I will preface this review by acknowledging the effect Covid has on hotel operations, the current outbreak in Sydney (and much of the World), as well as the fact that the day prior to check in there was a positive case in the DIning Room and all hotel staff working that day were in isolation pending a negative test. Unfortunately in Sydney PCR tests are taking up to a week for results.

That said, the hard product service failures we experienced made this our worst stay to date.

I originally booked NYE on points. While we have done the Rooftop party before, we have never stayed on NYE, but as time progressed, we decided we didn't want to be at the hotel during 100% occupancy so moved the stay to Xmas and booked the Xmas Dinner.

Check In

I checked in on the app and was upgraded from the dreaded King Room (which is all that's offered on points, whereas cash and points lets you book a Harbour View for extra cash) to a Harbour View.

I had intended to pay to upgrade to an Opera Deluxe but the only room offered was a King Deluxe. I know these rooms used to be called a 'City Harbour Deluxe' and have limited views of the Harbour sitting at the Northern and Southern end, but decided the extra space was valuable.

The lack of upgrade options became apparent a week prior when the hotel stopped selling any rooms from Xmas to just after NYE. I suspected they realised they couldn't staff the property adequately with the number of guests and events they were holding. Much of this is due to an inability to recruit hospitality staff in Australia because many visa holders returned home and Australia only recently allowed their return.

I stated we wanted a 10AM check in on the app and we arrived at 11AM and the room was ready.

Room

We were initially given a room on the 'Mezzanine' meaning ground floor on the Northern end of the hotel. There were two balconies. The first balcony on the left in the living area was directly next to the corner of Hickson Road and the bedroom balcony faced the tree. The room was under the Bridge and had some water views but I wasn't happy. I called reception and the front desk agent offerred to show another room.

We walked from one end of the hotel to the other and up one floor. Room 145's living room faced Six Head 1788 restaurant but had direct views of SOH from the couch and balconies. The view was much, much better. Thankfully the restaurants outside were closed while we were there but this has to be one of the noisest rooms in the hotel. Later we realised we could hear the conversations of people outside as they walked in and out of The Rocks. I couldn't imagine how awful it would be on NYE or if the restaurants were open.

Worse, every few minutes there was a loud bang. I realised we were immediately above the staff entrance which has a heavy door and banged every time staff entered or exited to start or finish shift or go on break.

We spent the first day by the pool because the weather was glorious, however discovered the safe didn't work. I returned to the room to get something and my keys had stopped working. Digital key also failed. I had to walk to reception in a singlet and shorts to ask for new keys while people were having their Xmas Day lunch. Extremely embarrassing.

Worse, I went to the room and they keys failed again. The front desk agent cut keys a third time. This also failed. Frustrated, I called the hotel and demanded someone come up to let us in and provide new keys. A front desk agent came up, the keys failed and they used their Master fob. They said sometimes the door key mechanism power fails and needs to be replaced. I asked them to fix and deliver new keys to the pool which they did.

That night as we started watching some Netflix I realised I couldn't get off the couch without climbing over my husband, the armchair or the coffee table. While the room was larger than the standard rooms, the furniture simply did not fit. There was possibly one inch between the armchair and the bed, the armchair and the coffee table and the couch and the coffee table. This was increasingly frustrating the longer we spent in the room.

Getting up in the middle of the night meant awkwardly navigating the furniture. 

I should add that the room appeared to have had a soft refresh with new carpet, new cushions and upholstery. 

Service

We have had several staycations during Covid and I have tempered my expectations accordingly. That said, the hard product failures of the room could not be forgiven.

I did not wish to change rooms because we had already unpacked.

There was no housekeeping on the first or second night which was disappointing, but I assume because much of the housekeeping staff were isolation.

As we got dressed for our Xmas Dinner, I discoverd the room had no iron. Instead of offering to send one up immediately, Guest Services tried to tell me where the iron is. I sternly replied I knew exactly where the iron should be, I'm tall enough to see the entire cupboard and we need an iron in the next 5 mins as we had our dinner reservation. It was delivered by a housekeeper who insisted there was an iron in the room and frustrated I simply took it from his hands and shut the door without saying a word.

Dining

We spent two days by the pool is our usual plan during our staycations.

We tried to order from the Poolside menu some items for lunch and were told by staff they were only offering the in room dining menu on Christmas Day. I forgave this but then was also told they were not making cocktails which I fail to comprehend. Can room service really not make a Grey Goose, Lime and Soda with all three ingredients?

On Boxing Day we tried to order our favourite dish the Battered Fish and Chips and were told we couldn't have it in the room, only at the pool. I told Guest Services I would be very disappointed if the kitchen can make the dish but refuse to because we want it in room. I was called back and told it's not on the menu anymore.

The Christmas Dinner menu was released after we'd booked months ago. To the hotel's credit when we said we don't wat Ham they catered to our dietaries. I did not know what to expect from a hotel Christmas dinner and the food was exceptional. They also had a live singer and piano player who were incredible. This totally exceeded our expectations.

Breakfast was as normal and the Sirloin from room service was spectacular. Surprisingly the buffet was back. We continued to wear our masks to and from the buffet and sanitise because of the shared utensils, but other guests did not.

Overall

Overall, while the PHS will always hold a special place in our hearts, it seems to have lost its lustre.

The combination of poor room and service failures made this our worst stay yet.

I know the hotel has a new GM and I noticed there was no handwritten welcome card and the amenity was missing our usual bottle of Champagne. We did not meet him at any point during our stay.

We are supposed to return in a few weeks, but I'm inclined to change the date to delay for a few months while the service issues are worked out and there is some sense of normality.

Despite the negativity, I am grateful we got to stay at this time while many had or chose to cancel their bookings because of the outbreak.