High-rise hotel with a prime Central Business
District location
Walking distance from Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour
Bridge
Bright, contemporary rooms with flat-screen TVs
Some higher-level rooms have superb harbor and city views
Brasserie restaurant and lobby lounge for coffees and cocktails
Historic pub with alfresco terrace
Indoor pool, sauna, and fitness room
Executive Club with free drinks and snacks for Executive Room guests
Free Wi-Fi in public areas
Public areas feel dated
Fee for in-room Wi-Fi
Breakfast not
included in room rates
Elevators can get
busy
Set in a soaring
32-floor tower, this upscale Marriott is located in the heart of Sydney's Central Business District, a short walk from the trendy The Rocks neighborhood and iconic Sydney Harbour. The hotel has a few personalities -- not all of them utterly contemporary -- though rooms are sharp, bright, and modern, and many
feature superb views. While the hotel offers a great breakfast options, they're expensive and not
included in room rates. In-room Wi-Fi also costs extra. Health facilities -- including a pool, sauna, and fitness center -- are adequate but a tad
underwhelming, and a more impressive rooftop pool with panoramic views can be found
at the nearby Mantra 2 Bond Street.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Towering and bustling chain hotel with grand, but dated, interiors
It's certainly
not easy to miss the gleaming white tower that houses the Marriott Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay. Stepping inside, the
cavernous lobby is no less striking, flooded with sunlight from a geometric
glass ceiling and overlooked by a grand central staircase and tiered balconies.
Combining polished brass accents, patterned marble flooring, and glowing
hanging lantern-style lighting, this lofty atrium space, while impressive, also
feels a little dated and showing its late-1980s origins. Renovations started in 2015, however, and promise to update many areas of the
property. Like many of the big chain hotels in Sydney's CBD, there's a bustling vibe here, with guests constantly coming and going. Guests are an even mix of business travelers and well-heeled
tourists, including couples and families with kids.
Location
In the heart of Sydney's CBD near the harbor and The Rocks
The hotel has
an excellent location in Sydney's Central Business District, just a couple of blocks off of Circular Quay, a major station on the city's commuter rail network. For such a popular business and tourist area,
there's a surprising lack of traffic in this part of town, and to one side of
the hotel there is even a small leafy park with some historic relics from Sydney's first days. The Rocks, a historic neighborhood that's one of downtown's trendier locales for shopping and dining, is just five minutes away on foot, while it's a 10- to 15-minute walk to the iconic Sydney Opera
House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Hyde Park and Darling Harbour -- also lined with shops and restaurants -- are both about 15 minutes away on foot. It's a 10-minute taxi ride to Oxford Street, which has plenty of nightlife and is also home to the city's famous Mardi Gras parade. Expect a 15-minute drive to Sydney Airport.
Rooms
Relaxed, contemporary rooms with swank touches and some superb views
The hotel has over 550 rooms spread across 32 floors, which can mean a wait for the elevators during
busy times. The rooms are decorated in a relaxed, contemporary style, with a bright blue and gray color scheme that seems fitting for the abundant Sydney sunshine. Graphic print carpets have blue and gray floral silhouettes across them, while blonde and white furniture has clean, contemporary lines. Blue-upholstered mod chairs offer funky seating, and many rooms -- especially those on the upper floors -- feature great views of the harbor and Sydney Opera House. All rooms are spacious, with entry level City View Rooms providing 26 square meters of space (280 square feet). There are also suites with separate living and bedrooms, including a two-floor Duplex Suite. Standard amenities include minibars, electric kettles, air-conditioning, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels and pay movies. In-room Wi-Fi is available for a fee. Upscale touches include 300
thread-count linens and down-filled duvets. Bathrooms are done in white and gray, with tile floors and walls, generous vanities, and either shower/tub combos or separate showers and bathtubs in higher-category rooms. Executive Rooms are entitled to a host of extras detailed below.
Features
Heated indoor pool, brasserie and historic pub, and Executive Club
This Marriott outpost offers a fairly predictable, upscale selection of features, though there are some that make it stand out. The indoor pool is a nice touch given the downtown Sydney location. A wall of windows let in a good deal of indoor light and there's a deck with lounge chairs. The pool is heated, and the hotel also has a hot tub and sauna. The fitness center has modern cardio and cable machines, though it's small for a hotel of this size. A range of
breakfast options are available, including American-style breakfasts and continental buffets, but they are not included in room rates and breakfast service can get crowded
during peak hours. The Icons Brasserie is also open for dinner buffets, while
the hotel's 160-year-old pub attracts locals and serves lunch and
dinner with an open-air terrace. A Executive Club is also open to those staying in the Executive Rooms; lounge perks include free breakfast, drinks, and snacks. The hotel has nine meeting and event spaces that can hold up to 250 people in the largest room. There is also a proper business center, but Wi-Fi is only free in the hotel's public areas.
