Swissotel Sydney

The Sydney Swissotel gives guests a five-star experience; the staff respond quickly to any requests, the room was spotless, and almost could be described as spacious. All in all, a fantastic hotel experience. The one big drawback was the cost of amenities. Does it really cost $25 to connect to the Internet for 24 hours? Honestly? Is that necessary? I enjoyed the full breakfast one morning; while good, it was certainly not worth the $35, especially when one can walk out the door, around the corner and find great food at any number of places in the surrounding shopping mecca.

My expectations for a hotel of this caliber is simply that everything should run smoothly with no hassles. I would say that I was disappointed. Having stayed a week created the opportunity for more problems. Hassle 1 - you arrive at the hotel on the first floor and the lobby is on floor 8 - that's okay. But when you leave your luggage and 45 minutes after checking in and being in the room and no luggage has arrived is a problem. It should have been deposited in the room during the check-in process. Having to make a call to get your luggage is not acceptable. Hassle 2 - When I travel for pleasure (as this trip was) - I also travel with a computer and stay in touch with the office. For this I need good access to the internet. The internet in the room at $25 a day is over-priced. I chose the 7 day plan and paid $100. I had difficulty getting the computer set up with the internet modem in the room. No one at the hotel seems to know anything about the computer system. Instead they have you dial 59. This puts you in touch with the internet modem company. They try to diagnosis the problem from India, the Philippines or somewhere (they informed me that they could not divulge the country that they were in). They informed me that I did not have wi-fi in the room (which I discovered later that I did but it was a weak signal)and that I needed to make a direct connection to the modem. Which I did. Nothing seemed to work. I eventually examined the plug to the wall and discovered it was ajar. That fixed the problem. I also had that problem again and figured the cleaning staff was the likely culprits. After that the internet connection functioned well. I later tried to use the I-phone (wi-fi) connection on the 8th floor (where there is supposed to be one). I had no luck. I was informed several times that I needed to purchase an internet card. At other times I was told that this was not needed since I had purchased a room plan. I eventually had a friendly staff member give me a code that supposely would permit me to use the system. The i-phone recognized the wi-fi connection but was never able to connect. I also learned that the system in the room and the system on the 8th floor are different. This makes no sense. Once having discovered that I had a weak wi-fi signal in the room, I tried to connect using it. Again no luck. I called 59 again and after 10 minutes was informed that in order to use the I-phone - I would need to purchase an additional internet plan since it is a separate device. They have to be kidding! I proceeded to Starbucks and used the I-phone there. The internet system at the hotel needs to be improved and a single system should be in place. Hassle 3 - the room is small but not a major problem for one person. Having arrived, I looked for a suitcase stand. There was none. Had to call. They informed me that there was one in the closet. I informed them that there was not. Rooms should be inspected before people check in. They proceeded to deliver the stand. I next looked to find a spot to plug the hot water pot in so that I could make tea and coffee. There was no place to plug it in except on the lower wall and set the pot on a foot stool. This is bad planning. Hassle 4 - The hotel lacks a concierge. There should be a staffed concierge desk on the 8th floor. Instead the concierge activities are performed by the staff on the first floor - but neither duty is done in an acceptable manner. Hassle 5 - On two nights of my stay there were guest running between rooms on the floor and slamming the doors (not permitting the doors to close automatically) between 11:15 and 12:15 at night. This is not good. People are trying to sleep. Hassle 6 - Not a hassle but food prices tend to be high at the hotel and you probably will need to check out some modest priced restaurants on Pitt Street. Hassle 7 - After checking out and going to the first floor with my luggage, I had about ...

Reception area was oddly located

Pros: Great location, friendly staff, clean room. Con: Construction noise from across the road was really loud and started at around 7 am each morning, even on Saturday.

Helpful staff...willing to go the extra mile to assist on connectivity to the wireless capability. Hotel is close to the harbors for excellent restaurants, travel, entertainment, parks...

The hotel was cost effective and the place was right down town close to train station, legal office, the waters, etc.

Here are some highlights from my stay at the Swissotel on Market Street in Sydney: 1)Location: The Swissotel is right in the heart of Sydney's CBD. Circular Quay is only a 10-15 minute walk (ferries to Taronga Zoo depart from here). 2)Rooms: My room was very clean, but the bed was VERY firm. I prefer a softer bed, so this was disappointing for me. The ~26" LCD TV had all the basics and more. 3)In-Room Internet: A big disappointment. The Swissotel charges ~25AUD/24 hours for Internet in guest room, and the speed is very slow (about 0.5Mb/sec). TIP: You can get a free Internet connection in the lobby/restaurant/bar area after check-in. This is achieved through a code a guest gets with their room key. 4)Pool/Exercise Area/Spa: The pool at the Swissotel is excellent! It is heated and is suitable for laps. Also, there is a hot tub out by the pool. The exercise room is small but adequate with 2 stationary bikes, 2 treadmills, and an elliptical trainer. I would definitely stay here again the next time I am in Sydney if I get the same great rate from Orbitz. When I booked in June 2009, Orbitz was running a special at this hotel which could not be beat!

Very pleasant and quiet room with great attention to detail. The fact that you have only one entrance and the lobby upstairs makes for great security which is important to me since I was traveling alone. The location was very convenient. Literally steps from the hotel, you have shops, restaurants, supermarket/department store, theater, train station & monorail station. I would definetly stay there again if I got the same rate. The thing that would improve a stay there is a continental breakfast for everyone, not just the pricier rooms.

This hotel is in the central business district in Sydney, close to shopping. The room was large, the bathroom excellent with nice shower stall and tub. Internet access (both WiFi and hardwired) overpriced.