Macleay Hotel

We had an issue, but the supervisor and her team went above and beyond to make sure everything was okay. The reception staff are amazing. A business is only as good as its employees, and based on them this place is above and beyond amazing. We’d definitely stay again next time we’re in Sydney. We loved the walk from the botanical gardens to the harbor, and the cafe across the street was amazingly delicious too!

Mon, thanks for looking after us! We had a lovely stay in a Harbour view room with a great view. It was just right for us and our toddler, and the kitchenette came in handy. The location is great and the staff are nice. We’d stay again next time we visit Sydney. It was also kind of the hotel to let us freshen up and have a shower before our evening flight, even though we checked out at 11am. My partner enjoyed his cold beer, and my son enjoyed his warm milk! :)

The neighbourhood was great over new year’s eve, and it was really convenient to get to the centre. The rooms are rather small, though, and the shower flooded easily. There’s currently a big construction at the pool, which is on ground level near the parking spaces.

We booked this a year ahead for a once-in-a-lifetime trip with my step-dad and mum. They’re usually incredibly patient and never complain about where they stay, but this was unlike anything we’ve experienced. The room was a tiny hot box, and the air conditioning never worked from check-in. The receptionist just agreed it was hot, promised it would be fixed that evening, and handed us a very dusty fan that barely moved air. No apology came at any point. That night, after the repair person said we couldn’t stay in the room, we were moved to a double even though there were three of us, so I had to sleep at a friend’s place. The night receptionist sent my step-dad to search the hotel on his own for another room; some of them weren’t even made up. The next day we were told we’d get a triple. To avoid moving all our bags again, we asked for another double just for me. The receptionist, who didn’t know about our earlier moves, said yes. I moved in, then five minutes later he came upstairs and said we had to move again because that room was taken. By then I’d had enough and asked for a refund for the remaining nights so we could leave. The receptionist argued and raised his voice, which made me really uncomfortable. I said I wasn’t looking for an argument, just a refund because we no longer felt okay staying there. He told me that was fine and said to contact Booking.com, assuring me the hotel had no problem refunding us. But when Booking.com called ten minutes later, he said he couldn’t approve it and we’d have to wait for the manager, who didn’t work weekends. The next day, the general manager refused, claiming the second room had been compensation, even though we’d been told to leave it five minutes after moving in. She never came to speak with us. A few other things: the hotel looked nothing like the pictures, the reception hand sanitiser didn’t work, some plugs were dead, and nobody asked how our stay was at checkout. Avoid it, and don’t waste your money or time.