Shangri-La Sydney is an elegant sanctuary above a distinctive harbour city. The unparalleled views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge enhance the glamour of this harbourside hotel. Nestled in the historic Rocks District and just a short walk from the CBD, the contemporary hotel features 565 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites, reflecting the vibrant hues of the harbour beyond. Horizon Club on level 30 is a sophisticated guest lounge with a 13-metre-high windows spanning four floors and offers 270-degree views of stunning Sydney Harbour. During your stay, dine in style at the award-winning Altitude restaurant on level 36 which draws on Australia’s distinct flavours for inspiration. Sip inventive cocktails at Blu Bar on 36 with a spectacular backdrop of the harbour and city. On level 2, Chi, The Spa and Health Club is a tranquil oasis where guests unwind with a pampering selection of massages, facials, body treatments and infrared sauna.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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Nestled in a prime location with easy access to Sydney's landmarks, Shangri-La Sydney boasts stunning views that guests often appreciate. While the rooms are celebrated for their cleanliness and vistas, some travelers suggest they could benefit from a refresh.
The hotel's atmosphere draws mixed feelings, with the comfort and outlook being pluses but the dated decor a drawback for some. Guests have called out the service as needing improvement, and despite the variety of amenities, many feel the hotel does not provide sufficient value for money.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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Via our Virtuoso booking we were entitle to an upgrade and so our Executive Harbor Suite was upgraded to a corner suite; we had great views of the bridge and the city. On or near the top floor the hotel has a bar / restaurant with similar views. The staff here was courteous. The main bathroom was spacious with blackout shades, a separate bath and shower and a dressing table in addition to a large vanity with two sinks. The suite also had a powder room by the entrance.
We arrived a bit early and had booked an inexpensive day room so we would not have to wait after 24 hours of traveling. But the staff did a nice job of getting us into our suite after less than an hour in the day room. This was appreciated.
The hotel was walking distance to the downtown boardwalk area where we found lots of restaurant options. The hotel breakfast buffet was satisfactory. We spent two nights here and enjoyed our stay.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron H, Resident Manager at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 20 Feb 2020
Dear JohnTripper, Thank you for staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. I am pleased to you enjoyed our views, and that our colleagues were able to delight you. We look forward to having you stay with us again soon. Kind Regards, Kieron Hunt, Resident Manager
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Stayed in this hotel for weekend during COVID period, we booked this room directly by the hotel website. They are currently offer winter package which including parking and $100 dollars spending money on food and drink.
We arrived at 1:30pm and they allowed us an early check in, due to the COVID-19, everyone need to have their temperature done before enter to the hotel, the check in procedure was smooth and quick, the reception staff (Sarah) was friendly and helpful!
The room we stayed was nice, clean and spacious, have separate sitting and bedroom area. Room decoration was a bit outdated but everything was functional.
No mini bar and coffee machine due to hygiene reason which is understandable (still provide instant coffee, tea and milk)
Bed is king size and comfortable and soft, pillow was too soft to me but they do provided pillow menu.
Horizon club guests allow to use their lounge located at level 30 for check in and they provide free afternoon tea, evening canapés and breakfast. The view was great! Food is just Okies but their staff are fantastic! They are all super friendly, helpful and professional! We went for all meals and the lounge were very busy (full house). But staff member remains super nice and non stop asking us for drink and foods (thanks Watson and Nikki to looking after us!)
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron Hunt, Marketing at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 17 Aug 2020
Dear Joycepyl, Thank you for sharing your feedback. I am pleased to hear you enjoyed our views and accommodation, and that our colleagues were able to delight you. We look forward to having you stay with us again. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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We like the Shangri-La brand and chose to stay here one night after a cruise. We checked in early at 10 am which was very quick and the receptionists were helpful. Although our room was not ready until later we were able to leave our bags and go out.
We had been to Sydney before so we knew our way to the opera house. Luckily we both have good mobility and were able to walk down the steep hill by the hotel. I imagine we could have taken an easier route to the harbour if we had needed to.
