Crown Towers Sydney — Hotel in Sydney

I stayed at Crown Towers Sydney 12-13 August '25 and it proved to be the pinnacle of my hotel experiences globally. I have spinal injuries from DV and suffer from bipolarism, both of which make travel challenging and stressful. I was attracted to the hotel because of it's widely acclaimed buffets, but I also need the high level of care that such a high grade hotel provides. This proved to be very true.

Shaken by the convoluted tunnel journey from the airport, I arrived at 8pm in a state of distress. To my relief William took charge of my car and bags, providing comfort and warmth, and brought me to reception where the receptionist was animated and genuine. She excitedly announced I'd been upgraded to a Premium Harbour View Room. My initial response was disappointing for her as I had booked a double room to get more pillows to support my spine, but I smiled and feigned extreme gratitude, and her smile returned.

Entering my suite was a stunning experience, literally. I videoed my incredulous reactions from the entrance and it caused a furore among my 10000+ social media followers. The spaciousness, wrap around Harbour bridge views, plush luxurious bed, and the sheer beauty of the bathroom, marble, giant bathtub, the immense fanfare of entering the lit up automated toilet, which put on quite a welcome.

Attending the Epicurean buffet achieved a life dream. I filmed the extensive array of international foods. As I sampled the diverse tastes I was blissed out, but a staff member dimmed my joy. She was cold, unsmiling, formal, brown curly hair and crisp European accent. As she appeared twice at my table to push the drinks menu, give me a 30 minute time limit to get out, and insist on credit card payment as I enjoyed my icecream, she spoiled my last 30 minutes in what should have been an undiminished triumph. Pay before or after food, not during.

Returning to my room, it was freezing, the technology baffled me and the pillows couldn't support my spine. A supportive guest services tele-assistant sent more pillows of different sizes, and a kind, good natured man to teach me how to manage my room controls on the ipad. We laughed our way through it and he assured me that the technotoilet wouldn't spray me unless I asked it to. How I wish I could remember his name. He was tall, dark and kind. I describe him to help management thank him. He arrived at 10.30ish on the 12th. After that I could enjoy my room and settled into the high quality, silky bedding. So soft and smooth. I've never slept so well, a rarity.

Waking, the much anticipated breakfast buffet awaited, extensive and delicious, my favourites at an elevated level. In contrast to the evening buffet staff member was the professional attentiveness of Michael J. Unobtrusively removing plates, he was solicitous, smiling graciously and engaging us in pleasant conversation when he felt it was welcome, elevating my dining experience.

Later I couldn't carry my bags. Guest Services sent Panagiotis, whose debonair Greek charm cheered me up immensely. He took charge of my bags to store them while I took some last photos, but I packed my phone. Returning to checkout in disarray, I attempted to explain my predicament to a staff member who found it too much for him. Looking away he passed me on to Hogue and moved off. Listening intently to my garbled explanation, Hogue understood immediately what needed to be done. He retrieved my bags, found the camera, and estimated the ETA necessary for the car. I went off to take my photos but lost my phone upon my return. Bipolarism. I was frantic. Hogue personally searched the lobby, Panagiotis provided support and it was located at last. The two young men gave me a warm send off, and I photographed them, beaming in their handsome uniforms. They asked me to come back but I said I couldn't afford it, living on a disability pension. They explained when the fees might be cheapest for my return. Another dream I hope will come true. Passing the marble lions, I wafted down the road to reality in a little cloud of happiness. My...

A truly mixed bag, to the point that it is genuinely difficult for me to give a single all-encompassing rating for our Crown Tower experience.

We recently stayed a few nights in the Harbour Bridge Executive Suite. First of all, the hotel in general and the room (suite) itself were absolutely superb: the views were absolutely breathtaking, expanding across the City in two different directions, the room was very well laid out and the decor was immaculate. The buffet breakfast was one of the best I've ever experienced.

But then the "little issues" began cropping up. First, PLUMBING. It's almost embarrassing to have a section titled "plumbing issues" in a review of a 6-star hotel, and yet here it is: the high-tech Japanese toilet bowl was leaking urine onto the floor. One of the sinks was borderline-clogged, taking minutes to drain. Cold water taps were so jammed as to require a tower to operate with wet hands. There was a four-hour outage in hot water supply. Enough said.

Then, there was room cleaning. Or rather: It wasn't. As in, there was no room cleaning during our stay. None. Zilch. I think there's a button somewhere in the room to request it, but c'mon, I'm on holiday not a team management exercise. Crown, get your act together. If you want us to "request" such a basic as room cleaning, at least tell us so (and explain how) on check-in! The only time the staff visited our room during our stay was with the welcome bottle of champagne and then once again to drop off a note informing us of a four-hour hot-water outage, kick my wife's Louboutins across the room and walk away leaving all the mess, including plates from earlier in-room dining, untouched for us to admire along the panoramic views.

