Hilton Sydney {AUS}
Jun 4, 2019, 9:57 pm
I've stayed a lot over the years, and almost always get an "Executive" room that seems like a standard room, but perhaps on a higher floor. A few times I've gotten a corner suite, which is a just a few inches larger than the usual rooms I get. So I'm curious what the differences are with a non-upgraded room.
There are a few photos on the website https://www.hiltonsydney.com.au/rooms-and-suites/
Jun 5, 2019, 12:52 pm
Jun 9, 2019, 6:10 pm
Due to an esceptionally weekend in Sydney with a huge number of events on incl Vivid both hotels were pretty mch full with literally only a couple of very expensive suites ($1000+) left at the Hilton for the Saturday night.
I've probably had 15 or so stays there in the past couple of years and had an upgrade every time. Unfortunately this time (and no doubt not helped at the 20+ FTers also staying there for Ozfest!) they apologised for no upgrades. I ended up with a standard room which was actually in a pretty bad way. If I'd wanted to stay in a 2 star property in such a bad state I would have booked a 2 star hotel somewhere. I'm not quite sure how housekeeping and maintenance can ignore a wall this bad every day!
Jun 10, 2019, 3:07 am
Due to an esceptionally weekend in Sydney with a huge number of events on incl Vivid both hotels were pretty mch full with literally only a couple of very expensive suites ($1000+) left at the Hilton for the Saturday night.
I've probably had 15 or so stays there in the past couple of years and had an upgrade every time. Unfortunately this time (and no doubt not helped at the 20+ FTers also staying there for Ozfest!) they apologised for no upgrades. I ended up with a standard room which was actually in a pretty bad way. If I'd wanted to stay in a 2 star property in such a bad state I would have booked a 2 star hotel somewhere. I'm not quite sure how housekeeping and maintenance can ignore a wall this bad every day!
Another point, they had this non-functioning clock radio from the early 2000s (that little thing besides the bed). Come on, it's 2019, and it doesn't have bluetooth.
At least the front desk associate said "I'm sorry you missed out your favourite music in the room. We'll absolutely look into that" when she asked me about my experience after check out. LOL
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Conclusion: Hilton Sydney now desperately needs a renovation. Next time if I'm in Sydney, the only Hilton property I would choose is West (Curio) on Sussex Street, of course.
Jun 10, 2019, 4:58 am
Another point, they had this non-functioning clock radio from the early 2000s (that little thing besides the bed). Come on, it's 2019, and it doesn't have bluetooth.
At least the front desk associate said "I'm sorry you missed out your favourite music in the room. We'll absolutely look into that" when she asked me about my experience after check out. LOL
.Conclusion: Hilton Sydney now desperately needs a renovation. Next time if I'm in Sydney, the only Hilton property I would choose is West (Curio) on Sussex Street, of course.
Jun 11, 2019, 1:41 pm
Whether I would stay there over the Hilton though would depend entirely on the reason for my visit and the number of nights - the Exec lounge and evening canapes and drinks at the Hilton is still a good offering, and the full buffet at Glass it good after a big night.
Jun 13, 2019, 2:17 am
Jun 27, 2019, 7:26 pm
I read a staff member saying they will "change the room layout" starting "in early 2019" to better optimise the available space. I hope they keep the large desks in the rooms and update some of the outdated stuff (iPod docks, DVD players). Maybe get rid of some dead space (bedside tables covered with minibar items). I know the building's almost 50 years old, but they could also do with some better sound proofing (corridor noise/banging doors etc).
They also made a new website a few months ago (hiltonsydney com au), but there are no pictures of updated rooms.
Jun 28, 2019, 12:31 pm
Hilton Sydney
488 George Street Sydney, NW AU 2000
Hilton Sydney: 30 May 2019 - 31 May 2019 (37 Photos)
Hilton Sydney
Why Here?
