Road Warrior Tested: Hilton Sydney
By: Darren Booth
My Australia trip last month was mostly spent catching up with a good friend at her home. I did spend a couple of nights in hotels, however, in true road warrior fashion.
After checking out of my first hotel stay at the Radisson Blu, I spent a second night in Sydney at a hotel I hadn't visited in more than 10 years. I bring you a review of the Hilton Sydney for this installment of "Road Warrior Tested."
Date/Duration of Stay: July 27, one night.
Room Type: Curious to see how it had changed in the last decade, I booked a King Hilton Guest Room for my stay, the lowest-category room type offered. As a top-tier Diamond member of the Hilton HHonors loyalty program, I was upgraded at check-in to an Executive room with added amenities. A detailed description of the room is below.
Rate: It was a weekend night, so I was able to secure a reasonable rate of A$219 Australian dollars, or about $230 U.S. dollars (at current exchange rates).
Location: Located in the central business district of Sydney across from the Queen Victoria Building, Hyde Park is a short distance away. An entrance to the Town Hall train station is a mere steps from the hotel, making a trek from the airport very convenient on public transportation.
Room Details: I was booked into room 2903 and found a complimentary bottled water and apple awaiting my arrival on the desk — an amenity for being a Diamond member. The room itself was rather small, only 323 square feet. However, the positioning of the king bed, desk and lounger were ideal for the limited space.
The large glass-top desk faced the windows, from which I had an amazing view of the city. Ample power outlets, lighting and a wired Internet connection were just off to the side on a low credenza that extended from the bedside.
A well-stocked mini-bar was located underneath a small marble-topped serving cubby, where coffee and tea service items sat. Above was a frosted glass cabinet stocked with glassware, coffee mugs and a water kettle.
