Shangri-La Sydney

“Exceptional comfort and great service”

I had a lengthy twelve night stay here and loved every day - I’ll certainly be staying again. The location is good being very close to many key spots, although be prepared for the steep hill! On arrival the door staff are great with the welcome and assisting with luggage, and the reception staff ar… more

I had a lengthy twelve night stay here and loved every day - I’ll certainly be staying again. The location is good being very close to many key spots, although be prepared for the steep hill! On arrival the door staff are great with the welcome and assisting with luggage, and the reception staff are wonderful. The process was completed quickly and the six elevators serve all the floors impressively quickly; there was never a need to wait. My seventh floor corner room was extremely impressive and comfortable - there was a separate living area with sofa and tv, a large spacious bathroom with walk-in shower and separate bath, and the main bedroom area was really large. The corner aspect meant the windows were huge and flooded the room with natural light, just a shame I wasn’t higher up for a better view. All of the facilities and touches you’d want were present - electric sockets next to the bed, loads of lighting control and lamps, arm chair and coffee table, sizeable desk and well stocked mini bar. The bed was huge and one of the comfiest I can remember. Sleep quality was just perfect, with thick curtains and no noise at all. The bathroom also had every amenity you could wish for and plenty of large soft towels. The shower was large with good power and the bath deep. Toiletries were pleasant and everywhere spotlessly clean. Nice dressing gowns and slippers were also provided. Housekeeping were exceptional, always observing the do not disturb light yet returning proactively, even late in the day. They attended every aspect of the room each time doing a perfect job and it made returning each day a delight. Overall I found this hotel exceptional. Even after twelve nights I didn’t want to leave the comfortable room and the service throughout every aspect was top notch. Highly recommended and next time I’m in the city I’ll be staying here again.

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“Great city hotel”

We chose the Shangri-la for the location and it didn't disappoint. We were able to explore on foot everything in the area that we wanted to. Bondi Beach area was about a 30 minute Uber/Taxi away. The staff were very helpful, especially the doormen. The bar on the top floor wasn't cheap, but also n… more

We chose the Shangri-la for the location and it didn't disappoint. We were able to explore on foot everything in the area that we wanted to. Bondi Beach area was about a 30 minute Uber/Taxi away. The staff were very helpful, especially the doormen. The bar on the top floor wasn't cheap, but also not really that expensive considering the views and that it's a tourist draw. We did have in-room dining which was prompt, but did not otherwise eat at the hotel's restaurants. We booked through AMEX's FHR program, and we did get an early check-in, which was great, having arrived early that morning. We did not get an upgrade, though the early check-in was more desired anyway. Our room, unfortunately, did not face the bridge or opera house, but it wasn't the most critical thing for us either. Also, while we did use Uber a few times, cabs queue right outside the entrance and the prices were the same or a bit less. Plus, we saved having to wait for an Uber. I would have used them more had I figured all that out to start. The only weird service thing encountered, and I have to imagine it was a miscommunication on their end, was that one afternoon, while we were in the room, we had no fewer than 3 (may have been 4) staff knock on the door. This is after the room had already been serviced that day and before the evening turndown service. Two seemed to be just checking in on the room (maybe supervisors) and one was restocking the minibar. We finally put the DND light on, but why that many people would need to enter the room, I have no idea.

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“Convenient, pleasant and easy stay”

Had the pleasure of staying here last week for a mid-week CBD wedding. I must admit that I was hesitant to stay here, having previously stayed in 2015 and being left underwhelmed by the experience. However, fate determined that we stay here, noting that prices around the CBD had skyrocketed in th… more

