Booked the Endless Weekend package which i thought was great value - included perks such as a $50 myer voucher, valet parking, 4pm checkout and breakfast until 2pm (i.e. if you missed the breakfast buffet which finished at 10.30am, you can order room service - nice touch). I had high expections seeing as it is a 5* hotel and rated 5th for popularity on TripAdvisor. For reference we were looking for a romantic long weekend in a central location with good spa facilities.

POSITIVES

For a 5* hotel with 5* rates the Swissotel has the usual positives. Our room was on the corner of the 22nd floor with two large windows facing the Centrepoint Tower. Clean nicely furnished rooms, clean bathrooms with plenty of toiletries - first hotel ive seen that has body gel and body scrub, wall mounted flat screen TV and a coffee machine. Swimming pool was heated and jacuzzi was strong.

NEGATIVES

TV - is mounted on the wall but does not extend and swivels slightly.. As we were in a corner room with 2 windows, the TV was mounted on the next wall and facing the hallway and bedside table rather then the actual bed. This could just be in the corner room though due to lack of space.

Room- again maybe because it was a corner room, but our room was tiny. The armchair actually sat flush between the window and bed. Mimimal towels provided in bathroom.

Parking -
The hotel faces onto Market Street and does not have its own driveway/entrance. There are 6 no parking/taxi stand spots out front and my partner had to wait in the car for fear of getting booked whilst i ran in to get the concierge/porter/bellboy?? to come out and take our keys. He was quite young and i think i heard him speaking Japanese?, was very efficient and friendly I wish I took down his name. The front entrance consists of a concierge desk and 3 lifts, you need to take the lifts up to the main lobby on level 8 (i.e. the first floor available directly above Myers 7 floors). There are no signs to say checkin on 8th floor. Over the next 3 days we learnt to call for the car at least 20mins before we left the room as we were waiting on a couple of occasions and there is only 2 seats on the ground floor. Also if you return after 11pm there is no-one manning the front desk on the ground floor and you need to swipe with your room key to get in. I could see how this would be annoying if you were checking in late at night.

Spa -
We chose Swissotel as they have an Amrita spa and we were looking at getting several treatments over the weekend. As it was the long weekend they were naturally busy and we were booked in at 9am. As at other spas and as advised in the hotel directory we arrived 10mins early to fill out paperwork, get changed and use sauna facilities. The spa was deserted and hotel staff were vacumming the general spa/lift area. Not very tranquil. No-one turned up until just after 9am and they were slow to acknowledge us and give us robes/changeroom keys. Even if they were running late they could at least send us to the changerooms/sauna before turning on the computer etc.

Breakfast -
We were told upon checkin that as we have breakfast until 2pm, if we miss the JPB buffet then to order breakfast in the Crossroads bar. We went down to the bar but there was no-one attending. Went to the restaurant and the girl hurridly advised us if you missed breakfast you order room service. I asked if that meant we get charged and she said yes and walked away. By then there was a girl at the bar and we went and asked her, relaying what reception had told us yesterday and what the restaurant had just told us. She went over to the restaurant and basically said she didnt know what to do about it , can they handle it in the restaurant. By then the girl in the restaurant (Alexandria?) explained to us that they have a function in the restaurant today, to order room service, mention that we have the package and we wont be charged...if she had just said that the first time!

Room service breakfast was ok, my bircher muesli looked like leftovers from the buffet - just slop and no fruit or yoghurt on the side. They forgot a few things with my partners full breakfast, e.g. the juice, the pastries but were very quick to bring them up when we rang them.

Swipe cards - stopped working twice. Also you need to swipe between floors which i think is unneccessary, i.e. from the pool/spa level within the hotel. Usually you just need to swipe from the lobby access floor?

We were charged for 2 days valet upon checkout when it clearly shows what package we are on however they removed it when we told them.

OVerall although I have listed quite a few negatives I would stay here again minus the spa activities....its in a prime location for a shopping weekend with the girls so I understand the limited ground floor space and parking issue which in turn compounds the time it takes for them to retrieve your car offsite. But for a romantic quality stay within the same vicinity to shopping I would recommend the Westin or might try the Sheraton next time.

The rest of our issues arised from wavering service levels, miscommunication and lack of communication from staff - I recently returned from an overseas trip to Asia and felt like i was back there with the same communication issues on the phone with Room Service, with the Spa and with Restaurant reception.

I stayed two nights at the Swissotel Sydney and it was great. I booked on a weekend special - otherwise this hotel would be out of my price range.

The weekend away was a girls weekend away so the hotel was perfect for shopping - with Myer downstairs and the Pitt St Mall. It was also a 15 minute walk to Circular Key & the Opera House, however, the weather was terrible so it was a $7 cab fare. Cockle Bay and the fabulous dining and restaurants was only 10 minute stroll. The beautiful Hyde Park only 5mins.

We got from the airport to the hotel via train which was very convenient. We were able to leave our bags at the hotel in the morning before the 2pm check-in.

The concierge staff were very obliging, useful and effective.

The best things about this hotel were the concierge staff, the rooms (fresh and well maintained), and the location.

Am staying here again. Highly recommended.

As with many I had high expectation of this hotel and I am pleased to say it delivered on pretty much every account. I stayed in an executive suite with access to the executive lounge and it is one of the few places where I would truly say this is worth the money. My room was spacious, beautifully decorated, well equipped with 2 flat screen TV's DVD player, BOSE wave digital radio/CD, separate shower and bath......
The location is fantastic, 5 minutes to Darling Harbour (Aquarium, restaurants), 10 minutes to Star City (Casino, theatres), 10minutes to Bridge (Bridgeclimb), 10-15mins to Circular Quay(Ferries, Opera House, Botanic Gardens etc) The only time I got in a taxi was to get to and from the airport and that was for convenience!
The only slight down side is the very small entrance to the hotel which leads to a set of lifts as the main lobby is on the 8th floor. However, this could be seen as an advantage as it tends to mean only hotel visitors use the lobby!
Overall, highly recommended for a pleasant, easy and relaxing stay in the heart of Sydney!

If you're looking for a comfortable, central hotel then look no further. Our room was well proportioned and clean, staff went out of their way to help us and our three year old daughter. Slap bang in the middle of everything tourist wise, it's about a ten minute stroll from Circular Quay and five minutes from Darling Harbour.

Can't recommend this enough!!