Holiday Inn Express Sydney Macquarie Park
What is your Priority Club status?
Diamond

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Neutral

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Queen Standard

How are the rooms?
Relatively spacious and reasonable storage space
Single door that either closes off either the shower or the whole bathroom, typical of HIXs
Proper desk albeit not very deep
Multiple mains and USB A sockets
Fridge
Possible to check out from the room TV, but only between 1100 and 1500

How is the exec. Lounge?
None

What was good and what was bad?
Given room on highest floor next to lifts as set in my preferences
Free street parking right outside the building between 1900 and 0700

Breakfast was not as good as I remember from before covid. Although they no longer have the farce of asking you for your room number as you walk out from the lift right to the breakfast entrance.

Cooked food was lukewarm and consisted of grey sausage, scrambled egg (unsure if real), saffron rice with raisins (undercooked) and watery porridge with only shallots for toppings (despite having a sign with a photo of a sumptious colourful congee bowl).

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
This was a mattress run for the for next year’s lounge pass and should also earn 20k points (5k elite-qualifying) for a net spend of USD 112. I’ve stayed a few times before covid but now that I live relatively close by I chose the cheapest possible night over several months to see if it was worth it. I probably wouldn’t come again unless I was really desperate.

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