Speaking of check-in, it was the first time I was ever asked to pay the full rate, plus security deposit, up-front. Not a big deal, but still, have some class. Plus, the room wasn't cleaned up to 5-star standard either: the bathroom floor was dusty (so clearly not wiped after previous occupant), and there were half-used toiletries left in the shower. There were yellow stains on the carpet.

The windows and shower screens were pretty unclean too, smudged from poor wiping.

The drawer of toiletries was, well, weird. It included TWO sewing kits and a DIY shoe-polishing kit, but no basics such as makeup removing pads or cotton buds, leaving you to wonder what exactly is the target clientele of this hotel?

Next, the views, while spectacular, didn't live up to the "harbour bridge" billing for which we paid extra, either. The only place in the suite from which you could actually see the bridge unobstructed was one corner of the bed (kind of) and... the shower. Yes, the views from the shower were absolutely breathtaking, but seriously, given those extra hundreds of dollars we paid for these views, I'd rather enjoy them from the bed. But alas, the views from the bedroom were the least-impressive in the whole suite.

Last but not least, the hotel also has technical issues (beyond hot water system) that it really shouldn't. The air conditioning took almost 48 hours to bring the room up from 21 degrees it started at to the 23 we wanted, so it's clearly inadequate for the room size. The blinds in the bedroom were not dark enough to stop the glare of the rising sun, which was so aggressive it forced us out of our bed at sunrise (6am) and into the living room, as, in the "harbour bridge executive suite", the only way to sleep-in past sunrise seems to be by foregoing either the view or the comfort on the bed, and since the view was the best part about Crown, we chose to spend our time on a 6-star couch.

Will we stay at the Crown again? Probably. The room itself had no equals in Sydney. But next time, we'll be sure to request extra bathroom cleaning on check-in, enquire about the intricacies of security cleaning service, and probably skip paying extra for a view of a particular City...

My recent experience at The Crown Towers Sydney was nothing short of a complete disappointment. After checking out on the 23rd of October, I realized that I had left some of my clothing in the room. I promptly called the hotel just 30 minutes after our departure to report the issue and was assured that it would be taken care of. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a frustrating and disheartening series of interactions with their staff.

I called again on the morning of the 24th, only to be told that the room had not been cleaned yet and that someone would get in touch with me later that day. The waiting game began, and I had to call once more later in the afternoon to follow up on my lost items. To my disbelief, I was informed that housekeeping had only found one piece of clothing, a pair of white pants, which seemed highly unlikely as all of the clothes were hung up together in the closet along with a suit bag, including two belts. To make matters worse, I was told that the room was already occupied by another guest.

I am utterly disappointed with the way this situation was handled. I called promptly after checking out and was assured that recovering my belongings would not be an issue. I would have personally returned to retrieve my items if I had known they would mishandle the situation so carelessly.

After multiple follow-up calls, I finally spoke with the manager, who claimed they would start an investigation and promised to contact me that same night (on the 24th). However, the call came hours later, with the news that they had found a cashmere jumper and a white skirt, but the other pieces were still missing. I had to call again on the 25th of October at 9 pm to get an update, and the person I spoke with said that he only had the white pants and was unsure about the rest. He assured me that someone would call me the following day.

I was finally contacted on the morning of the 26th to inform me that no other pieces had been found. The promised investigation was fruitless. It's disheartening to realise that my missing items, which were not just valuable, cost significantly more than the cost of staying the night at the hotel.

My experience with The Crown Towers Sydney has left me deeply disappointed, and my trust in their customer service has been utterly shattered. This unfortunate incident has overshadowed any positive aspects of my stay, and I cannot recommend this establishment to anyone based on their unprofessional handling of a simple issue.

To make matters even more frustrating, I eventually took it upon myself to retrieve my missing items on the 28th of October. This decision was prompted by the hotel's apparent lack of competence and inability to handle the situation properly. What should have been a straightforward process turned into yet another ordeal.

When I arrived at the hotel to collect my belongings, it took over 30 minutes to retrieve them. It became painfully evident just how understaffed the facility was. The chaotic and disorganised environment left me with a profound sense of disappointment and further emphasized the hotel's inadequacies in managing even the most basic of tasks.

The Crown Towers Sydney's inability to promptly locate and return my belongings, coupled with the inconvenience of having to personally retrieve them, showcased a level of inefficiency and disorganisation that should be completely unacceptable for a luxury hotel of their stature. My overall experience with this establishment has been marred by these repeated failures in their service, and I am left with a deep sense of regret for choosing...