Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

I love the Sofitel at Heathrow — a regular guest. This Sofitel Sydney location is a sad joke compared to that hotel. Christine the manager treated me terribly when I asked about the $ 30night/​device charge — with a 500 mb data cap! Her response was essentially, ‘touch s#$t”. Any 21^st Century business person lives on devices and Internet, and with a laptop, iPad and a mobile phone (that must be on wifi to avoid data roaming costs), that would be $ 90/​night?
That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in my 300,000 miles/​year, 200 nights/​year travel. Avoid this bush league hotel. So many other great places (like the Shangri-​La!).

Average rooms, quite tired and dated. $ 51 to park your car which is an absolute RIP. Location is great, close to most ends of town

After a very long drive from the Gold Coast to Sydney I was beyond ecstatic to arrive at such a luxurious, centrally located and friendly hotel.
I took my car directly to the parking valet who went and stored it for me with no questions asked, apart from booking name, navigated my way through the gorgeous, French inspired lobby straight up to my twin room with two Queen sized beds.
Even though it was late I was able to order some room service– a beef Wagyu burger which was DEFINITELY worth every penny of its slightly exorbitant cost and it also came really quickly.
When it came to sleepy time, I couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable bed… although there was a pillow menu if I found myself dissatisfied!
I would highly recommend staying here if you have the cash– smack bang in the middle of the CBD, the staff are amazing and the hotel beautiful!

This was a complete disappointment. First we arrived very disheveled due to a red eye flight from Bali. The staff looked at us like we had a contagious disease. There was an essence of snootiness in the air. The concierge was helpful but more of an «I am paid to do this“kind of way. I felt like no one was overly friendly or helpful. We are Americans and so we did not dress the way the Aussies do. The hotel room itself was small. It was OK but didn’t blow me away. I have stayed in much nicer hotels. The wi fi situation was horrible. 30 free minutes in the lobby then you get kicked out. I just felt that I could have spent this money on a hotel that gave way better service.

Quiet and comfortable environment for restful sleep two nights in a row. Did not require my earplugs or eye shades I normally use. Amazing sound proofing from ground traffic on my 8^th floor room. Got 8 hours sleep on second night. Attending work related conference for two nights. Comfort food provided during meetings. Rooms and ensuite were compact but adequate for me. Fitness buffs were looking for on site lap pool and were directed down the road. Gym was small but had large rooms for Pilates an yoga. Single rooms were $ 285 per night. Wireless internet was fast and complimentary at conference venue. Skype wifi available in room. Easy access from airport with direct train line to St James station the 650 meter walk. Last time I was in this area I ate Japanese at sushi tei restaurant round the corner. Easy access to the Harbour bridge, Rocks area and shopping at Westfield and QVB.

PRO: Not central, but close to everything. Nice and friendly.
CON: No (free) internet.
*****
I had the pleasure of staying here for a conference in one of its ballrooms.
The staff are friendly and make note to greet you every time you walk past, from the customer-​facing all the way to the service and ancillary.
The rooms are nice, and markedly of more class than those at a lower price point. Of particular mention, the shower is spacious and easily accessible — compared to the shower/​bath combos of other establishments.
The few gripes however may be deal-​breakers for some.
The walls are essentially paper thin. Patrons walking past the door can be heard talking, as is music or TV played loud in adjacent rooms.
And seriously, no free internet (wi-​fi). The charge rate is ridiculous — but in full disclosure, 30 minute’s worth is complimentary, though only accessible in the lobby.

This is a review just for Soirée bar at the front of the Sofitel. We have ended up here a few times. It’s across the road from work. The booths are spacious, high backed. Good place to go for a quiet drink when you’re absolutely exhausted and brain drained from work. Pricey as all hotel bars are. $ 18 cocktails. $ 170 for a bottle of Tattinger!
I had a steak sandwich. It was ok. The bread wasn’t sturdy enough to hold the filling and the steak was a whole slab of sirloin! A bit bigger than I was expecting but not bad. Chips are good and the individual jars of Beerenberg tomato sauce are fancy.
To drink I had a Breakfast margarita. Orange and grapefruit juice. Refreshing.
The only concern was the waitstaff. Some good, some… we’ll let me just tell you a story.
I was in the middle of a hilarious story about the time my uncle found out he was born before my grandparents were married (they kept that quiet for 60 odd years and it came out at grandad’s funeral).
The young waitress came over with our cocktails. Pause in the story while she insisted I was having sparkling. No, mine’s the giant cocktail. She finally understood the plan, turned to go to the other side of the table and dropped an empty champagne glass all over us. Showered with glass. She couldn’t deal and another waitress had to come clean up.
Later on another girl insisted my vegetarian boss also had a steak sandwich coming then gave the excuse «the chef is confused».
Anyway the punch line to the story was, my mum turned to her brother and said «I always knew you were a bastard!»

Greatest. Breakfast. EVER = Bircher Museli.
I loVed the location. Walk to the Sydney Opera House and watch the sunrise, Botanical Gardens, Darling Harbour, Star City Casino, and of course Zara for that last minute going out dress.
Wouldn’t recommend for a «romantic» getaway but great for a girls night out =)
Über comfy beds & a decent mini bar. I was a happy camper.

The Sofitel suited me just fine with a reasonable rate in a great location in Sydney’s Central Business Disctrict. From here Circular Quay and The Rocks are at most a ten minute walk. The Royal Botanical Gardens and Sydney Opera House are also a short walk as is most of central Sydney. It’s also equidistant from Circular Quay and Martin Place Railway stations making almost all of Sydney accessible.
The Sofitel is not a true Five Star hotel however for several reasons:
–Rooms while nice are not overly luxurious (except for the bed which is soft and
comfy) and show some noticeable signs wear
–On both days there were issues servicing my room. On the first day, I was gone for
two hours in the morning and returned before lunch to find that my room was not
serviced (it was serviced later that day). The same thing happened my second day
and because I returned and spent some time in my room with the «Do Not Disturb»
sign up, my room was not serviced at all
–The unmistakable stench of vomit coming from one of the rooms near the lifts. This
lingered for a day or two
None of this bothered me too much (even the vomit stench since it did not permeate into my room) and while I would much rather have stayed at The Establishment, Four Seasons or The Shangri-​La, I was happy to stay at The Sofitel because they had a lower rate (drinks are EXPENSIVE so I was happy to have the drinking money!!!). I merely point these issues out because those expecting a full-​fledged five star will not be happy campers.
The only outrageous thing here was the cost for internet, for which you purchase a time slot of anywhere from thirty minutes to twenty-​four hours, use it or lose it. So if you pay for twenty-​four hours of internet, your time starts when you log on and expires twenty-​four hours later. Additionally there is also a data limit, so if you have multiple windows open, your usage could be terminated long before your time expires. I really thought this was ridiculous.
Beyond that, I was happy with the rate I paid and the location. I was also really happy with the service I received from several of the front desk staff. I arrived very early for check-​in (about 8:00am) and the gentleman at the front desk who checked me in made sure that I had a room ready within thirty minutes. Several other staff members were very friendly and genuinely interested in making sure that I had a pleasant stay.
If you’re looking for a comfortable stay in a great location at a reasonable rate, The Sofitel will work just fine for you. If however, you’re going to break out the white gloves and do an inspection, you’re better off paying more and staying at The Four Seasons or The Shangri-​La.