The trip had been for a special birthday and I would like to thank the hotel for making a fuss of me. We had booked a room overlooking Darling Harbour and they very generously gave us an upgrade to a beautiful room overlooking the harbour bridge and the Opera House. We enjoyed the special treats they left for us. It was an amazing room. The view was so spectacular that we spent time just sitting in front of the window, looking at and enjoying it.
When we arrived at the hotel we decided to book the restaurant on the top floor for lunch as we had arranged to meet up with a friend to celebrate. We made the booking with the concierge and advised our food requirements. He then informed us that if we had to cancel for any reason we would be charged a significant amount even though we had only made the booking on the spur of the moment and just two hours before we were going to eat. When we did go up to the restaurant, at 12.30, it was virtually empty. Maybe that kind of attitude is why. It is rather more appropriate to charge for bookings taken in advance than for hotel guests choosing to eat there on arrival.
The view from the restaurant is incredible and as there were so few people having lunch that day we were able to walk around and look at different sides of the city. Our lunch order was carefully taken by a young man who then got it wrong. A more experienced manager had to sort it out. The food was good but the portions were very small. If it wasn't for the awesome view, we wouldn't recommend dining there but of course we did enjoy our lunch as we were so happy to be in such a beautiful restaurant overlooking such a beautiful city.
We hadn't booked breakfast and the hotel were helpful the next morning in recommending a nearby cafe, a couple of blocks from the hotel, which we enjoyed.
We will always have very fond memories of our stay in this hotel. It was a very special visit.
as long as you are sufficiently mobile to climb up the steep hill to the hotelfrom beside the quay
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron H, Resident Manager at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 3 Mar 2020
Dear Judy619, We are honoured that you chose to spend such a momentous occasion with us at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. I am pleased to hear you enjoyed our accommodation and views, and that our colleagues at reception were able to delight you. Please be assured we have taken your feedback on board, and look forward to you staying with us again soon. Kind Regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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Service: Satisfactory service. Provided complementary late check out and a bootle of sparkling wine to our room as a compensation for the delay in check in (1.5 hrs) due to their system error.
Room: Spacious room. Spectacular view from the living room, bedroom and the bathroom.
However, the room is infested with small cockroaches. I was woken up at night as one landed on my face.
Restaurant: The restaurant management is so horrible I really don’t recommend guests visiting that restaurant. We waited for 45 minutes to be seated for our reservation.
Facilities: The gym is excellent. Has vast variety of equipments for use. Staff sanitize the equipments very often. Towels, water, sanitizing wipes are available. As for their indoor pool, it is quite small. Don’t recommend to visit if you don’t like to be surrounded by screaming kids.
Checkout: Staff on check out did not mention a credit card surcharge will incur if you pay with the credit card on the file. Neither did the hotel’s confirmation email sent at booking. Very disappointing.
Horizon Club: Staff are very friendly and service is excellent and efficient. Breakfast, afternoon tea and pre-dinner canapés are included in the room’s fee. All drinks are unlimited and included. The interior design was fantastic, nice view, but the couches are very old and damaged.
Overall: Really quite average and somewhat disappointing considering the price we paid. Pretty much paid for the view and nothing else.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron Hunt, Marketing at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 4 Aug 2020
Dear Z7847UAsamanthal I am saddened to hear of your experiences and would welcome an opportunity to further listen to your constructive feedback, please be invited to reach me on Kieron.hunt@shangri-la.com Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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Overall a positive experience for this short stay at the Shangri-La. I stayed in a room with Opera house views but during some of the worse days (haze/air quality) of the recent bushfires. The rooms were fitted out typical of Shangri-la locations around the world, not large, not small. The shower heads were not detachable, which seems a bit behind of most other five star establishments. The sink didn't work properly, but was fixed within 20 minutes of notifying the staff.
The location is wonderful, probably one of the best next Park Hyatt which is 2.5x the price or Four Seasons. It's a short 10/15 minute to the Pitt Street Mall or Circular Quay, so quite convenient.
The amenities which i experienced were lacklustre, the gym had plenty of good quality equipment, but was squished together (akin to a home gym with an overzealous buyer/owner who didn't quite know how to place all the machines). The pool is more like a large backyard play pool.
