We are frequent travelers and booked our room with Marriott using reward pts. We paid the extra surcharge for a room with an Opera House view, and it was worth it! We had a very nice room on high floor. The room and hotel were very clean. Our room was good size and the bathroom was large enough. There was a light bulb out in the bathroom and it was replaced promptly. Instant coffee in the room, not a coffee maker like you may be familiar with at Marriott's in the US. (Starbucks around the corner). The hotel is in a fabulous location. We were able to walk (or catch a ferry) to just about everything.

The front desk was extremely accommodating! We had placed an early check-in request when we made our reservation but our flight was even earlier than expected. We were able to check-in at 9 am. Check-in and check-out was very efficient. The concierge desk was very helpful also. We had rented an Avis car from their lobby (convenient). However, we ended up cancelling the car because everything was within walking distance except the day we planned in the Blue Mtns. The concierge helped us book a trip with a driver and 4wd vehicle instead.

There are hotels in the harbour area that probably have a better view but you will pay more.

Having seen how highly this hotel scores on Trip Advisor, I'm left feeling that some other reviewers could have a career as wine critics. ;-)

I travel a lot and stay in a lot of business hotels around Asia. This hotel doesn't cut it as a 5 star hotel. It perhaps just scrapes through as a 4 star, but more realistically, it's a 3 and a half.

There is nothing dramatic to fault, it's just old and tired and the service is hit & miss.

Yes, the rooms are clean, and if you are lucky you get a good view of the harbour & the opera house (but you would also get this at any of the many high-rise hotels at this end of town). And yes, the location is good if you are a tourist or if you work at the north end of the CBD (otherwise only average). There is an Avis desk with available cars at the hotel, which is very convenient. BUT, the bathroom is small, basic and dated. A minimal update some time recently didn't really disguise this. The air conditioning is noisy, and still has a not-very-accurate dial on the wall as it's controller. The furniture & fixtures show plenty of signs of a tough life.

No doubt, if you stay here, you will be comfortable enough, but don't expect 5 star standard. And for this money, there are better options.

I stayed here for work and was on the 10th floor. The room was on the small side but bed was large and comfortable.
I had a side view between some buildings of the harbour bridge. There are 5 lifts available so you're never waiting long to get down to the lobby. I would recommend that you pay extra if you're staying here on holidays for a better view.

We spent three nights at this hotel in April 2008. We paid extra for a room with a view of the Opera House, however, as the hotel is down one of the side streets, we weren’t expecting much of a view. We were pleasantly surprised – great view from the side window of our 27th floor room. We caught the train to Circular Quay from the airport for around $16 per person. It was much less hassle than catching a cab through traffic on a Friday afternoon – and we were in our hotel room within 45 minutes of our plane landing. The hotel staff were very friendly and efficient. The room was comfortable and quiet, with everything you need (good shower, bath tub, lots of pillows).The room service menu is extensive (and expensive) and our food took 45 minutes to arrive. The food was okay as far as room service goes. The hotel is very close to Cafe Sydney in the Customs House (we could actually see the restaurant from our room). We had an excellent dinner there and would highly recommend it (although make sure you book well in advance). There is a convenience store straight across the road from the hotel. Although prices are not marked on anything, it is more reasonable than the convenience shop down at Circular Quay and has a good range of things. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the Mall and main shopping area. We paid about $10 to catch a cab to the Powerhouse Museum. We would definitely stay at this hotel again.