Hilton Sydney

Offering 587 recently-refurbished rooms in the centre of the CBD, Hilton Sydney is a go-to for many business travellers and one of the most well-known hotels in Sydney.

Executive Traveller checked into the recently updated Hilton Sydney to put the hotel's changes through its paces.

Hilton Sydney enjoys an excellent location between George and Pitt Streets, just across the road from the iconic Queen Victoria Building. 

When your visit instead allows for some downtime, you'll find shopping and dining at QVB, with Pitt Street Mall and Westfield Sydney also just around the corner along with the historic State Theatre.

The nearest train station is Town Hall half a block away, but if yours is a short journey or you’re heading into the south-eastern suburbs, there's a light rail stop (QVB) at Hilton's doorstep on George Street, whisking you through Surry Hills and on to places like the Entertainment Quarter, Randwick Racecourse or other places in minutes.

Executive Traveller was welcomed into Room 3613 – an appropriately titled Executive Room.

Following a mid-2021 refurbishment, new bedding and smart televisions have been fitted along with a rich wooden backboard that adds an element of boutique personality. There’s a new and comfortable velvet armchair next to the bed which makes for a great relaxation spot.

The bathroom offers a walk-in shower and a separate bathtub, and while there isn't an expanse of bench space, shelves provide extra storage.

Hilton Sydney has also introduced what it calls ‘Upon Request Housekeeping’, meaning that a cleaner won't service your room unless you ask for it first. To get the beds made, towels changed or bins emptied, you’ll need to contact the front desk to advise of your preferences.

As part of the refurbishment, Hilton Sydney replaced its traditional work desks with a multi-purpose table positioned in front of the TV along with a leather chair. 

Many Executive Traveller readers expressed concern over the chair situation: but fear not, you can request an office chair to the room if you prefer.

Hilton Sydney has also reopened its Level 36 Executive Lounge, with access between 8am-8pm daily available to Hilton Honors Diamond members and guests in executive rooms and suites.

Choose between two-seat tables which run along the window to restaurant-style dining tables for four or a more comfortable living room setup to relax or watch some TV. If you need a private space for a meeting, you can utilise a 10-seat boardroom.

Drinks are self-service and include soft drinks or sparkling water. There’s a Vittoria coffee machine and plenty of teabags, milk and mugs for you to make your brew of choice.

From 5-7pm each evening, the lounge also serves complimentary canapés, consisting of a wide selection of cakes, cheeses, crackers, cured meats, wagyu beef and vegetarian sliders or even fresh prawns and salads, all of which make for a great pre-dinner appetiser.

While Hilton is surrounded by plenty of good restaurants outside the hotel, there's just one to be found in-house.

Luke Mangan's Glass Brasserie and wine bar takes pride of place as the hotel's main eatery, with room service also coming from this restaurant until 11pm each evening.

It's a sizeable 220-seat restaurant with a variety of table options ranging from intimate set-ups for two, traditional and bar-style four-seaters for small parties and large moon-shaped booths for groups.

There’s an extensive drinks menu, exemplified by the enormous 3,000-bottle cellar which doubles as the restaurant's centrepiece and features labels from the Clare and Yarra Valleys and more exotic labels from New Zealand, Italy and France.

Breakfast is served in Glass from 7:30 to 11am each morning and is a full buffet with hot and cold items.

Another popular haunt among visitors and locals alike is the iconic Marble Bar, but do check the latest hours though as it isn’t open every night. There's also Zeta Bar on a rooftop terrace but this is only open Fridays and Saturdays from 4pm.

Hilton Sydney sits above the Fitness First Platinum Pitt Street Gym, with hotel guests enjoying complimentary 24-hour access.

The well-equipped gym boasts a variety of cardio equipment, free weights, fitness classes, and a pool – which is also available to hotel guests, but being part of the public gym, is very much a lap pool rather than a ‘relax by the pool’ space. 

Back in your room, sadly you won’t be able to stream your favourite shows to the television as there’s no Chromecast either built-in or plugged in – something that should have been considered as part of the new TVs installed in the recent refurbishment.

The WiFi will do the job, but you’ll need to use your own device. Alternatively, you can connect your device via screen mirroring as a last resort.

Final Verdict

All things considered, when in town for work, the Hilton sits in a great location with amenities tailored to business travellers. Rooms are compact but include everything you need to stay connected and get your work done in a comfortable space.

The lounge is open and once again delivering a quiet place to work or relax. It was deathly quiet during our visit but hopefully things pick up in line with the return of business travel.

Glass restaurant says it aims to "strike the perfect balance between relaxed get-togethers and fine dining" and currently, it's leaning closer to the former, but it's still a quality experience.

Also read: Our review of the Oakwood Premier Hotel in Melbourne

The author stayed as a guest of Hilton.