Had the pleasure of staying here last week for a mid-week CBD wedding. I must admit that I was hesitant to stay here, having previously stayed in 2015 and being left underwhelmed by the experience. However, fate determined that we stay here, noting that prices around the CBD had skyrocketed in the period where we needed to make quick reservations. Being Shangri-La circle members, we were able to get a discount on reservations, and settled on the deluxe opera house city king room, with prepaid parking. We arrived in Sydney on the day of the wedding, which commenced at 4, noting check in at this hotel is 3pm, which I still find to be quite late for a hotel of this calibre. On arrival, the bell staff were quick to take our bags and get our reservation details so the car could be moved. Check in was very quick and efficient, but I do note that I was not asked if I was a circle member prior to being directed to the check in queue (circle members are given their own check in area in the lobby). Lifts are in a 3x3 setup, and are much faster than before. We were situated in room 513, which is one of the corner rooms. The room was very large, very clean, and light filled. As advertised, we had views out to the Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour and the Opera House. While my wife rushed to get ready, I called the concierge. Daniel took my call and expertly advised on how long a taxi would take, and where to be dropped off for the quickest walk to the ceremony in a random spot at the Botanical Gardens. Daniel said to give him a call before we left the room and he would have a taxi waiting for us. After I got ready, I called Daniel, and sure enough, a taxi was waiting for us as soon as we got to the lobby (just note this was all within 30 mins from checking in). The reception finished very late, and we arrived back at the hotel at approximately 11.30pm. I asked a few questions at reception regarding a dining rewards voucher we had as circle members, which they handled expertly. In terms of the room specifics, one thing that bothered me on our previous stay was the constant road noise from busy freeways next to the hotel. However, this time I am happy to note that the room was extremely quiet. The bathroom is large, and is well stocked in terms of amenities, and the products were very nice to use on the skin (but unfortunately I forgot to not the brand name). One minor bugbear is the shower uses a dual tap cold/hot setup, so dialling in the perfect temperature may take a bit of experimentation. The lounge area in the room was large, and I noted the inclusion of a Nespresso machine. We didn't end up using wifi, so I can't comment on the service quality. Another minor quibble was the location of the television. While the television is a large premium flat screen tv, it sits high in the middle of the room - with the lounge on the extreme left, and the bed on the extreme right. Comfortable viewing may be slightly difficult. However, I did enjoy the Foxtel coverage. In the morning we went to Cafe Mix on level 1. Our package did not come with breakfast, but we used the dining voucher, which caused a few headaches for the staff. However, they were able to quickly resolve the issue. Breakfast is buffet style here, with a few bespoke hot items (e.g. eggs), and a barista on hand for requests. What I liked about the spread was that it was not overdone - I am not a fan of places that have ridiculously large offerings for guests for buffet breakfasts, and guests feel overwhelmed, and in the end this leads to a lot of unfortunate wastage. The offerings here are targeted, and extremely high quality. While the hotel is a 5 star luxury place, the breakfast experience felt more like an ultra high end boutique hotel offering, and this is not a bad thing at all. I'm not sure if the hotel was at capacity, noting it was midweek, but the dining area was busy but not chaotic, and all the items were replenished regularly, and quickly. I must give special mention to the mini pastries, hash browns, and poached eggs. I have dined in many luxury hotels and some of the best restaurants in the world, and I can say that hash browns and the perfect poached egg can be wildly inconsistent. However, the kitchen here has somehow managed to perfect these techniques to the point where they are just churning out perfectly executed hash browns and poached eggs every time, so kudos to them. I must give special mention to the late check out time of 11am, which puts Shangri-La in an ever shrinking category of hotels which have check outs at a reasonable time, without needing to purchase late check outs. Check out was quick and friendly, and we toured a bit more of the lobby to find a wonderful art exhibition for Charles Billich near another cafe on the ground floor. Our car was brought out quickly, and we left with a big smile on our faces. While I estimate we spent approximately 11 hours in total at the hotel, the stay was pleasant and easy and convenient. Competition has been heating up in the upper end luxury market in the Sydney CBD, but this hotel still manages to distinguish itself. Given that they had improved on every aspect which I did not enjoy last time, I would have to say we would easily find ourselves coming back as a couple to enjoy more of what the hotel has to offer.

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“Wedding night”

Nice rooms but incompetent execution. We had late check out in our package but got locked out. In room amenity (part of package) took 3 calls to arrive. Breakfast order didnt arrive. Billing errors. Not really good enough for above 700 a night.