Review of Sydney hotel executive lounges
Posted: 28 Mar 2006, 14:04As part of my job, I had the opportunity last week to visit five hotels in Sydney, and review each hotel's executive lounge. I didn't stay in any of the hotels but did have breakfast and drinks/canapes in the lounge in each one. Here is my review of the facilities of each executive lounge.
Sydney Hilton Executive Lounge
Light beige colours and wood panelling sets the tone for this lounge, located on the 36th floor. The lounge is not that large, and seating can be hard to find at very busy times. The main lounge area has leather chairs with tables and corner sofas. There is a plasma screen in one corner of the lounge, which is discreetly placed away from the main area. More comfortable sofas can be found near to the PCs, of which there are three. Although the PCs themselves are free, new charges have recently been introduced for printing, copying and faxing. A meeting room is also available for hire.
Unfortunately, the views are not so spectacular as the windows within the lounge are too narrow, save for one at the back of the lounge which has a nice view towards Darling Harbour.
Breakfast buffet is very good. I like the healthy choice of Yulla yoghurt - four choices of flavour; Strawberry and Pomegranate, Banana, Guava and Natural. I also like the small bottles of Nudie mixed juices (similar to the Innocent brand in the UK) such as Orange, Mango and Carrot juice. Good selection of fresh fruit salads, cold meat and fish platters, pastries and cereals. Hot food is not so great. Only a choice of scrambled eggs, streaky bacon and (buttered! [:(!] ) tomatoes. There is a coffee machine and Twinings tea-bags for self-service.
Drinks and canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Usual wines, beers and spirits and limited soft drinks. I found the mini finger sandwiches and tortilla wraps rather bland. There are usually two hot options which vary from each evening. On my visit there mini meat pies and sausage rolls which I didn't try as they looked rather unappetising. Dessert looked quite good. A nice array of mini cream cakes and other sweets. Alcoholic drinks are served by the lounge host at the bar so no self-serve.
Sheraton On The Park Executive Club Lounge
This is a much bigger lounge with a nice view over Hyde Park on the 21st floor. There are several outdoor terrace areas with wooden chairs. The armchairs and sofas are large and comfortable, and there are two plasma screens at either end of the lounge. Business facilities include complimentary use of the two PCs, printing/copying and fax. A small meeting room is also available.
Breakfast is more personalised, with tea and coffee in plungers being brought to your seat as soon as you are greeted and welcomed. The buffet has a good choice of pastries and breads. The fresh fruit platter is great and there is also a selection of cold meats (no fish). There is also a cheese platter and three hot food items, such as scrambled egg (too much butter! [:(!] ), sausages and baked beans. There is a coffee machine but no teabags.
Drinks and canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Again, usual range and limited soft drinks. However, the food was absolutely rank. Tasteless samosas and mini meat balls (not sure what kind) along with dry, wrinkly vegetables and tortilla chips made for not so great canapes. Cheese platter looked okay (I think) and there were small bags of Thins potato chips. Very disappointing indeed. One bite out of the meat ball and I had to spit it out. There is a choice of at-seat or self-service of drinks.
The Westin Sydney Executive Club Lounge
This lounge is the smallest of those that I visited, so has more of a personal feel to it. Overlooking Martin Place, the views are nice from the 28th floor. There are no business facilities or meeting rooms but there is free wireless internet available. Chairs are comfy and there is a sofa and Plasma screen at one end of the lounge.
Like the Sheraton On The Park, breakfast is a more personalised affair. Tea and coffee, though not in plungers, is served as soon as you are greeted. Service was great because there were few guests both in the morning and evening, so the staff are more attentive to you. There are two buffet counters, one with a good selection of boxed Kellog's cereals, bread, pastries, juice and tasty energiser drinks. The other counter has a good but small choice of cold meats and fish, fresh fruit and fruit platter, yoghurt and cheese. There is no hot food available.
Drinks and canapes are served from 6pm until 8pm. Again, great service but because there are few guests in the evenings there is only one lounge host on duty. You are welcomed and your choice of drink is served to you at your table. There is a free bar as well with a good range of alcoholic drinks but, again, I did not see more in the way of soft drinks. Very nice host, chatty and offering a top-up of drinks to all guests. The canapes were good. There was an assortment of marinated ovened vegetables and garlic bread. Nice selection of nuts and dried fruit. Little salmon tarts and cajun chicken pieces as well as little toasted bread with various toppings. An excellent cheese plate but no fresh fruit. Dessert was strangely placed by reception instead of at the buffet counter so I only saw it on my way out - a raspberry creme brulee of some sort. Like the Sydney Hilton, the Westin was recently refurbished.
Marriott Sydney Harbour Executive Lounge
Located on level 30 this is a fairly small lounge with a dining room chair and table layout. There is a small area near reception with one sofa and four armchairs and a plasma screen but apart from that there are no other lounge-style armchairs or sofas. No business facilities in the lounge but a small meeting room is available and, of course, free wi-fi. Partial views can be had of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The toilet is disable-friendly and has extras including mouthwash, nail files, vanity packs and moisturiser.
