Shangri la Sydney

Stayed here for one night prior to returning to UK. We stayed in a Horizon club room with a view of the Opera House and the room , which was r eally a suite was enormous with stunning views.

Everything about this hotel oozes class. The service was tip top, especially from the very friendly Gerry in the club lounge, we utilised the swimming pool area which was excellent. We also dined in the hotel restaurant which provided a high quality buffet.

One night was really not enough, it will be longer next time

My wife and I have stayed at Traders Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on several occasions and our last 5-day stay there earned us a free night at any Shangri-La Hotel anywhere in the world. How good is that!

The view of the Twin Towers and KLCC from the Park Room at Traders is out of this world but we correctly figured that the view from Shangri-La Sydney would be better and we weren't wrong. Stunning views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Harbour from our 31st floor room were spellbinding.

The staff at check-in were young and extremely helpful and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. In fact, all the staff we had contact with were fabulous and what we have come to expect at Shangri-La Hotels.

The Harbour View rooms are sensational and you can lay in bed and watch the most beautiful harbour in the world changing minute by minute.

We opted for the Cafe Mix for dinner and it was here that we felt a little disappointed. The service was good but the selection of hot food on offer was pretty ordinary. Certainly nothing like the Gobo at Traders. And the price for the buffet was way over the top.

Still, these were relatively minor complaints in our overall experience at Shangri-La.

Sydney is our home town and although there are a swag of first class hotels to choose from, we'd certainly recommend Shangri-La as first choice for visitors and yes, we'd stay again.

Thank you Shangri-La for a memorable experience.

First of all, this hotel is extremely well located. I find Sydney initself a very attractive city, and within Sydney this hotel is very ideally located at the foot of the harbour bridge, minutes away from the opera house.

Welcome:

Check in was smooth and very friendly, Mrs Tara helped me who was 'in training' but processed the check in very smoothly.

I got a corner room, overlooking the Opera house.

Room:

The room was very spacious for Australian standards. It had a seperate 'living room/t.v. corner', large size bathroom with seperate shower&bath and a large bedroom.

The TV's where not flatpanel, but had the benefit that they could be moved to either face the desk or face the bed.

Food:

I only used the breakfast in the breakfast room, which offered a wide choice of Asian, Continental and Full breakfast options. It had 10 different juices on offer and the fresh fruit seemed to be really fresh.

Location:

As mentioned in the beginning, the location is great. I went for a few runs from the hotels and you can cross the bridge back and forth within 20 min. Also a run around the Opera house can be finished in 20 min. For the rest it is close to the entry of the BridgeClimb entrance and close to plenty of restaurants and nightlife.

Summary:

This hotel has it all: Location / Staff / Great rooms.

This has to be the best location in Sydney and perfect for the first time visitor. The harbour view rooms are well worth the extra, with high quality furnishings, big bathrooms and the most amazing views! Little touches were helpful - european and GB power sockets - generous Tea and coffee etc.

Don't bother with in house dining - there are so many excellent restaurants at Circular Quay and in the Rocks district, they give a much better flavour of Sydney than a hotel. However, the exception is the bar on the top floor. Here you are treated to double hight windows over looking the harbour, all lit up at night so you don't notice the price of the drinks!!!

We arrived from an overnight flight and our room was ready straight away - this is the advantage of giving them your flight details.

Rooms are neutrally furnished so that the focal point of the room is the view. I am so glad that I went for the view but as a non business traveller I'm glad I did not pay more for the club floors given the quality of what is on your doorstep - you really do want to be out and about rather than in the hotel.

Thank you to the author for this stunning review. We are humbled by your complements and graciously thank you for the recognition and consideration.

The author makes a terrific travel observation: Keeping the hotel informed of your arrival time and flight details allows us to better manage expectations particularly for those travellers arriving off of long haul flights early in the morning.

70% of Shangri-La Hotel Sydney's guests originate from international ports, suffice to say we appreciate the fatigue involved in long haul travel and do our very best to facilitate early registration. We should also note that check-out is 11am meaning early rooms are also dependant on early departures too.

Bottom line - help us help you by letting us know your flight details in advance.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

We just returned from Australia. It had taken some doing to talk my hubby into staying at the Sydney Shangri-La, with an Opera House view. I finally succeeded by suggesting we book the Horizon Club, thereby saving on breakfast and dinner (more about that later).

When we arrived early, which was no problem, we were ushered to the 30th floor Horizon Club lounge for private check-in. We were told, "Your room is ready, but we can offer you a very good rate on a better room. Would you like to see it?" Of course we wanted to, if only to sample the view!

She first showed us our room with the Opera House view. It was perfectly lovely and acceptable. Yes, you had to look sideways to see the Opera House, but it did provide a good, full view of it. Then we went to room #3313. No. 3313 -- one of the famous #13 rooms, as someone referred to them -- was a corner room (sort of a junior suite) with commanding view of the harbor, including Harbor Bridge, Opera House, The Rocks, the inlets and outlets all the way to the Pacific and, from the side windows, a city view. The price would be $80 Australian more per night than the room we booked originally.

Having just barely talked my husband into the Opera House view, I told him it was his call. He said, "We'll take it!" And it was so worth it! I spent so much time looking out those windows and thinking, "This is what people come to Sydney to see." It was beautiful, day and night, and we saw the most incredible rainbow from there -- double at times -- that made almost a complete circle.

