Shangri-La Hotel Sydney - Sydney, Australia 

For some time I had wanted to stay at the Shangri-La and a few days over my birthday seemed the perfect opportunity to experience this hotel. Reception staff were friendly and we were directed to the Horizon Club for exclusive check in which was speedy and efficient. We booked a Horizon Club Opera King room and were upgraded to a Horizon Club Grand Harbour View room. The room was a good size, very comfortable and well laid out and the view was spectacular! No complaints at all about the room - our TV wasn't working properly and when it was reported it was sorted out without delay. The cd/dvd player was very useful and the stationery/office supplies a very novel and useful addition which I have not encountered anywhere before. The bathroom was large, well lit and the amenities were luxurious and replaced daily. Compliments go to housekeeping who maintained a great standard even though the once when we called to ask for our room to be serviced while we were at breakfast it wasn't done. The Horizon Club however is a different story. The evening snacks offered a good selection - however if you stay longer than 2 nights it becomes very repetitive; the staff in the Club are very unattentative, a student/trainee was doing most of the serving, and to get her attention for drinks was a major effort. Plates were not cleared off the table even when she did replenish drinks and this was not only one night but on all 3 nights we were there. The breakfast selection would have to be the worst I have experienced on a "club" level. I took some smoked salmon and when I asked for black pepper; the server made a point of telling me he would have to go down to the 1st level to get some and did I want him to do so. The same applied to the cream cheese I asked for. I did want him to do so and almost 10 minuted later he appeared with the cream cheese, black pepper and lemon wedges. I cannot understand how the club level breakfast room in a hotel of this category would not have black pepper available! We chose to go down to the 1st floor for breakfast after that experience and enjoyed the breakfast down there. Concierge was extremely helpful, as was reception staff. In particular I would like to compliment Ashley who is a great asset to the hotel. When we first made the booking at the hotel; I called Altitude restaurant to book a table for dinner on the night of my birthday. I was informed that they were not taking bookings due to WYD but that they would take my details and get back to me if they were able to accommodate us. They did get back to me at a later stage to say they were in fact going to be abe to accommodate us and I requested a window table, mentioning that it was a celebration of a special birthday. I reconfirmed the booking at lunch time on the day and again asked for the window table. I was told that as we had booked a long time in advance the likelyhood was good but that it could not be guaranteed. When we arrived at the restaurant, our table wasn't ready so we were sent to Horizons bar to have a drink until the table was ready. Although the prices at the time seemed extremely high - on checking with comparable hotels, the prices are on a par with the Sheraton, higher than the Hilton and lower than the Intercontinental. The service in Altitude was definitely not up to the standard we expected and my main course - when it did arrive after 35 minutes was luke warm at best. I can understand that people eat at Altitude for the view, but when you have the same view from your room the food and service have to stand on their own and both were lacking! The prices of both food and wine in Altitude were surprisingly not excessive though. The swimming pool, spa and sauna were well maintained and always clean. The service directory lists a steam room as well however this does not exist. Room service was always friendly and speedy - so no complaints there. The one night we returned to the hotel at about 10.30pm and there were about 15 people waiting for an elevator on the ground floor. After about 5 minutes I actually asked reception if some of the elevators stopped after a certain hour and just as the clerk was going to check where the elevators were- 2 arrived on the ground floor. At all other times they were very fast so I don't know what the problem was at that time. Overall I guess I would say that the hotel has great rooms and achieves excellence in some departments. The Horizon Club definitely needs improvement as it brings down the standard of the hotel dramatically. We have stayed ( at club level) at the Sheraton, Hilton, Intercontinental and Harbour Marriott; and I'm not sure that we would choose the Shangri La above the others on a future visit.

Stayed here for NYE celebrations so slightly late in submitting review. Overall the SL is great choice, providing superb facilities , million dollar views and a prime location. We opted for one of the more expensive Grand Harbour view rooms which do not disappoint , although as mentioned the room furniture was looking a little tired and could do with renewing - however they are spacious and little detracts from the panoramic views. As we were there for New year the hotel was very full and consequently there seemed too many guests in the Club area in terms of seating availability and service - in normal times I am sure this would be fine and again the views and the choice of food and drink made up for this. Ironically the best service was on Jan 1 when the breakfast was moved to the main restaurant. The bar is trendy and also comes with killer views for free. The SL location is unbeatable for tourists and overall I think its a sound choice for a 5 star stay and lived up to our high expectations , having stayed at other SL properties in the Far East.