In planning our travel to be at Oz Fest 16, my wife and I looked at both Hilton and MRS (Marriott/Ritz Carlton/Starwood) properties in Sydney's CBD. While we had enough points (and status) to book multiple days at any of the relevant affiliated hotels, we ended up deciding to stay at the Hilton Sydney for a single night - this was the night before we would have to head to SYD to catch our flight back to the United States. Additionally, we had discussed going up to visit the Blue Mountains during midweek and knew that we needed to be closer to the airport on the night before our return and this reservation on points allowed us to be clear in our planning when and where our departure would be from.
The Reservation
Since we were only going to be at the hotel the one night, I elected to book a King room via hilton.com at the lowest available point total rate: 52,000 points. Here's a screen clip from the reservation e-mail:
Given my Diamond status and because we were staying only one night (Thursday), that the likelihood of an upgrade, at least by one category, was fairly high. Also, we knew that we'd have to check out by 7 am in order to get down to SYD, clear security and be on our plane for a 9:30 am departure back to LAX.
Also note that this hotel, amongst others affiliated with American chains, charges a 1.5% fee for credit card usage:
The Property / Its Location
The Hilton Sydney is a high rise hotel that's truly in the heart of Sydney. From a proximity perspective, the Hilton is principally in the heart of Sydney's shopping district - the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) is across the street; additionally, multiple shopping centres, flagship properties of Australian department stores, and malls and other fashion concious stores abound.
As noted in this thread, the hotel is less than a block away from the City Hall Metro Station which is serviced by multiple lines including the T8 (Airport & South Line) which goes to/from both Domestic and International Terminals at SYD.
Check In
Transited over from the Marriott CQ with our luggage - Challenge was which exit from the City Hall metro station to take and, of course, we picked the one that put furthest away from the George Street/Park Street intersection.
Was acknowledged as a Diamond and was notified that we'd been upgraded to a relaxation room. We were also briefed as to what Diamond benefits were at the hotel as well as provided with the following card that describes the benefits:
The one I would have liked to have used was the complimentary full buffet for breakfast at the glass brasserie.
Room
Received 3726 - one floor and above the Executive Lounge.
Note: If you prefer to have a top sheet in your bedding, read on below...
Midafternoon, Housekeeping was still in full swing getting rooms cleaned, turned and prep'd:
Here are shots of the room with its 1 King bed, wood flooring, separate sitting area in the afternoon light.
Also, both the Hilton and the Marriott CQ did not have top sheets with their bedding (i.e. the bed was made up as: mattress / bottom sheet / comforter duvet) - if you want a top sheet, let the know at a check in and/or check the bed once you enter the room and call to have the top sheet added.
The primary feature of this room type is an opportunity to have your bathroom part of the room's ambiance. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of this.
There's a separate walkin closet area with the mini bar fridge ("touch at your own peril") and self service coffee (with water heating kettle in the glass cupboard/cabinet above):
Given the lighting conditions, here are shots of the back of the door floor plan - it is clear that this room was the 2nd largest on the floor after the two end suites:
Additional shots toward and out of the windows that could use a clean:
And, FWIW, here are the hotel's posted room layout and images for the relaxation room-type:
Executive Lounge
As others have noted, this is a fairly extensive lounge. Staffing is such that there's a manned check in desk.
Here are my shots of the lounge prior to set up for afternoon tea service - so no food shown.
After having stayed at the Sheraton, we appreciated the ability to grab and/or prepare our own drinks:
Overall
As Hilton's flagship property in Sydney, I found it quite acceptable for our needs. While it was not as optimal for access to the wharfs and light shows of Vivid Sydney as hotels in the harbor or next to Hyde Park or immediately overlooking Darling Harbour, the Hilton is nearby everything downtown.
Did not find issue with the narrowness of this property's windows but given how the 2 sets of window shades are motorized and quite literally unreachable for most people to lower/raise manually, it would be much easier if the motor control switches were simpler to use than needing to, for me, kneel/stand and hold each switch down while the motor operated.
Wasn't terribly keen on the room type we were upgraded to but my wife certainly enjoyed the full sized bath.
