We stayed 3 nights here on an interstate jaunt. I chose it because 1 night was paid for by business and we decided to make a weekend of it and paid for 2 extra nights. The internet price was very reasonable compared to some other 5 star hotels.
The hotel's had a recent makeover, a massive makeover apparently. Our room was smallish but very comfortable and what you'd expect from a Hilton hotel. The decor followed the current minimalist fashion - lots of white and glass everywhere, with a large timber bedhead to add some warmth. Lovely huge comfortable bed. But when will interior designers in this country be a little more adventurous and do something off the main page? There was a glass desk and chaise lounge so perhaps that was the design break out.
The hotel service was excellent and the health club had great facilities, very spacious unlike some hotels which cram their gym into a pokey basement or other area. We enjoyed the pool which had saunas and steam baths and was not over fussy.
We ate breakfast at the cafe in the foyer area, fine for coffee and muffins. Good helpful service there and nicely casual. The foyer is massive with about 3 mezzanines and a giant metal sculpture which twirled up through a couple of the mezzanine levels. My brother referred to it as the giant poo, and after that I was unable to regard it as anything else! It did bear a resemblance. Also I noticed a pleasant aroma wafting around the foyer, always there and always the same (and same as their Crabtree and Evelyn bathroom products) so I suppose the Hilton must have been pumping perfume through the vents somewhere.
A couple of niggles. The telephone system, called Magic (for some reason, who knows why because it was infuriating not magic at all) made it complicated to call reception. You had to press a screen and half the time it didn't work properly. I didn't read the instruction booklet, but what's the point of a phone that you need an instruction book for? Dial 0 would've been good. The other thing was the TV/movie remote didn't work very well. This may've been because the batteries were running down, I don't know but we had a few frustrating moments trying to change and find channels.
Oh and the elevator's numbering system!! It's hard to read the numbers which are laid out horizontally and were differently displayed in different lifts! Guests usually commented on it as they got in the lift, as it seemed to be a common problem finding the correct floor number! There was a panel with a vertical (more usual) layout but these were also hard to read and there was something about their layout which didn't flow.
Apart from that we enjoyed our stay - great location in the centre of Sydney and close to transport and everything you'd want to visit. And check out the lovely old Marble Bar, underneath the hotel if you stay there.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Great pool scene, Pet owners
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Business meeting / Event, Shopping