Rydges World Square

The location is great, but this was one of the most overpriced hotels we’ve stayed in. We were six people, a couple with two children and two elderly parents, and stayed five nights. The rooms were generally dirty and dated. We repeatedly had to request extra towels, and sometimes even basic things like tissues weren’t replenished. During daily cleaning we had to ask for the bins to be emptied. The beds were never properly made, and housekeeping didn’t even put the sheets on properly. I’ve attached photos of the beds after they’d visited. Road noise was awful too. If you’re a light sleeper, expect traffic to wake you. Please avoid it if you can. We’d made a fully refundable booking and asked the hotel for adjoining rooms. They replied that they’d try. At check-in, we were told adjoining rooms weren’t available then, but they might arrange it the next day when occupancy was lower. Later that night, duty manager Rebecca was extremely helpful and explained that our room category couldn’t have adjoining rooms at all. Two staff members hadn’t told us this and had left us thinking it could be done. We explained how important it was and that we would have chosen another hotel if we’d known. Rebecca also said that because we’d booked through a third party, we’d need to contact them to switch hotels. There didn’t seem to be accountability for what staff had said. Rebecca did arrange adjoining rooms for the following day, and we were very grateful. They were smaller than the rooms we’d originally booked, though the fee wasn’t reduced. The next evening, front desk staff seemed to have no idea about the room change when we asked for new keycards. Choose somewhere else nearby if you can.

The location is fantastic, with the station and plenty of restaurants within walking distance. Still, for a relatively expensive four-star hotel, we expected a more professional and seamless stay, and the service fell short. Check-in involved a lot of back and forth, and our rooms weren’t ready at the scheduled time. They gave us complimentary drink vouchers and asked us to wait at the bar until someone came to collect us. After about 45 minutes with no news, we went back to reception and were told they’d forgotten about us. Not a great start. One room was meant to have an extra bed. Reception assured us it was arranged, but it wasn’t set up when we arrived, so we had to chase it again. We then suggested free breakfast to make up for the hassle. The hotel agreed, but only for three of the five of us and just one of our two mornings. We appreciated the offer, though it felt like only a partial fix.

This was a very good stay. The front desk upgraded me on arrival to a larger balcony room with more natural light, and I could get some fresh air outside. Breakfast was good quality, though mostly the same each day. The location worked perfectly for my meetings and activities on this trip. I’ll come back.

For a short stay, this is still a solid value in a prime Sydney CBD location, and the staff were friendly enough. The room had a fresh, modern feel at first, with a proper work desk and a big window overlooking the plaza that brought in lots of natural light. The bed and pillows weren’t as comfortable as I expected, and the bathroom felt old beside the rest of the room. I also found the TV connection instructions confusing and much too much trouble to work out. I’d like to return if they update the bedding and improve the TV directions or signage.