In the room renovations underway, I certainly hope and expect USB charging connectors to be added liberally around the rooms. The ability to charge multiple USB-connectable devices simultaneously without AU-compatible power adapters in our room at the SOTP was superior.
As for the Executive Lounge, perhaps because of being from the US, we enjoyed its size, ambiance and offerings. We were there for the Devonshire Tea service as well as Evening Canapes (but not breakfast rush). Clearly there are guests who were a bit demanding and selfish but the staff handled them with aplomb.
My wife and I agree that we'd return to stay at this property.
Jun 28, 2019, 1:18 pm
I read a staff member saying they will "change the room layout" starting "in early 2019" to better optimise the available space. I hope they keep the large desks in the rooms and update some of the outdated stuff (iPod docks, DVD players). Maybe get rid of some dead space (bedside tables covered with minibar items). I know the building's almost 50 years old, but they could also do with some better sound proofing (corridor noise/banging doors etc).
They also made a new website a few months ago (hiltonsydney com au), but there are no pictures of updated rooms.
The room definitely looked bigger. Large glass desk is gone, in its place is a nice comfy swivel lounge chair with a separate legrest and small coffee table. The desk is now a long narrow wooden table below the TV on the wall close to the window side of the room. TV is much bigger and mounted, no sign of any DVD player etc. USB chargers next to both sides of the bed. Also gone is the annoying auto charge drinks tray that’s next to the bed but no change to that side of the table. Nice little addition of seat cushion by the window sill which could be additional seats if you have guests. Colour theme of black, white, wood and dark teal. New carpet highlighting the new colour scheme. No change to the bathroom configuration. I haven’t heard when the rollout will start but they’ll have to weigh it up with lost revenue as the occupancy rate of this hotel hardly goes under 90%.
Last edited by Aeolus; Jun 28, 2019 at 1:25 pm
Jun 29, 2019, 5:25 pm
During one of my stays, I was persuaded to spend a night in the newly renovated room (there’s only one done up as a concept room since last year) to provide feedback. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post the pics but will try to answer your questions.
The room definitely looked bigger. Large glass desk is gone, in its place is a nice comfy swivel lounge chair with a separate legrest and small coffee table. The desk is now a long narrow wooden table below the TV on the wall close to the window side of the room. TV is much bigger and mounted, no sign of any DVD player etc. USB chargers next to both sides of the bed. Also gone is the annoying auto charge drinks tray that’s next to the bed but no change to that side of the table. Nice little addition of seat cushion by the window sill which could be additional seats if you have guests. Colour theme of black, white, wood and dark teal. New carpet highlighting the new colour scheme. No change to the bathroom configuration. I haven’t heard when the rollout will start but they’ll have to weigh it up with lost revenue as the occupancy rate of this hotel hardly goes under 90%.
Jun 30, 2019, 4:13 am
Jun 30, 2019, 4:40 am
The F&B offering from breakfast to the evening HH spreads are not up to the standards found elsewhere in the world, especially compared to Asian properties. But all of these comments are just my opinion, and the vast majority of my Hilton brand stays have and will be outside of the US, so this might affect my objectivity.
As to the Hilton Sydney, I found the EL quite nice, although having to wait in line for drinks during HH can be slightly annoying, but definitely a first world problem.
Now I wish they would open a Conrad in Sydney. It would seem that market is there, given the presence of so many top end hotels in town.
Jun 30, 2019, 7:56 am
The F&B offering from breakfast to the evening HH spreads are not up to the standards found elsewhere in the world, especially compared to Asian properties. But all of these comments are just my opinion, and the vast majority of my Hilton brand stays have and will be outside of the US, so this might affect my objectivity.
As to the Hilton Sydney, I found the EL quite nice, although having to wait in line for drinks during HH can be slightly annoying, but definitely a first world problem.
Now I wish they would open a Conrad in Sydney. It would seem that market is there, given the presence of so many top end hotels in town.