Breakfast is quite good, with plenty of fresh fruit, cold meats, cheese, pastries, bread and cereals. A choice of yoghurt is available from large self-serve dishes as opposed to individual pots. For the hot option there are three choices; bacon, scrambled eggs and spaghetti in tomato sauce. Tea and coffee is available from a very slow machine.
Drinks and canapes at the Marriott were the best of the five hotels that I visited. Canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Complimentary drinks are served from 5.30pm until 9.30pm - 2 hours longer than any of the other hotels! The canapes were excellent, well at least the choice was. You could safely say it was more akin to a small dinner buffet. A good choice of oven roasted Mediterranean vegetables, a cold oriental noodle salad with beef and various small bite-size snacks. There were three hot choices; pork dumplings, fish and pasta. Also a nice fresh fruit platter and cheese platter along with cakes for desserts.
Drinks are self-serve and there are beers and bottles of water in the fridges. The place was over-whelmingly busy and a family of six decided there was so much choice that they could make an evening meal out of it. There was an incident with the pork dumplings as I discovered they weren't actually cooked. I informed one of the lounge hosts who, rather prudishly, after I showed her the raw meat, picked a dumpling and dissected it before confirming that it was uncooked. Other guests were complaining as well and, after a bit of a delay, the offending dish was taken away. One guest was quite paranoid and said in a panicky voice, "oh my god, I ate two of those, what shall I do? Shall I make myself sick?"
InterContinental Sydney Club InterContinental Lounge
What can I say? Simply stunning is an understatement. Actually located on the top floor of the hotel, your breath is taken away once you emerge from the lift which takes you from level 31 to level 32 (you need your key to access this one level up to the lounge). The panoramic view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House is breathtaking, particularly at night. Floor to ceiling windows guarantee an amazing view from almost anywhere inside the lounge, with its comfortable sofas and armchairs (and long bench-style sofas).
There is even an outdoor terrace area where you can marvel at the view with the free binoculars. There are plenty of wooden chairs and tables outside and you can request a cushion should you wish.
Aside from the view, this lounge has great service and the staff are all too friendly, particularly the bubbly Claire, the Lounge Manager. There are two PCs with wireless mouses, complimentary printing/copying and fax facilities, which are located at one end of the lounge. A private games room with sliding doors is located away from the main lounge area. There are two toilets with two cubicles in each as well as a disabled toilet. This is the only lounge which doesn't have face towels as hand towels. Instead there are good quality paper towels.
There is also a shower with towels and everything you need to freshen up after an early morning arrival. Very handy indeed if you need to wait for your room whilst it's being prepared.
The breakfast is quite good and I like the fact that there is fresh tea offered instead of the customary teabags. Full-size teapots with strainers ensure a nicely brewed cuppa. Again, coffee is self-serve from the machine. There is the usual breads and pastries (excellent croissants) and cereals, as well as a fresh fruit salad, cold meat and fish and two hot choices. On the occasion I visited there was lean bacon, fried egg, tomato (without butter!
) all topped onto a large field mushroom and piled into a small dish. Lovely! There were hot pancakes for the other choice.
Now, canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm and complimentary drinks are served at the same time. However, the bar remains open after 7.30pm until 9.30pm but drinks may be charged to your room. There is a free bar with a good selection of sparkling wine (there's no such thing as champagne down under) and also waiter service. Good choice of soft drinks and bottled water. Canapes are excellent, if a bit limited in choice. There was delicious suishi with accompaniments, raw sashimi and another bite-size snack which I didn't know. I really enjoy fresh fruit and was pleased to see an excellent fruit platter. Cheese with biscuits and crackers completed the canapes. Enjoying a drink with some sushi and sashimi outside on the terrace while watching the sun set over Sydney was absolutely fantastic. While flying back to London I actually saw an InterContinental commercial of this very lounge on the IFE system.
So who are the winners and losers of the executive lounges? Here's my pick of the lot.
Best Breakfast
The Sydney Hilton. Just for the range of healthy fruit, yoghurt and mixed juices, even though the InterContinental had a better hot breakfast. I also like the fact that the Hilton puts out any leftover pastries for guests (usually there's plenty) and fresh fruit after breakfast instead of binning it.
Best Drinks/Canapes
Marriott Sydney Harbour. The choice of canapes was plenty and good (aside from the pork dumpling incident) and complimentary drinks were served in the evening during a four-hour period, twice as long as other hotels.
Best Business Facilities
InterContinental Sydney, Sheraton On The Park. Both have two PCs and complimentary printing/copying and fax. The Sydney Hilton would have won as they have three PCs but to charge AU$8 to fax the first page is quite extortionate!
Best Lounge with a View
InterContinental Sydney. Need I say more?
Best Overall Lounge
InterContinental Sydney. Great breakfast and evening drinks/canapes and good business facilities as well as shower facilities and an unbeatable view makes the InterContinental Sydney a clear winner. Also, butter is freshly cut into small triangles instead of pre-packaged as in the other hotels.
