Kimpton Margot Sydney — Hotel in Sydney

This was my first – and most certainly my last – stay with IHG.

From the moment I arrived, something felt off. There was no doorman at the entrance. I waited several minutes before anyone appeared at the front desk. At check-in, a printed card, handed without a glance. They printed the word ‘Welcome’. That was the full extent of it.

The real concern came later.

Around 2:00 AM, I called guest services to request two bottles of water. I was asked if we had already collected them that day. I said, “I think so,” and the call ended abruptly.

After checking, I realized we had picked up the bottles the previous evening—before midnight. So I called again and clarified, “I made a mistake. We haven’t received today’s bottles yet.” The response was a flat “OK.” No further words. No water arrived.

A third call came—this time from the front desk. My younger brother answered. He was told, without grace or consideration, that no more water would be provided.

He went to bed thirsty. It shouldn’t have mattered—but it did.

We had received water easily on previous days. The sudden shift in tone—at a late hour—raised questions. Were we being judged for asking too much? For being young? Or simply for not looking like the kind of guests worth effort?

In the end, my younger brother—a minor—drank tap water. We spent the rest of the day managing the consequences.

Checkout only confirmed what we had started to suspect. I explained the situation to the same staff member who had refused the request. There was no apology. No reflection. Just: “Well, the bottles I gave you the other day were exceptional. Other guests need water too.”

I replied, quietly: “If you do four waters, do four from the start. If you do two, do two.” He answered, without looking up: “Thanks for the feedback.”

This was never about bottled water. It was about tone. Logic. And the complete absence of service instinct.

At properties I’ve stayed before, staff often offer water the moment you arrive — sometimes even circle back later, just to check if you’re feeling thirsty. I’ve declined before, only to be asked again with a quiet smile. At Kimpton, I tried more than once. Still—nothing. It wasn’t a grand request. It wasn’t champagne. It was just water.

There was no sense of care. No ownership. At no point during the stay did I feel seen or supported. As I was preparing to leave, another staff member approached politely and asked if I needed help with checkout. Before I could respond, the same male staff interjected: “They’re done.” I hadn’t spoken yet.

That moment said everything. I wasn’t being assisted—I was being closed out.

Even at breakfast, the tone remained the same. One guest helped himself to items from a side table — nothing was labeled, and no one offered any guidance. A staff member said nothing. Just watched, with a furrowed brow and quiet judgment. It wasn’t service. It wasn’t warmth. It felt less like hospitality, more like quiet surveillance.

And that’s the deeper issue. This wasn’t just poor service. It was a system that enables staff to evaluate rather than serve—deciding, subtly and without accountability, which guests are “worth the effort.”

I don’t believe it was personal. That’s precisely why it’s troubling. The moral signaling didn’t feel improvised — it felt rehearsed. That suggests something broader. A tone allowed, a mindset embedded, a standard quietly accepted.

It made me question not just this property, but the values behind the brand itself. I’m not interested in finding out whether this was an exception. I can’t justify taking that risk again.

There are hotels where someone opens your car door, remembers your name, and offers a drink before check-in. This wasn’t one of them.

Respect isn’t a luxury.

It’s the bare minimum.

This stay didn’t fall short. It fell silent.

That was an interesting stay. Very interesting.

I don’t negotiate with basic respect and service. I won’t be recommending this property — to anyone who values real...

If you’re planning to book this hotel for your birthday celebration, please reconsider.

I booked the Mackey suite to celebrate my birthday in Sydney, but the experience was distressing. Despite it being a Friday night, they were strict about noise, even before 10pm. I was told it was in the paper I signed when I checked in, but I think, nobody reads that unless it is specifically highlighted. I was given a stern and rude warning to quiet down before 10pm by an older male staff (or security). Around 10:15pm, he came back with a female staff member and asked my guests to leave or face cancellation of my suite. My guests complied without fuss as the plan was to move to nearby clubs in the city anyway.