I read some reviews that the property was not 5-star quality. I don't know where these people are used to staying. As others have said since, the service was outstanding. I was called by name when I entered the Horizon Club. And as for the food there, breakfast was more than a continental. There were boiled eggs, trout, lox, cheese, fruit, and a variety of juices. The breads and pastries were all of good quality, and cappuccinos and lattes were available for no charge.

However, if one preferred a larger breakfast, the Horizon Club level allowed for the full breakfast in the downstairs cafe. We did that one morning. It doesn't have the great view of the harbor that the Horizon Club does, but they served everything you would expect at a breakfast buffet at a good hotel, including cooked-to-order omelets. The price would have been $76 Australian for two, (no extra charge for cappuccinos), but again, it was all covered in our room charge.

For dinner, the Horizon Club had sushi, assorted hot fish dishes, a few other hot items, fruit, cheese and crackers, bread, small desserts -- what am I forgetting? Also mixed drinks, and good wines and champagne for no charge. We thought it was well worth the upgrade to be in the Horizon Club.

As for our room(s), there was an entry area with window seat overlooking the city and a closet with safe. From there you turned left into a hallway that led to the main room. Off the hall was a beautiful bathroom with soaking tub and separate shower. The only negative thing I have to say about the hotel is that the tub was very narrow. I'm a size 8 and I felt cramped in it. The main room had a loveseat, upholstered chair and coffee table, in addition to a king-size bed and all the usual (TV, bar, desk & chair, etc.). So you had the feeling of separate rooms and spaciousness.

When we left, my husband checked out in the Horizon Club lounge while I stayed with the luggage near the elevators. The young woman who checked him out (the one who had shown us room 3313) came out to the elevators to shake my hand and say good-bye!

I could recommend the Shangri-La to anyone.

‘Wow’!!

We love receiving ‘WOW’ correspondence like this as it acknowledges the contribution and commitment to service delivery of our staff.

Thank you to the author with all sincerity for recognising our efforts.

This reviewer really knows how to enjoy travel.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Upon our arrival we were told we were going to be upgraded to a better room. Our room over looked the Sydney Harbor and the Opera House, what a spectacular view during the day and night. The concierge was very helpful with information about local restaurants and events going at the time we were there. The hotel is walking distance to the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. If you have time it is a must to climb the bridge and make sure you do it around sunset, what a view from the top. The bar food was great the restaurant food was ok; we went out dinner to local restaurants. Palm Beach was a great place to eat, try Jonah’s Restaurant for the greatest views of the oceans http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-book/hotel-restaurant/jonahs/

Thank you to the author for acknowledging the upgrade and yes the view from our guest rooms is one of our most significant bragging rights.

Our Concierge team will also be pleased with your reference, they deliver a fabulous service.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Lets just say the service at this hotel is absolutely amazing. Nothing is too difficult for the staff and their `can do` attitude is so apparant in the way they transact with staff. The reception staff are personable and friendly and you get the feeling its like they are welcoming an old friend. The concierge Nick was great, rather than directing me to internet facilties like i asked he logged onto the Qantas website and printed off our boarding passes for us, nothing seemed too difficult for the staff. As for the room, a little dissapointing, i found our Harbour view room bland, not much colour, and sparesly furnished. Dont get me wrong, they are not bad rooms, just a bit plain in comparison to places like Park Hyatt, Crowne Towers etc. Overall i had decided that we wouldnt stay based on the rooms, but the staff have truly won us over, and quite honestly the rooms become second in regards to importance, and for this reason, i am glad to say we would definetly go back. I should also say all aspects of the food on offer is top notch...from a late night dinner in our room to the fantastic buffet breakfast. Overall, a great hotel

Thank you fto the author for his/her lovely words endorsing our Concierge ‘Nick’. Nick will now be nominated to our November ‘Customer Delight’ team which comes with both reward and recognition for his efforts.

The comments about our guest rooms are noted and like all design preferences it is largely subject to an individuals personal taste. Of course we love them however we do offer alternatives and graciously suggest that the Horizon Club Floors which have a darker and richer décor.

Overall thrilled that our customer service won through on the day.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

We stayed at the Shangri la for four nights on our tour of Australia, on arrival we were disappointed, we had booked an opera house Horizon club room, if we looked sideways out of the window one at a time we could see the opera house, we explained that we were not happy , they offered us another room or we could pay extra and have a suite which we did. Wow, it was fantastic on the 18th floor overlooking both the harbour bridge and the opera house it was worth every penny, we had a lounge, huge bedroom, enormous bathroom with shower and a bath in the window overlooking the harbour bridge (we were on the 18th floor) and a separate cloakroom. The Horizon club was something I would highly recommend, the breakfasts were good and all day long there were soft drinks, tea and coffee etc then at 5-7 it was alcoholic drinks and snacks (more like a light meal) the lounge closed at 11, the internet facilities were great and the staff were all incredibly helpful. It was a short walk to circular quay to all the ferries and as it is in the middle of The Rocks district all the shops, cafes,restaurants and bars are close at hand.

If we ever go back to Australia this is one hotel we will definately stay at again.

Thank you to the author for this fabulous review.

Our Grand Harbour category of accommodation runs across the front of the hotel and offers the very best views of our city icons (Harbour Bridge & Opera House) and harbour.