The overall services i received was good/on par with 5-star hotels, staff were aplenty and were keen to help where possible.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Good Views
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron H, Resident Manager at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 12 Jan 2020
Dear jsupaman, Thank you for staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed our accommodation, and that our colleagues were able to delight you. Please be assured we have taken your feedback on board. We look forward to having you stay with us again soon. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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We booked to stay at the Shangri-La en route to our wedding in Vanuatu. We arrived early in the morning after our flight from the UK, fully expecting to have to kill time until our room was ready (we got to the hotel around 8am). As luck would have it, the hotel did have a room available but a good job neither of us is superstitious as it was room 1313! We booked a Deluxe room with panoramic views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and the Rocks and were not disappointed. The view was fantastic and the room was all we hoped it would be. It had a very good sized bed (almost too big ! lol), a separate seating area with settee and 2 easy chairs plus a well appointed bathroom with large shower, separate bath and twin sinks. The hotel had also provided us with complimentary chocolates and a bottle of sparkling wine which was a lovely touch. Breakfast was served in the restaurant on the 2nd floor but be careful about what time you choose to go as it can get very busy and you can have a fair wait for a table. The food itself was plentiful with a good choice of Western / Asian food. You certainly won’t leave hungry! The hotel also has a really well appointed and large gym that has a really good mix of free weights and cardio machines. It puts a lot of other hotel gyms to shame. We really enjoyed our stay at the Shangri-La and would certainly consider staying here again in future.
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Date of stay: August 2019
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:room 1313 has fantastic, dual aspect views
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron H, Resident Manager at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 16 Jan 2020
Dear PieterB63, Thank you for staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, and congratulations on your recent nuptials. I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed our accommodation, and that our colleagues were able to delight you. Please be assured we have taken your feedback on board. We look forward to having you stay with us again soon. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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We are American..have been to Sydney 6 times. This was the 4th hotel we have stayed at in the city. This time we were traveling with our parents and hence, we had 3 rooms. The views from our room was fantastic, of course we paid extra for a high floor with views of the Opera House and Bridge. We prefer to be by Circular Quay whenever we stay in Sydney and this time we decided to stay in the Rocks. I would say location wise, it was pretty good, but our elderly parents did NOT like the hike up the steep hill to get to the hotel every time we went out to sightsee. Our room was a nice size , with good amenities, but the rooms are in dire need of refreshing. They are beginning to show their age and felt a bit dated and worn. I also questioned how well rooms are cleaned. While they “looked” clean...I noticed dust in many places and mirrors were smudged and a lot of fingerprints on the wood furniture. The breakfast in the morning was very good and room service was also very good. Service at check in and check out was quick and good. So while the hotel was nice, there are nicer properties in the area. We wont’ stay here again. Even if they modernized it, there’s still that hill to claim to get back to the hotel....
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron H, Resident Manager at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 24 Mar 2020
Dear USACorgi, Thank you for choosing to stay at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with the decor of the room, and rest assured this has been raised with the team. I am delighted to hear you enjoyed the spectacular views, room service and location. We look forward to having you stay with us again soon. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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We had the most wonderful night at the Shangri La for my birthday. The deal we booked included free valet parking which was great, as well as a $100 food and beverage credit. Check in was smooth and Mo (the Guest Relations Manager) upgraded us to a room with an Opera House view and it seriously made my night! Can’t thank her enough for her kindness and also appreciated the complimentary bottle of wine we received. The staff were fantastic with bringing us ice to the room and an iron when requested. Although we couldn’t book to use the pool facilities the night of our stay as it was fully booked for the evening - be sure to book in advance! - the staff booked us in for the next morning and we had a great swim and spa, it was lovely and quiet! We had breakfast at 7am at the Altitude restaurant (we spent our credit on this) and were seated at a table with an incredible view. Great time to have breakfast as it was so empty. The a la carte menu was lovely & they had a nice variety. The hotel is extremely COVID safe not sure why others are writing in their reviews that it isn’t? Mandatory masks in the public areas and everything is sanitised constantly. Thank you again for a fantastic stay!
