Sydney: Hilton Sydney (August 2012)

My spouse and I stayed at the Hilton Sydney for five nights in late August 2012. We chose the Hilton because we have Hhonors Diamond status, plus we were able to remit Hilton points for our entire stay. Disappointingly, we did not receive an upgrade upon check-in. We experienced many issues with trying to access the room that was originally assigned to us. Three times we tried to enter the room, each time without success, each time trudging back down to the lobby with our baggage to get our cards rekeyed. After the third attempt (plus one by the housekeeper who saw us struggling), we were assigned a different room, one towards the middle of the floor. (Our first room was at the end/corner of the floor, and was perhaps a more “choice” room.) The standard room in which we ended up staying was quite small. The bathroom was tiny as well, or rather, it was unwisely designed. It had a separate shower and bathtub, which seemed like wasted space, when the sink area was barely wide enough for one person to stand in. The shower was large, but had an odd frosted window that shared a wall with the bedroom; although you could not clearly see the person showering, you could certainly see their shadow.

We asked to have our mini-bar emptied so that we could add our own items to it. We could not empty it ourselves because the mini-bar items were weighted. If we moved any item just a fraction of an inch, the movement would automatically add a charge to our bill, whether we actually consumed the item or not. Instead, they sent up a tiny refrigerator, large enough to place a 6-pack of beverages inside. When that did not seem to get cool inside that appliance, housekeeping replaced it with another mini-fridge, but that one did not chill well either. Not only was the mini-bar weighted, but there was also a weighted tray near the desk area that contained non-refrigerated items like nuts and candy. In a room in which space was at a premium, we feared placing anything on the desk area near that weighted tray, for fear of spending $20 on a candy bar that we did not even eat! We also had issues with the hair dryer. The first hair dryer ran so slowly and coolly that we requested another one, but the second one ran similarly to the first. We cannot imagine anyone’s hair (even a baby’s) drying easily with that tool!

Although our room was not located on an executive/club floor, we had access to the lounge, which provided a nice complimentary snack buffet every night for evening cocktails. The food provided for evening cocktails was excellent - antipasto, sushi, cheeses, crudite, sandwiches, miniature desserts - and it was plentiful enough to make a meal of. All drinks had to be served by an attendant; one of us drinks Bailey’s Irish Cream on the rocks, but they would not pour more than one shot at a time (no doubles). The club is a decent size; however, on some nights (weeknights), it was so crowded that the hostess had to arrange seating for guests, joining groups together in empty seats. We ate breakfast at the lounge on two of our five mornings, but we found that the breakfast in the Glass Brasserie on the second floor was much better, so we ate there for the remaining three mornings.

The property has several dining options: besides Glass Brasserie, there is a lobby coffee bar, Marble Bar, and Zeta (the later of which seemed to be a popular local nightclub, with an entrance/elevator from the street). There is a fitness center in the basement, with an indoor swimming pool and gym, as well as a day spa.

The hotel’s location is great for sightseeing, and the streets around it are lined with shops and restaurants, plus even a 7-11 convenience store and a large grocery store, as well as a package store to buy beer and hard alcohol (it is located in the lobby of a nearby hotel/guesthouse called The Coronation).

Although we liked the Hilton Sydney, we thought that our room was much too small for more than a one-night’s stay. We will likely choose another property next time we visit.