The author has recommended our Executive Grand Harbour Suites which offer lounge, guest ensuite, enormous marble bathroom and bedrooms with 270 degree views from Darling Harbour, Parramatta River and Blue Mountains to the west and the northern suburbs and heads to the east. The views are not the only benefit as all suite guests enjoy complimentary access to our Horizon Club Lounge on level 30.

Thank you again for this well constructed and thoughtful review.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

We arrived in Sydney after a long flight from Hawaii, getting in at 6:30 am..after a quick ride from the airport we were quickly shown up to our room and were relaxing with a fabulous view of Sydney by 8:30am! What bliss!

We had "splurged" for one of the famous Club Level #13 rooms, and we were glad we did....probably the most spectacular view ever, and the room is perfectly organized to take advantage of its setting...with a very comfortable bed and sitting area, and a large window sill on which to sit and take in the wrap-around panorama...

We ate in the Club Lounge, which has an ample breakfast and lovely snacks and wine in the evening...didn't really need to go out.

As it was my birthday a yummy strawberry cake was sent up, with compliments....a nice touch.

We throughly enjoyed our stay and look forward to our next visit; we really APPRECIATED the early check in!! I don't think the hotel was that busy, but still its great that they will try and get guests in when possible.

Thank you to the author for this ringing endorsement of our increasingly legendary ‘13’ rooms.

The author is writing about the Premier Grand Harbour category which offers sensational views across the Harbour, Opera House and Bridge. What really knocks the socks off our guests (no punn intended really) is that you can spend a lazy morning in bed wiggling your toes and the gazillion dollar view is at your feet. Highly recommended.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

We booked the Shangri La for my father in-law's 60th Birthday and we chose the Celebrations package. The room was exceptional with stunning views over the Harbour of the Bridge and the Opera House. We all sat in the room for an hour and a half just taking in the magnificent view.

Champagne was waiting for us in the room as part of the package as was a birthday cake prepared by the hotel which was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

I did have some problems beforehand, however. I called up the day before to pay for the room having reserved it on the internet two months before. I didn't want my in-laws to have to pay for it themselves. We even went in and spoke to the Guest Relations person to make sure it was everything we wanted.

They told me they were unable to process my credit card without my authorisation which I said they could have but they said I needed to physically come in and sign a piece of paper. Very annoying as would have been nice to have been informed of this beforehand. However after being transferred between switchboard and reception eventually I did get to speak to a manager and she said she would email me over the form. Which she did and all was well.

We also went around most of the other big hotels with views of the Harbour and none were as impressive as the Shangri La.

The bar is described as 'one of the world's great bars with a view' and it is stunning but I think the Orbit Bar on George Street has the edge.

My in-laws couldn't have been happier with the room, the breakfast (which could feed a small country) and access to the spa. All in all it was a breathtaking experience for all of us and I would have no hesitation in recommending the Shangri La to anyone that will listen. It's the perfect hotel to celebrate a special occasion in Sydney.

Thank you to the author for this review and as always for recognising the efforts of the team.

The author brings up a wonderful observation and we can assure he/she is not alone in their observation. The use of a credit card over the phone to pay for another persons room is rarely accepted by luxury hotels now days because of the propensity for fraud and our responsibility to protect our guests.

The common method is to use a stolen credit card to book a room under another name and everyone is none the wiser until the statement is checked by the card holder. For the guest, hotel and bank the rogue guest has long since skipped.

Terrific point and thank you to the author for raising it. We do hope he/she will now indulge us the odd process and need for an actual signature or scanned copy of card and signature.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

We stayed at The Shangri-La Dec last year (about a week before Christmas) We booked the premier grand deluxe harbour view rooms and BOY was it worth it. The views were fantastic and the hotel great.

The bar at the top (can't remember its name) was PACKED, so get there early if you want a prime seat.

I enjoyed breakfast , although we did notice it busier on the weekend but not the scrum people have previously mentioned.

The walk up the hill can be a bit exhausting when its very hot but i believe its worth it.

ALL of the staff we encountered were very friendly and very helpful.

Loved this place, for comparison we stayed at the four seasons New Year, although we didn't have a harbour view room as the prices were nearly tripple for this period. Anyway i prefered the Shangri-la (although the 4S locations is hard to beat)

We were thrilled to read that the author enjoyed their Christmas holiday with us in Sydney.

The Blu Horizon Bar and Altitude Restaurant on level 36 are two of the most popular bars and restaurants in Sydney and we thank the author for providing a heads up to our future guests to plan ahead as Blu and Altitude do become very busy, particularly in the summer months.

We should reference that the benefit of the gentle rise from George Street is that we can offer a harbour view from every room in the hotel from Darling Harbour and the Parramatta River to the west to our Grand Harbour and Opera House rooms in the north and east. Enjoy the view!

We do receive our fair share of comments about the Horizon Club and breakfast service on a Sunday morning. The primary reason is that we have a lounge capacity that accommodates 75% on the Club Floors inventory which in normal circumstances is ample. On a Sunday however many guests opt of a sleep in and arrive for breakfast between 0830-0900 so we do recommend a slightly earlier start to secure the window seats at breakfast.

Finally we thank the author for referencing the efforts of the staff.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

My husband and I stayed at the Fabulous Shangri La for 5 nights as part of our 7 week Honeymoon. We arrived very early and were delighted to find they had a room ready for us. We were even more delighted to find that we had been upgraded to a deluxe Grand Harbour view room! Shortly after arriving we were personally greeted by the manager, Mr Weeden, we thought this was a really nice touch. We were also given a gift of chocolate - which was delicious. The room was big and nicely decorated. The bed was huge and so comfy we struggled to get out of it!

