being at home, especially with the collection of vhs tapes which gave me such nostalgia! Everyone I met at the hostel was really lovely, in particular Marshall who is the caretaker, who gave me some great recommendations for local food and bevs. So nice to have a friendly face when you're as far from home as I was! Thank you to all!