Imagine you have a friend in his or her early twenties who moved to London or New York City and got a job as a successful club DJ. This hotel is what his/ her loft condo would look like. You have exposed concrete walls, a black, grey and white colour scheme, halogen lighting, and fixtures in the style of Ikea. A multimedia centre under the wall-mounted flatscreen TV accepts USB connections and HDMI. Continuing the DJ theme, there is even a DJ in the lobby during the evening spinning tunes. Certainly you will find this hotel memorable and unique, and the non- mainstream fixtures make it feel like you are staying at a friend's place as opposed to staying in a hotel. Great for younger travelers or for a romantic night. What's more, the price is excellent for the amenities you receive. Now for a few quibbles:

1) Older travelers may feel very out of place in this style of hotel.

2) The wooden horizontal blinds do not darken the room.

3) Bathroom doors have holes instead of handles and close with a large gap. They are more decorative than functional.

4) The Dix30 has almost no signage beyond stop signs. Stores are not even labelled, especially upper storey ones in the main complex. The complex is a confusing maze of separate buildings facing in different directions bisected by crisscrossing laneways, some one- way. The only sign for the hotel is the one 15 storeys up on the side of the building. Plan on walking and asking directions a lot, and dodging confusing drivers. Even the locals can't figure it out very easily.

5) I have eaten in 3 restaurants in the Dix30 complex and the service in 2 of them was laughably bad. I get the impression that it's tough to staff all the stores and restaurants in such a large complex. Peek through the window of any restaurant you are considering- if nobody has food in front of them and they are all sitting there looking bored, keep walking. One place was even turning customers away last night as they had only one person waiting tables.