Readers who search for Criterion Hotel Rochester usually want two things: whether the site takes overnight guests, and what it is like to eat and drink there. This article answers both from the listings and regional reporting we reviewed, and it keeps the Rochester venue separate from the Criterion Hotel in Sale, which is a different property. The venue’s own Fanzo listing describes a family-friendly pub that shows AFL games.
Last checked: 2026-11-12
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Check-in time: 14:00 (as listed on the Criterion Hotel result) · Check-out time: 10:00 (as listed on the Criterion Hotel result) · In-room WiFi: Free (as listed on the Criterion Hotel Sale result) · Lowest Rochester price cited: EUR 83 for a 4-star hotel; EUR 87 best 3-star deal found by KAYAK users in the last 3 days
Criterion Hotel Rochester at a glance
- Address: 49 Mackay Street, Rochester, Victoria 3561, Australia (Yelp)
- The building dates from 1880, and the Manns took over the venue in March 2021 (Southern Riverina News)
- Rated 4.1 of 5 from 10 reviews, ranked #2 of 2 B&Bs / Inns in Rochester (Tripadvisor)
- A 3.5-star boutique hotel at 90 Macalister St, Sale, rated 4.4 of 5 from 56 reviews and ranked #7 of 10 hotels in Sale (Tripadvisor Australia)
- Rated 9.2 of 10 from 383 reviews on a different platform (Expedia)
- Bistro at 49-51 Mackay St with a $$ to $$$ price range, ranked #4 of 9 restaurants in Rochester and rated 4.2 of 5 from 5 reviews (Tripadvisor)
Key facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Address | 49 Mackay Street, Rochester, Victoria 3561, Australia |
| Building year | 1880 |
| New owners | The Manns, March 2021 |
| Tripadvisor rating (Rochester hotel) | 4.1 of 5 from 10 reviews |
| Location sub-rating (Rochester hotel) | 5.0 |
| Sleep Quality sub-rating (Rochester hotel) | 3.0 |
| Bistro price range | $$ to $$$ |
| Bistro ranking | #4 of 9 restaurants in Rochester |
| Sale star classification | 3.5-star boutique hotel |
| Sale rooms after renovation | 16 |
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-11-12.
Sources reviewed: Tripadvisor hotel, restaurant and guest review pages, a Yelp business listing, MapQuest directory listings, a Fanzo venue listing, an Expedia hotel listing, and a regional news report from Southern Riverina News.
We made no on-site visit, held no staff interview, ran no live rate or availability check, and did not confirm accommodation status with the operator.
Does the Rochester venue offer overnight stays?
The answer depends on which listing you read, and the sources do not agree. Tripadvisor’s hotel page for Criterion Hotel Rochester describes the property as a quaint, budget-style hotel and lists one room for two guests. The same page gives a Sleep Quality sub-rating of 3.0, the lowest of its five sub-ratings.
MapQuest, a directory listing, takes the opposite position. It states that there is currently no accommodation at the site, and it describes the adjoining Milkshake Lane as an ice-cream shop.
Warning: The listings cannot both describe the current position. Confirm rooms directly with the venue before you plan a stay around one.
The only account in the research of an actual room comes from a Tripadvisor reviewer from Melbourne who wrote in 2016:
Functional accommodation with a good bed… Accommodation is super cheap but does the job.
Tripadvisor reviewer lara p, Melbourne, 2016
One review cannot establish a pattern. Read alongside the 3.0 sleep score, the room evidence appears to point to basic accommodation, but the research contains no second guest account of a room.
The catch: The venue is described in every source as a pub first, and the room question is the one the sources leave unresolved.
Short version: Two listings disagree on rooms. The only guest account of a room is from 2016 and praises the bed, while the sleep sub-rating is 3.0.
What the Rochester venue is and who runs it
The building dates from 1880. Southern Riverina News reports that the Manns took over the venue in March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming for a real country pub feel with traditional pub food.
The same report describes a bar, a pool room, a dining room, a function space, a top dining room and what it calls the town’s biggest beer garden. The Manns opened Milkshake Lane, a shop selling ice cream, milkshakes and lollies for children, in 2022.
Venue specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Property type | Pub with bistro; Tripadvisor places the hotel in the B&B / Inn category |
| Room configuration | One room for two guests, per the Tripadvisor hotel listing |
| Accommodation status | Conflicting: Tripadvisor lists a room, MapQuest states none is currently offered |
| Listed style | Quaint, budget-style hotel (Tripadvisor) |
| Family facilities | Children activities listed on Tripadvisor; Fanzo lists 3 screens, WiFi, food service and a garden |
| Venue spaces | Bar, pool room, dining room, function space, top dining room, beer garden (Southern Riverina News) |
| Trading history | Built 1880; Manns took over March 2021; Milkshake Lane opened 2022 |
Editor’s note: A November 2019 Tripadvisor review describes the Criterion as under new management and improving. That date falls before the March 2021 takeover reported by Southern Riverina News, and the research does not explain the gap.
The venue’s Fanzo listing puts the family trade first:
The Criterion is a family friendly pub … where the whole family can come and watch AFL games while enjoying a drink, snack or something from our icecream shop Milkshake Lane
Criterion Hotel Rochester venue listing
The pattern: Across the listings, the pub, the beer garden and the family trade take up most of the description, while the rooms appear as a single line item.
Short version: Built in 1880 and taken over by the Manns in March 2021, the Rochester site is described chiefly as a pub with a beer garden, family facilities and an ice-cream shop.