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron Hunt, Owner at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 7 Feb 2021
Dear Jordan N, Thank you for choosing to stay at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your complimentary bottle of wine, breakfast at Altitude, and views from level 36. We look forward to welcoming you again very soon. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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This hotel has gone downhill quickly as the staff were just unable to manage a busy weekend which lead to a terrible experience. I wouldn't book here on busy weekends. Midweek whilst no one is travelling is probably still ok!. Here is a summary of issues experienced.
1. I left my car with the hotel valet parking service and upon arriving home after checking out I noticed a large gash on my wheel rim. I called the hotel to report the damage and asked to speak to the General Manager on Duty. I was asked what the issue was about and when I told them it was a problem with my car they ignored my request and put me through to Valet.
The person I spoke to was very apologetic and said that they can check the video cameras which was good news to me as they would have seen it happen and which staff member caused the damage. The person asked me for my email address and said that they would email me with instructions on what I needed to do. I never received an email. Which doesn’t really surprise me after the level of extremely poor service that was experienced this weekend.
2. The checkin process was absolutely ridiculous. It took 1 hour and 25 minutes of standing in a line on Saturday before we were able to check in.
3. After such a long delay, we needed to hurry to make our dinner appointment and I was surprised to see that our Harbour View King Suite did not come equipped with an ironing Board so I called to have one sent up. After 3 calls it finally arrived 1 hour and 20 minutes later and we missed our dinner reservation!
4. We tried to order some room service at 10:20 only to be told that room service finished at 10:00. Which was disappointing but I suppose is ok for a 3-4 star hotel that this place has quickly become. You can't be a 5 Star Hotel if you dont offer 24 hour room service!!!
5. We asked for some tea cups and tea bags to be sent up and was told that it would be a 40-60 minute wait. I have no idea how it could take that long when room service was closed!! I went down to reception to offer to collect the cups myself and was told I couldn’t do that and I would need to wait. We were then called about 30 minutes later to advise that they had run out of peppermint tea bags but they could make us a pot of loose leaf tea which was a good solution I thought only to find that when they finally delivered the tea it was a tea pot for 1!!!
I understand that things get busy and maybe they didn’t have enough staff however, if they don’t have the staff they shouldnt allow themselves to be overbooked to the point where they can’t service the guests.
I paid $600++ for 1 night to stay in a 5 star hotel and they failed to deliver a 5 star level of service. Indeed it would have to be the worst hotel experience I’ve had especially considering the damage to my car.
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Ask for a room with an Opera House view
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron Hunt, Owner at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 7 Oct 2020
Dear stephenhQ9781KI Thank you for your recent feedback and we apologise that you have had a negative experience with us. Our team is currently reaching out directly to our guests to discuss and we would invite you to reach out to kieron.hunt@shangri-la.com to discuss these experiences directly. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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Only here for a short stay, but the view really makes it worth it. Get an Opera House view room, even if it is that bit more. Waking up in the morning with the Sydney Opera House at the end of your bed is quite special. The picture attached is our room view.
We turned up at 10am and the staff were welcoming and looked after our bags, transferring them to the room once it was ready. Thank you!
The rooftop bar is a must, for the views.
For an ideal night, see an opera. We went to La Boheme and prepping and finishing the night at the Shangri-La really enhanced the experience.
Location is a little awkward, it’s pretty much surrounded by hills, but if you have car access this would be preferable.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kieron H, Resident Manager at Shangri-la Sydney
Responded 12 Jan 2020
Dear ryanbS4537KI, Thank you for staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed our accommodation, and the view from your room, and our Blu Bar on 36, was able to delight you. Please be assured we have taken your feedback on board. We look forward to having you stay with us again soon. Kind regards, Kieron Hunt Resident Manager
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There are more places to choose from in the Sydney area.
PRICE RANGE
S$250 - S$464 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
shangri la sydney, shangri la hotel sydney
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesSydneyThe Rocks
NUMBER OF ROOMS
565
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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