I believe the situation was handled poorly and there is an opportunity to improve. The staff reprimanded me in front of another guest, who gave me condescending looks and the older male staff member acted like a police officer, taking notes as my guests left. I even graciously let the staff to inspect the room when my guests left which they did. Some friends who left items in the room were treated badly by staff and told to wait outside on the streets and were not even allowed to go to the main lobby.

The next morning, I spoke to the duty manager, Kristy Le, who listened calmly and assured me she would escalate the issue and review what transpired. (I left my details and you know how to contact me). Despite being offered a late checkout, I left early around 8:30am due to the emotional distress. Even if Kimpton hotel offer me a free stay, I would decline due to the trauma and embarrassment. It definitely ruined my birthday celebration.

I’m sharing this to warn future guests, if they are planning to book a suite to do a small celebration. If you google, the hotel has no clear noise policy after 10pm, and in hindsight, the staff could have been more respectful. Better soundproofing might help, it’s not like were blasting speakers, it’s just people happily talking. If there was a noise scale or recording of how noisy we were, please review whatever recording there is.

I believe politeness and respect are essential not just for the other guests but for everyone.

Updating this review in response to Kenza (020325)

Thank you for your response. I appreciate you taking the time. However, my main concern was not about the policy itself but about how the situation was handled and the way I was treated by staff.

I fully understand the need to maintain a peaceful atmosphere for all guests, and my group complied with the requests made. However, the approach taken by the staff—especially the older male staff member—was unnecessarily harsh, condescending, and humiliating. Being reprimanded in front of other guests, treated with suspicion as if we were causing trouble (more than just noise at 10pm on a Friday night), and having my friends denied basic courtesy when retrieving their belongings all contributed to an experience that felt disrespectful and unwelcoming.

It is disappointing that this aspect of my complaint was not acknowledged in your response. A guest should never be made to feel belittled or embarrassed, even when policies need to be enforced. I hope the hotel takes this feedback seriously and ensures that future interactions with guests are handled with professionalism, fairness, and...

Unfortunately I have to say this hotel gave me major ick! The feeling of being comfortable and settled where you are was not present here, instead I was counting down the hours until I could leave. Just a disclaimer I stay over 20 nights a year in IHG sites of the exact same price point so this is a well informed review.

Reasons for the “ick” First room I was given was pitch black with no natural light. Lights were not on when I arrived at 11am which led me to feel around the walls for a switch. Does not feel clean or sanitary. Visible footprints all over the bathroom floor led me to be uncomfortable to take my shoes off for the entire stay anywhere in the room. Dropped my deodorant lid and when I bent down to retrieve saw splashes of unknown substances and dust bunnies the size of my head under cabinets - ick Pink mould in shower, visibly filthy grout, and general gunk build up around shower glass. If staying bring shower thongs!! Rattling pipes every time someone either flushes a toilet or has a shower. Bedding is of a poor quality, scratchy and pillows are lumpy or flat, plus the doona is extremely thin. This is strange as across all other IHG sites I stay bedding is consistently good. Giant moths in the window sill of the no outlook windows Unable to properly adjust aircon, it was freezing until I had to crank it to 24 which didn’t seem to kick in until 4am where I woke up in hot sweats (this is a consistent issue across lots of IHG sites). This is where that tiny thin scratchy doona was not providing great levels of comfort Old pods left inside coffee machine gross Extremely noisy during the night. Every person coming home feels like someone is breaking into your room while you hide beneath your thin doona on the lumpy pillow, shivering from the aircon (ick) Hotel staff called me at 10:30pm at night after I had finally drifted off to sleep to see if my room was satisfactory. Needless to say it was not and the creepy phone ringing at 10:30 at night did not help Location: located in a weird and seemingly dodgy part of town. Obviously not their fault but with all the rattling and creepy noises adds to the whole sense of ickyness Lastly a random one but the lighting in the room is weird. You cant just have a lamp on. So as I’m writing this review from the bed getting ready to get out of this place I have every down light blaring down on me at 6 in the morning…

Apologies for harsh review but the experience I really felt was bad enough to have others be prepared for what standard to expect.

Staff were all...