we stayed for 5 nights in the swissotel sydney. It is a great hotel with a great location. Town hall station in a 5 minute walk, St James station is about 3 mins away. If there are two or more people it is probably cheaper to get a taxi from the airport. Our room was massive, modern and spotlessly clean.
the only downside was having paid the hotel bill in full before our arrival, the reception proceeded to charge my credit card again. This was a major inconvience as we were at the end of our 3 week holiday and my credit card was near it's limit. The problem was eventually sorted after a few days but it prevented me from using my card during this time. Although helpful, I didn't even get an apology from the staff!

Swissotel is located in the heart of the shopping district next to the Sydney Tower. From the airport, I took the train to the Town Hall Station but the taxis I hailed refused to take me to the hotel presumably because of the short distance. It took me a while to locate the hotel entrance. A walk across Myers Department Store led me to the elevators which took me up to the front desk. Check in was done in ten minutes - five minutes waiting for my turn (it was nearly 7pm) and five minutes for the usual check in routine.

My room, somewhat smaller than what I had expected, was cosy and inviting with wood panelling and furniture, and a wall mounted flat screen TV. I had expected picture windows but found apartment-type windows from which I could see all the hotel's neighbouring buildings (a bit too close for comfort). I liked the kimonos and the nifty coffee maker, but could not help comparing Swissotel Sydney with its sister hotels in Bangkok and Singapore whose rooms are much more spacious and had nice city views. Location-wise, Swissotel Sydney is like Swissotel The Stamford in Singapore, with shopping in the same complex but the latter's rooms all come with balconies with full length sliding glass doors, better equipped meeting rooms, an in-house convention centre and the subway at its basement. However, Swissotel Sydney has newer rooms/furniture and is just one block away from the monorail which serves the city centre. Both Swissotel Sydney and Swissotel Nai Lert Park (in Bangkok) appear to have been recently renovated but in terms of service, the latter stands out with its bellhops ever ready to lend a helping hand with luggage and hailing taxis, and smiling and helpful reception staff. Swissotel Sydney's staff were courteous and efficient but seemed to lack the X factor in making guests feel right at home.

I think Swissotel Sydney suits the leisure traveller more than the business traveller. Broadband speeds are excellent but the meetign rooms while ok are not impressive; to reach the business district or the convention centre, one would still need to cab it or walk to the train station and monorail respectively. For shoppers with spare cash to splurge on nice hotels, Swissotel Sydney is a good base to drop off shopping bags before continuing with more retail therapy. It is also within walking distance to Hyde Park if one needs a respite from the city bustle, and Darling Harbour, with its watering holes can be reached on foot or via the monorail.

Had a 2 night stay here on a holiday trip. The location is centainly central for the shopping and business districts but is a bit dead at night-time. We ended up dining in other parts of town both evenings. Also the pool area is overshadowed by buildings in the morning so my plans to catch an hour of sun before breakfast were thwarted! Luckily the pool water is well heated.

In contrast to other reviewers we found the bed really comfortable. The staff were amongst the most helpful and efficient I have ever come across in a hotel.

I hesitated for a long time before deciding to write this review mostly because my opinion was so different than everybody else .

I had a 2 night stay (22-24 Sept) before flying back to Canada so I decided to give this hotel a try , based on the good reviews it had gotten on this site . I was extremely disappointed .
It is described (on their web-site) as a 5-star property with "Luxurious" standard room . My room (# 1801) was far from luxurious with none of the amenities that one would expect from a 5 star hotel .

I had :
1 bed (hard as a rock as noted in a recent review) with 3 cheap hard rubber pillows
2 chairs
1 cheap table
1 cheap wall unit , with a small TV
and that's it for the room . ¸

It was clean but very basic , just the kind of room one would get at an Ibis (or any other budget chain) .
No newspaper
No fruit (as mentionned in another review)
No bathrobe (as mentionned on their web-site)
Not even a local guide/map , most hotels usually have them

Also , I had asked for a quiet room and was given a room next to the ice machine , the service elevators and across the corridor from the guest elevators .

I asked that management contact me so we could discuss the situation , no one did .
I wrote a letter to the general Manager on the 24th of September , I have yet to receive his answer .

Overall , not a good experience.

Luc