We returned to the Hilton SYD and everything about the stay was average.

Check In

On the day of check in saw that we had been upgraded to an Exec Room via the app. When I questioned this and said there were higher category rooms available was told 'policy is we only upgrade one category.' I stated that isn't what the HHonors terms are.

I had notified the hotel of a special occasion, however they had no record of this. They made it clear they were making "a very big exception" to offer us a King Relation Suite.

Room

We were assigned a room on the 31st floor. While the suite was 55sqm it still felt small, however it had a huge spa bath.

For contrast we also had an Exec Suite at the Sheraton on the Park for family on the same night and these suites are 70sqm.

The other stark contrast was the size and lack of windows. Living in SYD I know the windows look tiny from the outside but the rooms lack natural light and the size of the windows make the rooms feel smaller than they are. Most hotels have glass windows to overcome the lack of size but the Hilton has the exact opposite design.

The room had views of QVB, the Anzac Bridge and surprisingly Sydney Heads but one had to stand in the window to see it.

No welcome card as a Diamond, however did get a letter on club benefits.

Later that evening and after filling the spa for 30 mins we found that the jacuzzi didn't work. It appeared to be turned off at the pump as the buttons and lights weren't working. Given it was 10PM we weren't going to call engineering and just skipped it.

And whoever came up with the concept of the window blinds being controlled by buttons that must be held down the whole time is an idiot. I can only imagine how long it must take housekeeping to reset each room.

Dining

During the evening we went to the Exec Lounge which was completely full. The staff were overrun and dirty plates were left all over the counters. While they had King Prawns the rest of the food was like a cheap buffet. And making guests line up for drinks from a makeshift bar is hardly five star service, there were ten people in the queue at any one time. Compared to the Sheraton Exec Lounge (that is one of the best in the World) it was a very poor experience. As we left one of the bartenders dropped all of the used glass bottles which smashed on the tiled floor and the guests began to clap in unison. Who does that? Well it would appear that loudcruise ship passengers do because that's what filled most of the lounge.

The only other dining we experienced was breakfast at Glass. I have had many corporate lunches and dinners at Glass and been throughouly impressed by the quality of the food but breakfast is a different story.

They did make Eggs Benedict to order but they were average. And even with the extra charge for coffee they weren't worth the $5.

We were in and out of breakfast in 15 mins.

Location

The hotel is in the centre of the CBD and across the road from QVB.

While the location is useful the views aren't great. The Westin, Sheraton and obviously Park Hyatt all have much better views.

Overall

Overall, it was an average stay in an average hotel.

The Hilton is a corporate (and apparently cruise) hotel that isn't luxurious or feel five star. It may tick the boxes to get that rating but the lobby is bursting with people, the lounge at capacity and the lifts always busy.

It is the complete contrast to the Sheraton on the Park or Westin and we definitely wouldn't be returning.