As a follow up to my questions [
1,
2] posed in this thread when planning travel for
Oz Fest 16 as well folks poking me about what my
[redacted] service from our SOTP stay that's in my
Personal Data Report from the trip, I thought I'd toss my two cents in for posterity regarding some of the hotels, Marriott and otherwise, in Sydney's Central Business District. Of course, we'll now see how things will have changed after COVID but at least from our visit to Sydney in May 2019, here's a few observations (from an American and his wife who visited Sydney for the first time) regarding some of the hotels.
Hotels we stayed at:- SOTP is an awesome hotel. If I had small kids with us, the opportunities to explore Hyde Park, its museums, the Royal Botanic Gardens, are immediately available right outside the hotel. And, yes, St. James Station is across Elizabeth Street. But there are a few drawbacks.
- Marriott Circular Quay's location next to all of the attractions of the Circular Quay, its metro station and access to ferry lines all around Sydney's waterside environs are unmatched. It too has a number of drawbacks.
- Hilton Sydney's external façade significantly constrains the sizes of windows and what you can see from your room but if you're into shopping and want decent access to Darling Harbour and Town Hall Station, it ended up being our favorite on this trip.
A few other hotels we went to, walked by:- Pier One has a truly unique location. However, getting to and from that location to anywhere else in Sydney would have probably tried my patience.
- Park Hyatt Sydney too has a unique and awesome location. However, I'm not sure I'd want the amount of walk by and looky-loo attention that you'd get especially if your room was on the ground floor at this hotel.
- Hyatt Regency Sydney is even closer to Darling Harbour (east side) but getting to a metro station from there proved a bit more work.
- There are some rather large hotel complexes on the west side of Darling Harbour we walked past but never ducked into.
There were a few other hotels that those at Oz Fest stayed at such as the Four Points, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Pullman, Sofitel Wentworth as well the West Hotel (Curio) that we likely passed during our walking excursions but didn't get a chance to go into or consider on this trip.
Specific to the three hotels we stayed at, here are some additional notes:- If you're more in the mode of an American style tourist who likes to get their own items in a lounge, the CL at the Marriott CQ and the EL at the Hilton are/were probably more toward your liking (we'll see what happens post-COVID). However, you also get the bad as well (lots of folks who simply abandon plates of dishes with a fair amount of uneaten food).
- If you're more of wanting to get "proper coffee" and have lounge attendants who are there to serve and provide, the SOTP is likely more your style. Additionally, while we didn't get a chance to see the breakfast buffet at the Hilton, I would rank the SOTP's higher than the Marriott.
- In terms of room amenities as well as room quality, furnishings, and upkeep, we were happy with the room we were given at SOTP. Having stayed at the Hilton in a pre-renovation Relaxation Room, I'd be curious to see how well that hotel's rooms have been since updated. I was least happy with the condition of the room we were given at the Marriott CQ.
- With respect to Metro access, after a while, doing the full walk through the older St. James station as well as having to wait the light to cross a fairly busy Elizabeth Street began to wear on me. The access to CQ Station and City Hall Station at the other hotels I felt was easier and more direct.
- If you want quieter, SOTP is the place. If you want access, I'd agree that Marriott CQ is better. If you want to be in the middle of a whole bunch of hubbub, Hilton is our pick.
Final comments:- All three hotels were booked on points so relative costs in AUD if you have to pay the going rates may affect your ultimate hotel choice.
- Our stay at the SOTP was for 5 nights whereas we only spent one night each at the Marriott CQ and Hilton so I probably saw more of the relative uneveness at the SOTP than the other two hotels - which may be why I haven't completed a review of SOTP unlike the two I've already posted for the other hotels.
Anyway, hope this summary helps others planning their next trip to Sydney.
David