The Sebel Quay West Suites Sydney — Hotel in Sydney

Mixed Experience - Front Desk Service Shines, Room Cleanliness Lacking

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Review:

Our experience at this hotel was mixed, warranting an overall rating of 2.5 stars.

Front Desk Service: ★★★★★

The front desk service deserves five stars. Barsha, who assisted us during check-in on the first day, was extremely patient and even introduced us to the Vivid Sydney attractions.

Room Experience: ★☆☆☆☆

The initial room experience was very disappointing. Despite the hotel's reputation as a five-star establishment, we were shocked to find several bugs crawling around the kitchen upon entering the room. It was extremely unpleasant. Additionally, upon opening the bathroom door, I stepped into a puddle of water. We immediately reported this to the front desk, and the manager promptly assisted us in changing rooms, providing us with a drink voucher for compensation. However, such issues should not occur in a five-star hotel, and it left us feeling very uncomfortable.

Room Itself: ★★★★☆ (after changing rooms)

The room we moved to, which was the same type with a city view, was very comfortable. We loved the carpet and the large floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a fantastic view of the Harbor Bridge. The bathroom, which included a bathtub, was a nice touch. However, due to the initial bug incident, we used the kitchen less frequently.

Food: ★★★☆☆

The breakfast, which was à la carte, was average. It was unfortunate that coffee could not be refilled.

Cleanliness: ★☆☆☆☆

The cleanliness of the room was subpar. We found some small trash items beside the trash can that were not picked up. The worst part was returning to our room after housekeeping only to find our personal towel on the floor next to the toilet, soaking wet. This was unacceptable, and we had to wash it again immediately.

Overall, while the service from the front desk was excellent, the issues with room cleanliness and the initial experience with the bugs significantly detracted from our stay. For a five-star hotel, these issues are unacceptable and need to...

tl;dr Good: ✅ View ✅ People ✅ Location

Bad: ❌❌❌ Cleanliness ❌ Outdated Rooms ❌ Management ❌ Luxurity

I'm not sure how Australian 5-star hotels are defined, but this hotel would barely qualify as a 3-star anywhere else.

Our hotel room was filthy! We found a drawing of male genitalia on the bathroom mirror when it steamed up, clearly indicating it hadn't been cleaned prior to our arrival. We complained to the manager and demanded a thorough cleaning, but they only wiped away the offensive drawing and left the rest of the mirror untouched (see attached photo). This is absolutely unacceptable! Who knows what other unsanitary conditions were lurking in the room. To make matters worse, the manager didn't even offer an apology or explanation. This experience was completely unacceptable and leaves us questioning the hotel's hygiene standards.

We were extremely disappointed with the lack of care and follow-up. If we weren't traveling with a child, we would have immediately switched hotels.

If you're seeking luxury, this isn't the place. The room is basic with an uncomfortable bed, a scratched-up bathtub, broken blinds, and a small, malfunctioning washer/dryer. The Wi-Fi was unreliable in the bedroom.

The only positive aspects were the friendly evening front desk staff and helpful concierge/baggage porters. The location is excellent, close to Circular Quay ferries, the Opera House, and botanical gardens.

Overall, this was a terrible experience. I won't return to this hotel or recommend it to anyone.

In the pictures: views from the room, views from the pool, pool, half cleaned mirror (after the demanding a deep clean), the baby's metal crib, an issue in the shower area - a one of the many outdated parts...

We have recently stayed at this hotel for three days as a family of four.

I will share the positives first, the view was absolutely amazing, and that is what you are really paying for here. The rooms were of a good size and were tidy. The reception area of the hotel was always clean and well presented, the Australian lady assistant manager we asked for directions from was very helpful and pleasant. We did not feel this warmth from other members of staff at the reception desk. The location is great, no more than 20 minutes walk from everywhere you want to be, this made it really easy for us to explore and then go back to the room as we please when the kids were tired or needing a nap!

Unfortunately the room we stayed in was very tired with damaged furniture, grout missing from the bathroom, wall plugs still in the wall from where something had been previously hung in there, hair in the bath (the bath was very clearly not cleaned) and the sofa bed was so uncomfortable for my daughter she requested to sleep on the floor. For the price point, we would have expected a room with a higher standard of both cleanliness and attention to detail. There were also often room service trays dumped outside of our room by I assume housekeeping who mean to collect them later and forget.

After noticing this, I looked at reviews on here and have seen similar issues and a copy and paste response from the hotel. I would suggest reinvesting into the rooms - as there are many hotels offering the same view without these complaints.

To conclude, it was a comfortable stay, disappointing in some areas given the price, beautiful views and...