Welcome Stranger Hotel Hobart: Reviews, Menu & Unique Accommodation

The Welcome Stranger Hotel on Harrington Street in central Hobart is a pub-with-rooms that puts affordability and a convivial bar and lounge ahead of modern frills. Guest reviews on Tripadvisor give it a 3.6 out of 5 from 141 reviews, citing a central location within walking distance of Salamanca and free off-street parking as its strongest draws. This guide synthesises those reviews with the hotel’s official menu and key property details to help research-stage travellers decide if this budget-friendly stay fits their Tasmanian trip.

Last checked: 2026-09-30

Address: 58 Harrington St, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia · Phone: (03) 6223 6655 · Website: http://www.welcomestrangerhotel.com.au · Features: Bar, lounge, games room, billiards · Property type: Hotel with bar and lounge

Key details: Welcome Stranger Hotel, Hobart

What are some unique accommodation options in Hobart?

The Welcome Stranger Hotel occupies a specific niche in Hobart’s accommodation market: a centrally located pub that offers rooms, a bar and a lounge under one roof. Unlike chain hotels or boutique serviced apartments, it combines a full breakfast menu with a games room and billiards, positioning itself as a social hub as much as a place to sleep. Tripadvisor Australia categorises it among Hobart’s cheap hotels, with reviewers emphasising the trade-off between basic facilities and very reasonable rates.

The Welcome Stranger Hotel as a unique choice

What distinguishes this property from a standard hotel is the on-site pub dynamic. Guest reviews on Tripadvisor note that the bar and lounge serve as communal spaces where travellers can eat, drink and play pool without leaving the building. The official menu shows a welcome stranger big breakfast – eggs, bacon, tomato, baked beans, sautéed spinach, toast and a hash brown – priced at $11, with a mug upgrade costing an extra $0.50. For research-stage travellers, this integrated food-and-accommodation model may feel more like a local pub experience than a conventional hotel stay.

Other notable stays in Hobart

For readers comparing options, the Telegraph Hotel Hobart offers a rooftop bar and a different price tier, while the Hamilton Hotel in Tasmania provides an alternative pub-style stay. Neither occupies the same budget-friendly, basic-facilities segment as the Welcome Stranger – but together they illustrate the range of Hobart’s historic pub accommodation.

Welcome Stranger Hobart reviews

Reviewers across multiple platforms converge on a consistent set of observations. Tripadvisor shows display subratings of cleanliness 3.9, service 3.7, location 3.4 and sleep quality 3.2. Word of Mouth reports a 4.0 overall from three reviews, with separate quality (3.3), service (3.7) and value (3.7) scores.

What former guests say about the hotel

A Tripadvisor Australia review describes the property as “a very basic hotel but in a great location and the price is more than reasonable which includes a modest breakfast.” Another guest calls it “good value for a budget hotel in CBD with short walk to many sightseeing.” Three separate reviews on Tripadvisor mention staff being “helpful and friendly,” a point that surfaces consistently enough to be considered a genuine strength rather than a single observation.

Conversely, multiple guests flag that rooms or shared facilities feel “basic, old-fashioned or in need of renovation.” The same Tripadvisor Australia source notes that bathroom arrangements vary – not all rooms have private ensuites, and some guests report shared facilities. This distinction is critical for travellers: if a private bathroom is non-negotiable, confirmation before booking is essential.

Rating trends and highlights

The large Tripadvisor sample (141 reviews) gives the hotel a 3.6 aggregate, while the much smaller Word of Mouth sample (3 reviews) produces a 4.0. Neither sample size nor distribution is large enough to extrapolate a trend, but the gap between the two platforms’ value scores (Tripadvisor’s subratings are available; Word of Mouth gives value 3.7) suggests that overall satisfaction depends heavily on room type and expectations.

Welcome Stranger Hobart Menu

The hotel’s official menu PDF, indexed with a last-updated date of September 2024, documents a substantial breakfast and lunch offering. Breakfast runs from simple toast (with a choice of wholemeal, multigrain, white or light rye) through to French toast with maple syrup, strawberry jam and cream. The headline item, the Welcome Stranger Big Breakfast, includes eggs, bacon, tomato, baked beans, sautéed spinach, toast and a hash brown for $11, with tea or coffee included.

Bar and lounge offerings

Beyond the breakfast menu, lunch specials are available strictly from 12:00 to 14:00 and include chicken parmi served with chips and beer-battered flathead fillet with chips and salad. The all-day menu lists a Welcome Stranger Burger (beef patty, cheese, grilled onion, lettuce, tomato, bacon, egg, relish and chips) and a chicken schnitzel burger (cheese, lettuce, tomato, house mayonnaise and chips). Garlic bread made with fresh ciabatta is listed, with a cheesy option at an additional charge. Translated Tripadvisor reviews mention burgers, schnitzels, pasta and pizza served near an open fire, suggesting the evening menu may include items beyond the retrieved PDF.

Dining options nearby

Given the hotel’s central Hobart location, guests have dozens of restaurants within a short walk. However, several reviewers specifically note that the hotel’s own dinner offering was “excellent and great value,” implying that eating in can be a practical and budget-conscious choice, especially after a day of sightseeing.

“Dinner at the hotel was excellent, and great value.”

— Anonymous Word of Mouth reviewer

Pros and cons at a glance

Based on guest review patterns across Tripadvisor and Tripadvisor Australia, these are the recurring themes:

Location and getting there

The hotel sits at 58 Harrington Street, Hobart, also identified by PubSpy as the corner of Davey and Harrington Streets. This places it within a 10–15-minute walk of Salamanca Place and the waterfront, and roughly the same distance to the CBD core. Guests arriving by car can use the free off-street parking space mentioned in multiple reviews – a significant advantage in a city where accommodation parking often attracts daily surcharges.

Alternatives to consider in Hobart

For those who decide the Welcome Stranger’s basic facilities or shared-bathroom arrangements don’t suit their needs, these two properties represent the closest comparables within Hobart’s pub-accommodation segment:

• Telegraph Hotel Hobart – a rooftop bar and generally higher finish, but at a higher price point.
• Hamilton Hotel Tasmania – another pub-style stay in the state, offering a different regional perspective.

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