Home > Hotels > Hilton

Hilton Hotel Sydney
Location, Contemporary Luxury, Modern Design,

Trendy shoppers can stay at the Hilton Hotel Sydney. Opposite the QVB, close to the new upmarket Westfield Shopping Mall, it's smart, modern and central.

"if you love shopping then this is the right hotel for you."

The Hilton Sydney courtyard, lobby (below right), Glass restaurant (yellow)

Map showing hotel location Hilton Hotel
SOH (blue)
Centrepoint (gold)

Best thing : Central location, breakfast buffet, gym
Think about: Renovation noise
Distances: Opera House 2.3km ; City centre 0km;
Bus/Rail: Rail nearby, bus at the door
Special Access: Rooms available
Facilities: Full gym; Pool; Spa; Sauna; Steam room; Day Spa
Smoking: None
Service: Usually above and beyond
$$$$: High cost: wifi, parking, credit card surcharge

Take me to the booking page for the Hilton Sydney

Absolute Location for Shopping

For business and shopping you won't get more central that this Hilton hotel location.

In the middle of George Street, in the middle of the city, the Hilton Hotel Sydney is opposite the Queen Victoria Building with its boutique shops and restaurants and a block or so from the new Westfield Shopping Mall with its international luxury designer labels. And then there's the Strand Arcade a few steps away . . .

You are a little further from the opera house, Circular Quay, ferries and the harbour. Just over 2km away, they're still walkable but allow 20 to 30 minutes. You're more likely to take a cab or bus. (Don't forget the free 555 shuttle bus that does the CBD circuit).

Looking across the hotel to the Queen Victoria Building Hilton Hotel with QVB dome behind

Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the restaurants and nightlife of Cockle Bay and Kings wharf are all within easy walking distance of the Hilton Hotel Sydney.

" Hilton is really convenient and best place to stay to cover all the major spots in the City"

"I like to walk, so it was close enough to see many sights easily and if you like shopping - you are in heaven!"

"only a few minutes walk to Pitt Street Mall for shopping or Darling Harbour for touristy waterfront"

Reinventing Hilton Sydney

The five star hotel Sydney Hilton has reinvented itself several times. From a rather fusty, traditional building it has emerged as a hotel with a relaxed contemporary feel - lots of glass, clean lines, open spaces and good design.

A sitting area, looking over the interior courtyard

It's not cutting edge - it's a Hilton after all - but it's definitely not traditional any more.

The public spaces don't apologise for being smack bang in the middle of the city.

Instead they turn it into a feature.

The focus is on the action inside the square.

Ceilings soar. Oversize windows look out on stainless steel frameworks supporting greenery down tall brick walls.

Chairs and tables are found in almost every nook and corner of the Hilton Hotel Sydney - to talk, wait, have a coffee, make a phone call or work on your laptop.

Comfortable chairs and filtered light from the windows around the Glass wine bar area

"The hotel design is so modern and stylish, lots of light filtering through"

"Free internet in the lobby was perfect . . . options to either lounge or have a drink/meal while I checked my internet"

Hilton Hotel ROOMS

At 30 m² the Hilton Hotel Sydney's rooms are quite small. As are the bathrooms. They're definitely smaller in real life than they look in the photos.

Irrespective of their tag (deluxe, plus, executive) the rooms themselves are the same size, although bathroom sizes differ. So, within the guest room range, for a more spacious shower and vanity area go for a 'guest room plus'.

King and twin rooms are essentially identical, with the two single beds being moved together to make up the king.

Interior of a guest room 30 m² twin room plus

"Highlight was the aquavision TV in the shower"

"I felt like I was sleeping in a office. It's not very homely"

"a modern, clean, fresh room"

If you want space, have a lot of luggage or need to sleep a third person in the room look at the Hilton Hotel Sydney's larger room options - a relaxation room (48 m²) or the hotel's suites (from 45-80 m²).

Looking across the bed towards the bathroom Bedroom, Relaxation Suite

King bed, Hilton Hotel Sydney The suite is 54 m² in total

A chaise longue by the window Plenty of room to relax

There's a room refurbishment program going on during 2012 which means that some rooms can be very noisy during the day. Not all rooms are affected so be sure to ask exactly where they are working when you check in.

As always, try to avoid rooms next to lifts and housekeeping stations - they're almost guaranteed to be noisy overnight or early morning. Other rooms can sometimes also have sound insulation issues (pipes, corridors, street noise).

Views (which, in Sydney, means harbour views) aren't really a feature of this hotel, although there are some nice aspects from the higher floors. By and large though, you're trading views for central location.