The view from our room was simply unbeatable. We could have quiet happily spent all our time in the room staring out the window, it was just stunning. We also slept with the curtains open so we could wake to the sunrise over the harbour - beautiful!

The hotel has a restaurant, Altitude, & bar ,Blu, on the 36th floor. The 1st evening we went to Blu it was a saturday night and it was really busy, there was a buzzing atmosphere, being so busy unfortunately there were no seats. You have to put your name on a waiting list, you'll wait even longer if you want a window seat. So we got some bubbly and perched ourselves at the bar and soaked up the atmosphere. We also ate in the Altitude restaurant - booking is advised because it can be very busy. I booked 3 months in advance and was the first person to book for that evening and yet when we 1st arrived and decided to look at the restaurant we were told we weren’t guaranteed a window seat! On the evening we ate there, it wasn’t very busy and we got our window seat. The food was good although the portions were a little small. After our meal we went into Blu which was a lot quieter than it had been the previous evening and we easily got a window seat, so we got a bottle of bubbly, sat back, relaxed and stared out at the fabulous Sydney night line. Altitude & Blu are a must if you come here!

We found all the hotel staff to be very friendly, the concierge team were great! We wanted to take a tour to the Blue Mountains, but weren’t keen on the idea of getting on a bus with 50 other tourists. We spoke to Nathan who recommended we take a private tour with a guy called Nick, he called Nick that evening for us and made all the arrangements for us and the next day we took the tour and it was brilliant! On another occasion we asked Shane if he knew of any dive shops in Sydney, he checked on the internet, called the shop to check they stocked what we needed then gave us directions. Excellent service!

The hotel is in a great location, we walked everywhere.

We plan to return to Sydney in the future and when we do we will definitely stay at the Shangri La again, it’s The Place to stay in Sydney!

Thank you to the author for the lovely review and kind words about the hotel and more importantly our people.

Thanks to the photo’s attached I also remember these guests at the hotel. May I on behalf of everybody at Shangri-La we wish them a very happy marriage.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

The views are amazing, you could stay all day in your room and watch the harbour activities below.

We stayed in the Horizon Club and very much enjoyed the Horizon Club facilities. The drinks were very much nejoyed as the sunset, the lights then flickered.

The rooms are larger than a normal hotel room.

We had a great short holiday. Back again soon.

Thank you to the author for this wonderful endorsement of our Horizon Club Floors.

Shangri-La’s Horizon Club is a unique and exclusive service where only guests staying on the Club Floors (level 30-35) or in our Executive Grand Harbour Suites may enjoy the exclusivity of the private Lounge on level 30.

The Horizon Club Lounge is open from 0600 – 2100 each day and serves a complimentary breakfast, snacks throughout the day and evening cocktails and canapés from 1800-2000 each evening. Additional Club Floor benefits include the private reception, welcome green tea on arrival, floor valet and complimentary business services in the lounge.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager

I've stayed at the Shangri La on numerous occasions, from overnight stays to week long visits. Having stayed at other local hotels I can highly recommend the Shangri La and its staff. Whilst it may lack an impressive reception area it makes up for this in other areas. The rooms are large, comfortable and immaculate. Perfect condition and impossible to fault - well designed and furnished. There is a good sized pool, a decent gym and spa facilities. Room service has always been good. No complaints or gripes from me at all about the rooms or facilities.

The staff are first class. Whenever I've required assistance with travel plans, documentation or business facilities (prints, faxes etc) this has been provided quickly, efficiently and with the minimum of fuss. To top it all I had a huge favour to ask recently - I'd purchased a large painting from a nearby shop as a present for my wife but as I was in Melbourne I had no means of getting it to a friend who was driving from Sydney to Melbourne that night ! The Resident Manager, Rob Weedon, was absolutely outstanding. He arranged to collect the painting, take it to the Shangri La, have it wrapped and then walked round to the hotel that my friend was staying at. There was only an hour or so to arrange all this and he, and his colleagues, were terrific. They went to work immediately and ensured the painting arrived safely into Melbourne the following day.

I'll always be extremely grateful. A sign of a truly great hotel - fabulous customer service and nothing is too much trouble. Whilst I was impressed before hand the actions of Rob Weedon has secured my continued stay at the Shangri La Sydney.

We love it when a plan comes together! Thank you to our guest from Victoria for the glowing review of the hotel and our service team and delivery.

While humbled by the wonderful comments it is appropriate that we reference the efforts of our concierge team and most notably our Chief Concierge who was the logistical brains trust who pulled the project together.

Thank you again for the terrific review.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

My sister and I were staying at a different hotel at the beginning of our trip to Sydney and stopped in to the Shangri La to see if we wanted to switch for our stay at the end of our Australian adventure, three weeks later. The assistant manager, Lo, kindly showed us three different rooms with views of the Opera House, Darling Harbor, etc. We selected the one we liked the best and booked at a good price.

When we returned to Sydney, from the Red Center and covered with dust, we were ushered in as if we were royalty. The front desk staff were the most cordial of any hotel I've stayed at. My suitcase zipper had broken on the way to the hotel, with contents spilling out. The bell captain was very kind in helping me fix the problem.

