Shangri-La Hotel Sydney

Went to a Gala last night, and the food and service were terrible. My main dish was so bad that I got up and handed it back to the waiter. Now the tickets to this Gala were not cheap, and so i expected great, but received the opposite. Drinks were hard to get, but I did notice the staff with the drinks were standing around at the back of the room, talking to each other. I won't be spending money to go back there.

We stayed for 3 nights at the Shanghai La and absolutely loved it. We paid for an opera house view which was worth it for the view alone but our room was large, comfortable and very clean. I was celebrating a special birthday and when I arrived in the room there was a birthday cake for me from the hotel management which was a very nice touch. We had my birthday dinner at the Altitude restaurant on the 36th floor and it was really good and again with wonderful views. All the staff at the hotel were great, very friendly, professional and helpful. We would definitely stay at this lovely hotel again.

You'll possibly be tempted to book the Shangri-La based on the Horizon Club view, but that's the best bit. And frankly if you're in Sydney for a few days you'll see that view over and over. You can even book a room with that view and not pay the Horizon Club rates. Arrival at the hotel was so dull. The lobby has all the charm of a highway motel. It's lifeless. At least if you book a Horizon Club room you'll have a lounge area to sit in until 9pm. And then it feels like the hotel shuts down. The hotel location is good. But there are several in the area. All of them make using the ferries to Manly or the zoo, etc, really easy. What really bothered us was the cleaning standards of the Horizon Club. Management were daily trying to sell the space for wedding / anniversary parties who may stay at the hotel and proudly announced how it had all been refurbished. We could not help but snigger as the tables were filthy. They have a glass top where food debris somehow gets underneath. And it was there for 4 days. See photos. We also felt quite a lot of indifference from the staff. And then someone in hotel management from Malaysia informed me that Australian staff don't really need to work hard because there's an abundance of work available. So if they get the sack they know they'll walk into another job with ease. However, I must say there was one young woman who worked at the Horizon Club entry desk - dark curly hair - and she was amazing at getting things done, fixing issues, arranging things. She needs to work somewhere else at a higher level and get paid more. If I ran a business in Sydney I'd poach her in a second. Wish I could remember her name because she deserves the praise. Anyway, after 3 nights / 4 days days we'd had enough of this dreary hotel and moved to Darling Harbour. And that gives a whole new side to Sydney especially in the evenings being able to go out for walks and sit outside and eat, etc. We were in Sydney for 8 nights so at least we ended our last 5 nights at a better cleaner hotel.

Best view from high level bar. The hotel staff all lovely and very accommodating, however the hotel itself is very much in need of a refurbishment. Decor dated in main areas and rooms. Beds very comfortable, room furniture very dated and damage repaired. We had a large corner room on the 12th floor we requested a high floor with opera house view …view was very limited from an angle at one side of a window 😬 that was disappointing. Bathroom again dated , shower extremely poor and no toiletries at bath 😳 as there are only fixed bottles at washbasin & shower again not 5* expectation. One other point to note it is quite a climb to the hotel if you struggle with that, not a problem for us but could imagine difficult for some.

My partner and I decided to stay at the Shangri La Sydney to celebrate our anniversary. We booked high tea and dinner at Altitude - the restaurant in the hotel. When our high tea came out, no one explained what was on the plate. We repeatedly had to ask for water and also asked twice for a clean tea cup as the one on the table was dirty. When we came back for dinner we were informed our table was not ready and we had to wait. This seemed odd as we arrived perfectly on time for our reservation. While we waited for our table I couldn't help but notice other couples and groups of people were seated before us. We are a same sex couple and hopefully this is not the reason for the poor service, although it seems to make sense that this was the case. Back in our room at the hotel, I was disappointed to see mould on the bottom of the shower glass. The room was also very dusty. This was very concerning as my partner is asthmatic. Considering that I paid over $900 for the one night of accommodation, you would expect better. We are beyond let down by our experience and have to say we will not be staying there again and will certainly not recommend the Shangri La to anyone else.