Central location near Australian Museum
All rooms have big desks, mini-fridges, and flat-screen TVs
Coin-operated laundry room on-site
Locker room for guests to store luggage (for a fee)
Internet center with five terminals and a printer (for a fee)
Restaurant with buffet breakfast and takeaway (for a fee)
Local beers stocked in on-site takeaway shop
Bathrooms are dimly lit
Fee for breakfast and Wi-Fi
Some rooms have minor maintenance issues
Tucked away amongst shops in the southern reaches of Sydney's Central Business District, the Ibis Sydney World Square is a mid-range, 166-room hotel that provides clean but basic rooms at reasonable prices. Amenities include a small gym, a locker room for luggage storage, and coin-operated laundry facilities. There's also a restaurant where a daily breakfast buffet is served for a fee. Wi-Fi costs extra, although charging for Internet is a standard practice in Sydney hotels.
Scene
Affordable hotel with simple but contemporary interiors
The Ibis Sydney World Square is a no-frills property that's best suited to leisure travelers who don't want to spend a lot of money, or businesspeople who don't plan on holding meetings on-site. Tucked among local businesses including little shops and massage parlors, the entrance to this corporate-like silver building is easy to miss from the street, despite having the chain's signature red signage. Once inside, there's a simple but bright and contemporary lobby with low-lying black easy chairs, red accent walls and benches, and a large red oil painting. The hotel bar, iBar, is off to one end of the lobby, and consists of a small white bar with red vinyl barstools. An elevator sits just beyond the bar. The very plain breakfast restaurant, iBistro, has wood floors and wood-laminate tables set with gray chairs; there's also an outdoor terrace with brick walls and tiled floors, set with black woven chairs and tables.
Location
Next to the World Square Shopping Centre, a short walk from the Australian Museum
The Ibis Sydney World Square is located in Sydney's Central Business District, across the street from a JB Hi-Fi -- an Australian electronics chain -- and near a Korean supermarket, liquor store, and massage place. The hotel is right next to the World Square Shopping Centre and Capitol Theatre, each within a few minutes' walk. Hyde Park is just over a five-minute walk from the hotel, and the Australian Museum takes around 10 minutes on foot. Bondi Beach and the Taronga Zoo are each a 15- to 20-minute drive away (without traffic). The Sydney Airport is a 15-minute drive away, or can be reached by train in 30 minutes via the Airport, Inner West & South Line (T2), which stops at the Museum station, just under a 10-minute walk away.
Rooms
Plain, generic rooms with flat-screen TVs and mini-fridges
There are 166 air-conditioned rooms at the Ibis Sydney World Square, and most come with a king or queen bed or two twins. Decor is about as basic as it gets, with navy carpeting, light-wood furniture and headboards, the occasional colored throw pillow, and walls that are nearly barren, with a framed print or two at most. All rooms come with flat-screen TVs, desks, irons, mini-fridges, and electric kettles. Bathrooms have walk-in showers with either glass doors or plastic shower curtains, and come with small wall-mounted hairdryers; in some rooms, bathrooms also have windows.
Features
Fitness center, business room, bar, restaurant with buffet breakfast, plus Wi-Fi for a fee
The hotel's small fitness center offers a few cardio machines and a weight machine, and although it's small, it's well-equipped enough to get a decent workout done. The hotel also offers coin-operated laundry facilities, and has lockers for guest use, as well as an Internet center with five desktop computers and a printer (for a fee). Wi-Fi, breakfast, and airport transfers are available for a fee. A buffet breakfast is available for a fee at the hotel's iBistro, and beer, wine, cocktails, and basic snacks are sold at iBar. There's also a "Grab and Go" feature letting guests order takeaway from the hotel restaurant and bring it to their rooms.