Our room had a beautiful view so we chose to have room service rather than eating out. The service and dinner were excellent. I greatly enjoyed our stay and thank the staff for treating us so well.

Thank you so much to the author for sharing their Shangri-La service experience with us and also for acknowledging the efforts of our team, particularly the Bellmen and Front Desk.

For Trip Advisor reader’s reference we will be nominating our Guest Relations Manager Losalini Menon to our September ‘Customer Delight’ team which comes with both reward and recognition.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

I stayed here for nearly 3 weeks having been sent out to Sydney on business. As my work settled the cost of my stay it's difficult to give a truely balanced review as I certainly couldn't have afforded such a stay out of my own pocket.

Having said that, it is the best hotel I have ever stayed at. The service was excellent throughout my stay, and being by myself I often turned to room service for an evening meal, which again was very good quality and prompt. I would say that breakfast was pricey for what you got, but given the hotel standard and the fact it will get a lot of business guests, I can understand that.

The Blu Horizon bar was fantastic and the price of a drink was not unreasonable compared to other bars of that quality in the area (well, apart from the $10,000 martini!)

The hotel is in a good location and just a few mins walk from the harbour and rocks area.

The room was a deluxe opera house view and became my home for 3 weeks. I was sad to leave it behind, but this hotel helped make my stay in Sydney very memorable.

Thank you to the author for the fabulous endorsement of the hotel and our service team. The crew Blu Horizon Bar will be particularly thrilled with your appraisal.

Between us, our $10,000 Diamond Martini is a stretch for most people but not all - we sell a couple every year. I'll recommend the regular Martini though to start.

Thank you again.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

From the moment we arrived this was the perfect hotel. Matt welcomed us on reception and upgraded our room. We could not believe the view from the 18th floor - both the Bridge and the Opera House! The room was spacious and luxurious even with an extra bed in for our daughter. I think, though, that it was the staff that really made our visit - they were welcoming friendly and polite especially the lady in the business centre. I would also recommend the Shangri La for its excellent location.

Thank you for the terrific review and also for recognising our Commissionaire Matt. Based on your feedback Matt will be nominated to our August ‘Customer Delight’ programme which comes with both reward and recognition.

The Business Centre ladies do a fabulous job, particularly with taking care of our early arriving guests who have come in from long haul destinations. Thank you also for acknowledging Annette and Alice – we are not sure which lovely lady the author is referencing.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

My 3rd time at the Shangri La Sydney, and it never disappoints. This is THE place to stay in Sydney!

I arrived off a long flight from London early morning, and was delighted that my room was already ready, not only that was upgraded to a Deluxe Harbour View Room, which was amazing! This is the best view of Sydney Harbour in the world, and the room was also fantastic, huge room, huge bed, huge marble bathroom, fantastic everything.

Excellent location, close to the buzzing bars and restaurants at The Rocks, and a very easy 10 minute walk to the centre of the city/business district, and a further 5 minutes to Darling Harbour.

Staff all extremely efficient and friendly, without exception, from the moment you arrive, right through to the moment you leave.

The Blue Horizon bar on the top floor is well worth a visit, has a great ambience and also stunning all round views.

Entertained business clients at the extensive and varied buffet at Cafe Mix on the first floor of the hotel, which went down well (especially the chocolate fountains).

I can't think of any reason why I would stay anywhere else while I was in Sydney.

What a fabulous endorsement and thank you to the author for this wonderful review, please do let us know when next planning to visit Sydney.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Arrived in Australia first thing in the morning from the Northern Hemisphere and was delighted when the reception let me have my room, despite the early hour (7am). Room was delightful, with a good view of the Opera House (for which I had paid a supplement) and very comfortable furnishings. The position, high up in the Rocks, is ideal for exploring the harbour area, although there are some hills which some might not like. Staff were polite. Can't comment on the food, as I did not have any.

Thank you so much for the glowing endorsement. We do appreciate that those long haul flights can be challenging and do our very best to have our guests settled in their rooms as quickly as possible. On this occasion it appears to have been very quick – thank you for acknowledging the effort and delight to have been of service.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Having planned a long weeked away in Sydney, we decided to stay at the Shangri La, and we weren't disappointed.

We wanted to stay somewhere with a nice harbour view, and I wanted a room with breakfast included (preferably at Club level). We opted for a Horizon Club Opera room.

We arrived at around 11am on a Friday morning, and were ushered by the main receptionist up to the Horizon Club on level 30 for private check-in. The views from the Horizon Club are magnificent, and the service was great. We were very pleased to be told that our room was ready for us then. We were even happier to find out that even though we had booked a room, we had received an upgrade to a junior suite.

The view from the room was a great view over the Sydney Opera House, Kiribilli and the harbour, although you could only see it from that window. From bed, we were looking southwards over an apartment building about a block away and another building next door. The window sills though were very big and formed a little alcove in which to sit and gaze over the magnificent harbour view.

We really enjoyed the evening canapes and drinks both nights. The service in the Horizon Club was excellent, with frequent drink refills, and good food.

Whilst continental breakfast was available at the Horizon Club, we chose to have the full cooked breakfast at Cafe Mix on level 1. The food and service there were both good although there was a long wait for a table on Sunday morning.

All in all, we had a wonderful time at the Shangri La, and would happily stay there again.

Saturday night is our busiest night of the week with a very large proportion of our guests taking advantage of a weekend away and we are pleased that we have met all of the authors expectations, and some.