Food, bar and prices at the Rochester bistro
Tripadvisor lists the Criterion Hotel Bistro at 49-51 Mackay St, Rochester, with a price range of $$ to $$$ and cuisines of bar, grill, pub and Australian, serving lunch and dinner.
Opening hours differ by source. Tripadvisor gives 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on most days and 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Saturdays. Fanzo, which lists the venue rather than the bistro, gives closed on Monday and Tuesday, 11:00 to 21:30 on Wednesday and Thursday, 11:00 to 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, and 12:00 to 15:00 on Sunday.
Price band
The research contains no nightly room rate for the Rochester venue, so this band covers dining only. The bistro’s $$ to $$$ range is the only price band the sources give for the site.
- Bistro price range on Tripadvisor: $$ to $$$
- One 2016 Tripadvisor reviewer praised lunch value, citing a $16 parmigiana with chips and salad
Food reviews in the research are mostly positive, praising large or varied servings, delicious meals, good menu range and reasonable prices. One reviewer described the food as OK but not the best pub meals, and another reported food served too hot and lamb undercooked in August 2019.
Tip: Check the day’s hours on the listing you use before you travel, because the two sources disagree on most days of the week.
The trade-off: Food is the most frequently praised aspect in the cited reviews, but the same reviews show that serving temperature and cooking have varied, and the two hours listings do not match.
Short version: The bistro price band is $$ to $$$, food reviews are mostly positive, and the hours differ by source.
Ratings and choosing between the Criterion listings
The Rochester hotel carries a Tripadvisor rating of 4.1 of 5 from 10 reviews. Its sub-ratings are Location 5.0, Value 5.0, Cleanliness 4.5, Service 4.3 and Sleep Quality 3.0.
The Criterion Hotel in Sale is a separate property at 90 Macalister St. Tripadvisor lists it as a 3.5-star boutique hotel with a rating of 4.4 of 5 from 56 reviews, and Expedia gives it 9.2 of 10 from 383 reviews.
Key numbers
- On the Rochester hotel’s Tripadvisor profile, the Location sub-rating is 5.0 while the Sleep Quality sub-rating is 3.0.
- The Sale hotel has 56 Tripadvisor reviews and 383 Expedia reviews, against 10 Tripadvisor reviews for the Rochester hotel.
- Tripadvisor lists the Rochester hotel with one room for two guests, while MapQuest states that no accommodation is currently offered.
- The Rochester bistro is ranked #4 of 9 restaurants in Rochester on Tripadvisor, with a 4.2 rating from 5 reviews.
Editor’s note: Tripadvisor and Expedia draw on different review pools and use different scoring, so their figures should not be read as one comparable score.
Reviewers of the Sale property, as summarised on Tripadvisor’s page, praise free parking, a restaurant, a bar, air conditioning, WiFi and modern refurbished rooms. They also mention dust behind bedside tables and noisy neighbouring room doors. The Sale hotel’s Tripadvisor feature page lists a refrigerator, a coffee maker and free WiFi as in-room features.
Alternatives in the source set
- Criterion Hotel Sale: 16 rooms after renovation, a 3.5-star classification and the most detailed accommodation record in the research.
- Criterion Hotel Bistro, Rochester: a $$ to $$$ price range and a #4 of 9 ranking among Rochester restaurants on Tripadvisor.
- Criterion Hotel Rochester: the pub with one listed room, a 4.1 rating from 10 reviews and a Sleep Quality sub-rating of 3.0.
Our pick
For an overnight stay, the Sale property is the better-documented option in these sources: 16 renovated rooms, free WiFi listed in-room, and 4.4 of 5 across 56 Tripadvisor reviews. For a meal or a drink in Rochester, the bistro is the clearer choice, provided you check its hours first. Travellers comparing prices should note that the sources give no nightly rate for either property, so the bistro’s $$ to $$$ band is the only price band in the sources for Rochester.
The bottom line: Keep the Sale hotel and the Rochester venue apart. For rooms, the Sale hotel has the documented record. For food and drink, the Rochester venue has the reviews.
Short version: Sale has the stronger accommodation record. Rochester has the food reviews, and the Rochester hours need checking before a visit.
Related reading: Buchan Caves Hotel: Menu, Reviews, Prices, and Location · Barmah Pub Menu, Restaurant and Prices: What Sources Confirm
tripadvisor.com, tripadvisor.com, tripadvisor.com, mapquest.com, tripadvisor.com, tripadvisor.com, mapquest.com, tripadvisor.com
Frequently asked questions
Does the Rochester venue list rooms?
The sources disagree. The Tripadvisor hotel listing describes one room for two guests, while MapQuest states that there is currently no accommodation at the site.
What is the Tripadvisor rating for the Rochester hotel?
Tripadvisor rates Criterion Hotel Rochester 4.1 of 5 from 10 reviews and ranks it #2 of 2 B&Bs / Inns in Rochester.
What is the price range of the Rochester bistro?
Tripadvisor lists the Criterion Hotel Bistro at $$ to $$$, with bar, grill, pub and Australian cuisine serving lunch and dinner.
What are the bistro’s opening hours?
Tripadvisor gives 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on most days and 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Saturdays. Fanzo lists different hours for the venue, including 11:00 to 23:00 on Friday and Saturday.
Is the Criterion Hotel in Sale the same business as the Rochester venue?
No. The Criterion Hotel in Sale is a separate property at 90 Macalister St, Sale. Tripadvisor rates it 4.4 of 5 from 56 reviews.
Is WiFi free in the rooms at the Sale hotel?
Yes. Tripadvisor’s hotel feature page for Criterion Hotel Sale lists free WiFi as an in-room feature.