Hilton Hotel Sydney mini bars are touch-sensitive, so if you lift or move an item it will automatically appear on your bill. It means you can't put anything of your own in the fridge. The hotel will supply a second fridge if you want to keep anything cold.

Night cityscape from the hotel window Evening view down George St from the Executive Lounge

Consider taking an executive room, if the cost difference is not too great, to get the use of the Executive Lounge.

Wifi, a great continental breakfast, afternoon tea, happy hour drinks and enough food in the evenings to constitute a light dinner, are all included free of charge.

It can get busy though, especially at breakfast and drinks happy hour, and there's often a bit of a wait to get a table.

"The executive lounge was terrific. The lounge provided at no extra cost continental breakfast each morning, a relaxing spot for afteroon tea (including scones with jam and cream) and a pleasant happy hour from 6 to 8pm, all in a very comfortable environment with excellent staff"

See More Sydney hotels

Breakfast Ideas

The Hilton Hotel Sydney serves probably the best breakfast buffet in town.

At AUD$42 per person for the full Australian breakfast it's certainly not cheap, but it consistently gets rave reviews. Especially good if you love all you can eat buffets.

A few options for scoring a great breakfast for less:

include breakfast as part of your room package

Ask for the special breakfast deal when you check in - reception will often be able to sell you a breakfast voucher at a discounted price, currently AUD$29. This may not always be available though, you'll need to check

You may be able to use your Hilton Hotel Sydney loyalty program privileges to have the buffet breakfast included at no extra cost

Of course you can order off the menu as well, anything from fruit juice and muesli to pancakes or grilled fish. And there's also the chef's signature breakfast, quite separate from the buffet.

Less elaborate food is available from the coffee bar in the lobby. And there's a complimentary continental breakfast served in the executive lounge.

Bars & Top Chef Restaurants

The Hilton Hotel Sydney has a number of well-loved bars and a great brasserie/restaurant.

The Marble Bar is a Sydney institution . It's been around since 1893 and is a great place to go for an early evening drink (it can get very noisy on weekend nights).

It's Victorian, totally over the top, full of marble (as you'd expect), brass, mirrors - it's excess on excess. Don't miss it.

Glass brasserie and winebar, with the Queen Victoria Building visible through its windows Glass, with the QVB in the background

At the other end of the spectrum is the totally cool Glass Brasserie.

Directed by well-known chef Luke Mangan, it was awarded one hat in the 2012 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards.

Modern Australian cooking at a refined level - and the wine list is extensive.

It's pricey, but top quality and good value for money.

"The Glass Brasserie is one of the best fine dining experiences in Sydney"

Keep an eye out for the regular specials that they run, they're excellent value.

If you want a more casual experience (although Glass is not overly formal) there's a bar menu in the Glass Wine Bar, along with a serious number of decent wines.

The wine bar is also good for a light lunch.

Zeta bar is a little more problematic. It depends whether you've come to the Hilton Hotel Sydney to rage or to sleep.

Zeta advertises itself as one of Sydney's best places to party on a Saturday night. And it runs special events - such as extreme cabaret - on Fridays. So weekend nights won't necessarily be the most peaceful for sleeping.

"the fact that there is a night club in the Hotel made it a little noisy."

Sydney Hilton Hotel Services

Most travellers give the Hilton Hotel Sydney high marks for service and friendliness - always bearing in mind that nothing is ever perfect all the time.

Comments range from 'courteous and professional' to 'the friendliest I've come across in any hotel'.

The Hilton has a one-stop Magic Button in each room, which guests can use to have any issue at all rectified.

"Best of all the "magic" button on the phones for anything you need all done with a smile"

There's a pillow menu as well, allowing you to specify the level of softness you'd like in your pillow.

And you can't overlook the TV in the shower.

Hilton Hotel Sydney internet costs are high at 55c/minute, up to $AUD29 per day. And valet parking is pricey at around $58 a night. Both seem common to city hotels and together they can really bump up your overall bill (made even worse by the 1.5% credit card surcharge the hotel applies).

Health & Fitness

"if you are the types who cannot get by a week without a decent workout - look no further!"

Guests at the Hilton Hotel Sydney have access to a fully equipped, commercial gym as part of their package. This includes attending classes as well as using the equipment. So it's a step up from the norm.

As well as providing power plates, cardio and weights, the health club incorporates a 25m pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. So no excuse for skipping a workout!

The hotel may be not quite so good if you just want to relax around a pool.