The Horizon Club Floors are a favourite ‘weekend pamper’ particularly with the added benefits of the exclusive lounge on level 30, complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails, valet service and of course the green tea on arrival – very special.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Enjoyed six nights in a Premier Grand Harbour View Room on level 33 (Horizon Club) in early August, as a result of previous TripAdvisor reviews. Above all, we wanted a hotel in Sydney which had amazing views of the harbour…

My girlfriend and I couldn’t decide whether or not to pay the extra for the Horizon Club, but the guarantee of a room on floors 30-35 made that an easy decision. As an added bonus, the use of the Horizon Club lounge is great, and adds a certain degree of value when you take into account complimentary (and very nice) breakfast on the 35th floor, free soft drinks and snacks throughout the day and free canapés / alcohol before you head off for dinner.

One day – at the suggestion of a member of staff – we tried Café Mix on Level 1 for the main hotel breakfast (where there is a full cooked breakfast). BIG mistake, there was a queue for a table, it was packed inside, noisy, cramped and just not very relaxing when you are on holiday. Breakfast for 2 (if we hadn’t been a Horizon Club guest) would have been $78 AUS, which is very steep for what it was. So for our remaining days we continued to enjoy the peace and serenity of breakfast in the HC lounge, together with stunning views over the bay.

The bedroom was fabulous – every luxury you could want, literally, and even an umbrella in the closet to take out if it was raining. Bed was super comfy, the bathroom luxurious with a huge array of nice freebies. The only negative comment would be the bathtub being quite narrow by normal standards, but still very comfy. Above all, the views from the bedroom were awesome – in the room category we had, there were 5/6 big windows offering 270 degree views. We didn’t pull the curtains once, preferring to lie in bed and watch the city at night, and then get treated to lovely sun rises each morning.

There was a turndown service provided on five of our six nights (don’t know what happened on the Sunday!), and we were made to feel like special guests. From the moment we arrived, we were whisked straight upstairs by a member of staff so we could check-in at the HC, making it feel like a very exclusive hotel within a much larger five star property (think The Signature within MGM Grand in Vegas).

We were concerned about the comments on here re: access to the hotel as people say its up a steep hill. It’s really nothing to worry about – true, older or infirm guests may have a problem, but its only one block up a steep hill, as long you enter via the back entrance. Go in the main entrance and it’s two blocks up a steep hill. Taxis were easy to come by, and there was never a queue of more than one person ahead of us - even at peak times on a Saturday night. Concierge was most helpful, and the porters did a great job.

All in all, the hotel met our every expectation and really MADE the holiday in Sydney. It wasn’t cheap, but it was well worth it, and we look forward to returning one day.

Thank you to the author so very much for this glowing report.

It is always a pleasure to read the independent testimonials supporting the efforts of our in delivering our unique blend of Shangri-La hospitality.

We would like to formally thank our Horizon Club Floors team in particular for their contribution to making this guests stay.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

What a fabulous stay, we were upgraded on arrival to a full harbour view room, wow...what a view of the Quay and the bridge.

We were treated to complimentary coffee and snacks on arrival as the room was not made up for an hour or so. This was lovely.

Wonderful position to walk to the city centre, about a 20 minute stroll away.

We met friends in the evening and had cocktails in the lounge there, very good service and a lovely atmosphere.

Fantastic breakfast buffett, we were full all day, such an array of choice for first thing in the morning!

Very clean rooms, lovely staff, highly recommended.

Have a cocktail in the bar at the top of this hotel...absolutely heavenly!!

Thank you to the author for their lovely words and for acknowledging the upgrade co-ordinated by the Front Desk and thank you for indulging us the wait while your room became available.

Blu Horizon Bar ‘heavenly’ – nice words, we agree!

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

As so many other reviewers have stated - what a view.

We arrived home last night after spending 24 hours at the Shangri-la in a Deluxe Grand Harbour view room on the 29th floor as a part of a "Perfect Pamper" package. The view was undeniably breathtaking.

For reference, I did speak with a guest relations officer (Emily) yesterday afternoon about our experience but I really wanted to put this review out in public so that people have a chance to make an informed decision.

I had booked a 'Perfect Pamper' package through the hotel's website for Monday 6 October as a surprise 20th Anniversary celebration for my husband. I emailed the hotel after I'd made the booking to inform them of the special occasion (hoping merely for someone to say congratulations when we arrived) and received an email from a guest relations officer stating that she would personally ensure there were 'a few surprises' in the room waiting for us upon our arrival. To say I was excited is an understatement.

Firstly, the highlights. Again, the view! We were on the 29th floor and the view of the entire harbour was superb.

The bathroom was fantastic although the blue painter's tape down the right hand side of the vanity unit in the room seemed a bit tacky for a hotel of this standard. The room was a good size, the wide window sills perfect for harbour gazing, and the bed was as good as others in similar establishments we've frequented.

The package also included breakfast for two at Cafe Mix on the 1st floor. There was an excellent range of food and beverages that would satisfy most guests.

Now the lowlights.

I had arranged to check in to the hotel at 1400. Upon arrival, we were informed that our room was not ready and while it was on a priority list it was unlikely that it would be ready before 1500. They'd call us if it was ready sooner. We then deposited our luggage with the porters and were assured that it would be taken to our room when the room was ready.

The Perfect Pamper package states that herbal tea is served upon arrival. None was offered but we figured that it would be when we checked back in later.

