We booked into this 5 star hotel expecting big things, but were very disappointed. You arrive to a very small entry where the valet parkers operate from and then ascend to the 8th floor to reception. We checked in around 10pm having paid in advance and were surprised to find just one staff member serving and his dress standard would have looked at home in a 2 star hotel. Then to our 'Classic Room' - so small that the provided arm chair for the desk had to be constantly moved to open doors or get into bed. The second armchair and footstool were almost unusable except to put clothes on given it was jammed between the desk and the bed. The bed was excellent but we had to arrange our own wake up alarm as the room had no radio or alarm.

The bath room was huge, but the shower screen leaked badly and almost caused an accident when I walked onto the 'marble' floor and slid in a large puddle of water. The towels were small but in good condition and luckily there were two pool towels so that we could mop up the water.

I accidentally pressed the do not disturb sign on our first morning and as a result when we got back to the hotel around 7pm the room had not been touched. I rang room service to at least get fresh towels and when we returned after dinner the bed was still unmade, the towels had been delivered and the pile of wet towels still was sitting on the bathroom floor. No new floor towel, so once again we used spare towels on the floor the next morning.

We did not eat in as the prices were expensive, although we did have two coffees at the bar - $12. Luckily the hotel is in a great location so we were able to find cafes, coffee shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. The valet parking worked well, but again was very expensive.

This hotel is ideally located for Darling Harbour area and shopping - and also the free bus and hop on hop off. Check in was reasonably quick but unhelpful - asked about Internet access and was told it would $25/day!!! On checkout I was informed I had free wifi in my room - too late after spending several days eating and drinking in free wifi cafes/restaurants.. I had specifically asked for 3 beds on my booking - guess what, there were only 2! To be fair, housekeeping arrived very quickly with the 3rd. Good sized room and bathroom. Concierge staff were lovely and very helpful. In summary, excellent location but lacking ambience and personal touch

I have been staying at the Swissotel The Stamford at Singapore a lot and have decided to give the Swissotel Sydney a go. I have booked myself a classic room and because of my Swissotel Circle (loyalty program)) membership status being at Zenit, I got an automatic upgrade to a junior suite - how wonderful!

The hotel is located directly above the Myer department store. Entrance is on Market Street, adjacent to Myer, opposite the TopMan boutique shop. You may miss the hotel if you don't pay attention as the entrance is a bit small, without the usual dress circle for you to drive up to. Once you walk inside, you will need to catch the elevator to level 7 to the reception. The bell boy are on the ground floor to assist you for your luggage if required. Elevators require swipe card to access floors from 9 and above. There is an outdoor pool but I didn't get time to visit it.

When you get to level 7, walk across the hall to get to the reception. There is another bank of lifts to get to your hotel room between floors 9 to 25. Executive club floors are on level 23 - 25. There is two restaurants on level 7 and the executive lounge is on level 8.

Check-in was so seamless. The person handling my check-in gave me a very special welcome. I got a double upgrade from classic room to junior suite to a one bedroom apartment. My Zenit membership card was also hand delivered to me. He also shook my hand and congratulated me reaching the Zenit level. Wow, this is really special - thanks Swissotel!

The room I got allocated was on level 22 and facing directly the Sydney Tower and JP Morgan building. It is a one bedroom unit with separate lounge / small dining area and bedroom. Bathroom is massive with a bath tub and walk-in shower. The toilet is also in a separate area. There are two LCD TVs - one in lounge and one in bedroom. Not many cable TV channels though. Coffee machine with Nespresso capsules are included. There is a 2 seater sofa, a work desk and a small round dining table for two people. Bed is a king size bed - very comfy. Bath robe and slippers are also included. The bathroom amenties are exactly the same as the Singapore Swissotel The Stamford - Purovel.

We went to the executive lounge on level 8 at around 7pm. I think it is opened between 6 - 8pm. Not a lot of choices for alcoholic drinks - only one white, one red and one sparkling wine to choose from. Plenty of soft drinks and juices. Canape was good but needs varieties - there was chicken wings but it was cold. Last time I came here, they had spring rolls which was really delicious - please bring them back. The lounge is a very good size, probably can fit 30 people in there but that will be packed. It has a warm and cosy feeling. Not a lot of newspaper and magazines. There is a big LCD screen broadcasting Foxtel channels.

Next day, we had breakfast at the restaurant on level 7. Compare to the Swissotel The Stamford at Singapore, this is a let down. Singapore has so much more to choose from and it is all very well presented. Here, they took us to our table and didn't serve us juice or coffee - didn't ask. Food quality is acceptable but not fantastic.

Overall, this is a nice hotel at great location - right in the shopping area of Sydney. It is also at a very handy location if you want to have a night out and stay at the city. As the surrounding buildings are also just as high as this hotel - don't expect it to have great view of the city. Air Canada flight crew also stays here.

I am happy to come back to stay here again - most of the staff do a fantastic job and make you very welcome. Restaurant staff and food has room for improvement.

We booked a Club room and being seasoned travellers in Asia, were expecting something extra at the Club floor.

Room was very spacious but lifeless; i.e. just bare minimum furniture required for the rooms without extra touches to make one feel really welcome in a hotel. Even the curtain was those plain white rolled-up blinds, very office environment. There were not enough electric sockets to charge the 2 phones, 1 tablet at the same time. Guest has to bend down the writing desk and pull the wire up to do the charging, or charge it on the floor meant for vacum cleaner outside the bathroom (alternative is to use the socket meant for coffee/tea making facility).

Club floor guests can choose to have breakfast either at the 8th floor with other or at the 9th floor Club, which also opens till late with free flows of drinks and canapes at 5-7.30pm. It will be less crowded at the Club floor but guests are required to make their own coffee from the machine, there was no staff offering the service. We ended up having breakfast at 8th floor on the last few days of our 5 days stay, simply the latte & cuppoccino tasted better and there were more choices at 8th Floor.

The hotel encourages guests to share their experience in Tripadvisor, which shows they care about guests' experience and worthy of their effort. Club floor guests were supplied with daily chocolates / biscuits during turn-down service.

Staff are generally very friendly and free wifi is a big plus for Club guests. I can't fault the location, it is really central with everything nearby. However, given another chance, I would try other hotels with similar price range (we were offered similar corporate-priced room at Intercontinental; albeit without the Club/executive floor advantage).