We wandered off to Circular Quay and returned at 1530. The room was ready. I opened the door and said "surprise" to my husband but I was surprised instead. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the room. Not even our luggage!

Herbal tea was still not offered however there were herbal tea bags up in the room...we thought that perhaps this is what 'served upon arrival" meant. Having not stayed with this particular brand of hotel before we were unsure of what to expect.

45 minutes later our bag arrived. No sign of anything else. As we'd organised to go to a movie and dinner afterwards we'd hoped to use some of our 'deluxe spa pack' before we headed out for the evening thinking that it would be in the room when we arrived. I visited reception down stairs and a helpful staff member (Rylie I think her name was) rang housekeeping and offered to get our spa pack for us herself as they were short staffed. Satisfied that something would be done I went back upstairs.

Approximately 30 minutes later another helpful staff member arrived with our spa pack. When I enquired about the strawberries and chocolate I was told that they would be at least another hour as the pastry chef was running behind. We were offered a bottle of house champagne to make up for the inconvenience. I also mentioned what had been promised in regards to the 'surprises' for our anniversary (although I had no idea what the promised surprises were!). Again, the helpful staff member said she'd chase it up.

We arrived back from our evening out at approximately 2130. Our champagne and strawberries and chocolate were sitting, waiting for us with a card from a guest relations officer congratulating us on our anniversary. The champagne and strawberries were now a gratuity for our anniversary rather than a) an apology and b) a part of the package I'd paid for.

I must add, the chocolate coated strawberries were the most ripe I've ever had and an absolute delight. By this stage though, I was horribly disappointed with the overall experience.

Yesterday afternoon we came back to the hotel after a morning out to find that our key card would no longer take us to our room even though the Perfect Pamper package includes late check out until 1600 and I'd informed the staff member who checked us in that we would be using it.

I went to the guest relations desk and was whisked off to reception by Emily who again, was very helpful. The cards were fixed for us and she asked whether the rest of our stay had been to our satisfaction. I shared with her the disappointments that we'd experienced and she noted all of the issues down, took my mobile number, and came and apologised to my husband. She also gave us her name on a card so that we could deal with her personally to make future bookings.

Back upstairs to our room. House keeping had not been around to service the room yet and consequently our 4 sachets of instant coffee had not been replaced - so we were not even able to have a coffee in the room before we left.

Housekeeping did ring while we were in the room and asked if we required service - it would have been nice if they'd come through that morning. We ended up making herbal tea with the teabags in the room - we never did have tea made for us on arrival or anytime thereafter. While it is but a small issue, it was just another irksome thing that detracted from what should (and definately could) have been an exceptional stay.

We checked out at approximately 1515 feeling very let down.

While I appreciate the attempts that the staff made to try to rectify issues for me, it was too little too late. This is not the level of service that we have experienced at other 5 star establishments - regardless of whether our stays have been for business or for special occasions.

I had thought that perhaps other reviewers had just been unlucky but it would appear that there are issues in the organisation of these requests.

While I was greatly disappointed by the forgetting of the promised 'surprises' I do understand that the hotel is under no obligation at all to perform these extra services. However, I cannot understand the lack of co-ordination of the paid for, packaged inclusions.

If the packages are difficult to administrate or short staffing on public holidays is the issue perhaps not offering the service in the first place (and especially on public holidays) would be a less frustrating experience for all rather than guests feeling let down.

I appreciate that it was a public holiday and that staffing levels were more than likely not at their usual numbers and I'm sure that many people have wonderful experiences at this hotel. That said, I doubt whether we will be taking up the guest relations officer's offer of dealing with her personally to book into the hotel again.

In closing, a wonderful view, staff who tried to be helpful, but a poor performance in the end which resulted in our 'special day' being a major disappointment.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this review with other travellers or the hotel management.

Thank you to the author for the balanced review and on behalf of the team we congratulate the couple on their 20th anniversary.

We would also like to thank the author for recognising the efforts of Riley (Front Desk) and Emily (Guest Relations) for the efforts and contribution to their stay.

Emily had brought the authors experience to our attention and without prejudice we regret that the expectations of the author were not met.

While we appreciate that the guests room was not available when they arrived at 2pm our designated check-in time is 3pm. An alternative room was rushed and unfortunately the Pamper package amenities were not moved as quickly as we would have hoped. Once this was brought to our attention the problem was rectified immediately. As a gesture the guests were offered a complimentary bottle of champagne for indulging us the shortfall.

In this instance it is regrettable that in an effort to best meet the needs of our guest a communication oversight transpired. We do hope that the author will accept our most sincere and gracious apologies.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Great views of the harbour from the level 30 lounge and a well equiped gym.

However, a few things about this hotel dissapointed me:

-No greetings, offers to take bags or open car doors on arrival.

-Cheap and tasteless fried food and dissapointing wine selection on level 30.

-Very stuffy rooms. I am 31 with i think healthy lungs but found myself gasping for air at night. There may be an issue with air flow at this hotel, another couple on the same floor agreed with me on this.

-Fellow at entrance trying to charge me a further $35 as i had overparked by an 1 hour. - this would have resulted in a parking bill of $105 for a two night stay.

My room, 315 was a little dated but tastefully decorated and featured an impressive large granite bathroom. A generous array of l'occitane products were included also. The bed was very comfortable and was a true king - unlike 2 singles stuck together which seems to be the trend these days. The stationary in the desk drawer was also a nice touch.

However, I found the Sydney Shangri La to be bland, unwelcoming and lack the class of other similar priced hotels in Sydney such as the Sofitel and hilton.

Give it a miss. There are better options in Sydney.

We thoroughly agree that the views from our guest rooms are breathtaking. Thank you to the author for evaluating our service, location and cleanliness with full marks.

Regrettably we have not met this guest’s expectation on the driveway both at arrival and departure. We can assure our guests that our Commissionaires are amongst the best in the city and graciously request the author’s indulgence on this occasion as they rarely miss a beat.

The valet service and car parking is operated by the concessionaire Auto Parking to whom we will be referring the highlighted billing experience. We should add that most CBD car parks do charge per hour or per day.

The comments about the Horizon Club Floors were noted although a little confusing given the rotating menu that is usually presented at cocktails in the evening. We can however assure our guests that ‘cheap fried food’ is most certainly not on the menu.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

Just back from a weekend stay at the Shangri-La Hotel with my girlfriend and I can say definitively that we will not stay there again. We booked the following room on their website:

1. Deluxe Opera House View

2. King Bed

3. Non smoking

Upon arrival we were checked into a room with Deluxe Opera House View, Non smoking but with two single beds. I phoned reception to ask about getting a room with a king sized bed (since this is what we had booked). I was told that level 5 was the only floor available.

A porter arrived and moved us to room 517. The minute we entered the room it was as if I had walked into an ashtray, such was the stench of stale cigarette smoke. The deluxe Opera House view was also gone, replaced by a view of the neighbouring apartment block. The receptionist failed to inform me that level 5 was a smoking floor. I detest cigarettes so I went to reception and asked that I get what I had originally requested. Eventually we got moved to a room on floor 24 and this room was nice. Why we couldn't have got this room in the first place I really don't understand.

For dinner that evening we had to eat in the bar on the ground floor because the restaurant was booked out. Again the bar just oozed bad service which I think is the key problem with this hotel. When the bar waiter came to take our order I queried him about the first item on the menu. The food menu in the bar is just one page long and he didn't know what the item was. He had to leave us and get someone else to come and take our order instead. The table service was really poor and the food wasn't good. My steak sandwich and fries were cold. The food was expensive but the service didn't match the price point.

Service and staff really let this hotel down. It's only redeeming features are the views of the city from the cocktail bar on level 36.

Thank you to the author for taking the time to write this review. The views from our level 36 ‘Blu Horizon Bar’ and ‘Altitude Restaurant’ are reputed as being amongst the best in Sydney and we appreciate the endorsement.

Contrastingly the comments about the reservation have been noted and having reviewed the booking details we concur that it is extremely important to confirm the room type when booking so as to avoid disappointment at registration.

Our staff will be most disappointed to read the review and would request that the reader indulge us on this occasion, we have obviously not met the expectations of this guest and will endeavour to work harder.

We stayed at the Shangri La Sydney July 2008. We had a great view of the harbour from our room overlooking the opera house and harbour bridge. Large room. Helpful, friendly staff.As our room was surrounded by glass it took a couple of days to realise that the reason why the room was cold , apart from being winter in Australia was because the air con/ heating wasnt working properly. It was fixed promptly but broke down again on our last night. Also draft came through the window . Buffet meal in restaurant in evening was excellent, again helpful staff. As was buffet breakfast, however they let themselves down on efficiency and accuracy on a La carte breakfast , which was an issue when we had a flight to catch.Would reccomend this hotel but take pyjamas!

Thank you to the writer for taking the time to write this review. Obviously we are a little disappointed to be rated 2/5 overall particularly when our location and the front office service were 5/5 and overall service 4/5.

Regrettably it appears that the air-conditioning issues were a significant problem and for this we do sincerely regret the inconvenience to this guest.

Rob Weeden

Resident Manager.

I write this review from my room at the hotel, wondering if i should take my family somewhere else.....

Picked up at the Airport by Hotel Limo and all appeared well upon arrival.

The check in desk only had 2 staff members available, 1 was on the phone dealing with a customer complaint which resulted in a room change.....so we had to wait some time for the other receptionist to attend to us.

Although we had booked our room several weeks in advance, after a long wait at the check-in we were told the Premier Grand Harbour View room was not available and we would be upgraded to a suite.

The suite was shabby, the carpet worn and poorly fitted, bathroom drawers do not stay closed and roll out while sitting on the toilet which my 4 year old daughter is now convinced is a ghost. Furniture appears to have been bought at a local garage sale , chipped, scratched and well worn. Curtains are stained, old fashioned TV's.....and this is an upgrade!!!

As part of our pre cruise break we asked some friends down from Brisbane to meet up with us and stay at the Shangri-la, again the room was booked weeks in advance but was not available at check in...room upgrade to a suite....with 2 single beds, a nice romantic weekend away with 2 single beds....thanks for the upgrade!!!!

I still have 2 nights here before heading off on a cruise with P & O and I really am disappointed with this hotel.

We have stayed at many hotels around the world and this is the first time i have considered reviewing one. The views are spectacular even from the 8th floor.

The hotel needs a serious refurb' to be credible with 5 star rating or they need to decide to stay as they are and not charge a 5 star price, Guys lift your game, if you need some help with seeing how to do the 5 star thing, I'd suggest you meet with management at the Sheraton Hotel Perth WA, they really are setting the benchmark.