Best Strawberries for Breakfast
The Westin Sydney. There is a massive bowl of freshly chopped and de-stalked strawberries for your pleasure. Beautiful!
The Hilton Sydney also had strawberries but they were neither chopped into halves nor de-stalked.
The Strawb
Sydney Hilton Executive Lounge
Light beige colours and wood panelling sets the tone for this lounge, located on the 36th floor. The lounge is not that large, and seating can be hard to find at very busy times. The main lounge area has leather chairs with tables and corner sofas. There is a plasma screen in one corner of the lounge, which is discreetly placed away from the main area. More comfortable sofas can be found near to the PCs, of which there are three. Although the PCs themselves are free, new charges have recently been introduced for printing, copying and faxing. A meeting room is also available for hire.
Unfortunately, the views are not so spectacular as the windows within the lounge are too narrow, save for one at the back of the lounge which has a nice view towards Darling Harbour.
Breakfast buffet is very good. I like the healthy choice of Yulla yoghurt - four choices of flavour; Strawberry and Pomegranate, Banana, Guava and Natural. I also like the small bottles of Nudie mixed juices (similar to the Innocent brand in the UK) such as Orange, Mango and Carrot juice. Good selection of fresh fruit salads, cold meat and fish platters, pastries and cereals. Hot food is not so great. Only a choice of scrambled eggs, streaky bacon and (buttered! [:(!] ) tomatoes. There is a coffee machine and Twinings tea-bags for self-service.
Drinks and canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Usual wines, beers and spirits and limited soft drinks. I found the mini finger sandwiches and tortilla wraps rather bland. There are usually two hot options which vary from each evening. On my visit there mini meat pies and sausage rolls which I didn't try as they looked rather unappetising. Dessert looked quite good. A nice array of mini cream cakes and other sweets. Alcoholic drinks are served by the lounge host at the bar so no self-serve.
Sheraton On The Park Executive Club Lounge
This is a much bigger lounge with a nice view over Hyde Park on the 21st floor. There are several outdoor terrace areas with wooden chairs. The armchairs and sofas are large and comfortable, and there are two plasma screens at either end of the lounge. Business facilities include complimentary use of the two PCs, printing/copying and fax. A small meeting room is also available.
Breakfast is more personalised, with tea and coffee in plungers being brought to your seat as soon as you are greeted and welcomed. The buffet has a good choice of pastries and breads. The fresh fruit platter is great and there is also a selection of cold meats (no fish). There is also a cheese platter and three hot food items, such as scrambled egg (too much butter! [:(!] ), sausages and baked beans. There is a coffee machine but no teabags.
Drinks and canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Again, usual range and limited soft drinks. However, the food was absolutely rank. Tasteless samosas and mini meat balls (not sure what kind) along with dry, wrinkly vegetables and tortilla chips made for not so great canapes. Cheese platter looked okay (I think) and there were small bags of Thins potato chips. Very disappointing indeed. One bite out of the meat ball and I had to spit it out. There is a choice of at-seat or self-service of drinks.
The Westin Sydney Executive Club Lounge
This lounge is the smallest of those that I visited, so has more of a personal feel to it. Overlooking Martin Place, the views are nice from the 28th floor. There are no business facilities or meeting rooms but there is free wireless internet available. Chairs are comfy and there is a sofa and Plasma screen at one end of the lounge.
Like the Sheraton On The Park, breakfast is a more personalised affair. Tea and coffee, though not in plungers, is served as soon as you are greeted. Service was great because there were few guests both in the morning and evening, so the staff are more attentive to you. There are two buffet counters, one with a good selection of boxed Kellog's cereals, bread, pastries, juice and tasty energiser drinks. The other counter has a good but small choice of cold meats and fish, fresh fruit and fruit platter, yoghurt and cheese. There is no hot food available.
Drinks and canapes are served from 6pm until 8pm. Again, great service but because there are few guests in the evenings there is only one lounge host on duty. You are welcomed and your choice of drink is served to you at your table. There is a free bar as well with a good range of alcoholic drinks but, again, I did not see more in the way of soft drinks. Very nice host, chatty and offering a top-up of drinks to all guests. The canapes were good. There was an assortment of marinated ovened vegetables and garlic bread. Nice selection of nuts and dried fruit. Little salmon tarts and cajun chicken pieces as well as little toasted bread with various toppings. An excellent cheese plate but no fresh fruit. Dessert was strangely placed by reception instead of at the buffet counter so I only saw it on my way out - a raspberry creme brulee of some sort. Like the Sydney Hilton, the Westin was recently refurbished.
Marriott Sydney Harbour Executive Lounge
Located on level 30 this is a fairly small lounge with a dining room chair and table layout. There is a small area near reception with one sofa and four armchairs and a plasma screen but apart from that there are no other lounge-style armchairs or sofas. No business facilities in the lounge but a small meeting room is available and, of course, free wi-fi. Partial views can be had of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The toilet is disable-friendly and has extras including mouthwash, nail files, vanity packs and moisturiser.
Breakfast is quite good, with plenty of fresh fruit, cold meats, cheese, pastries, bread and cereals. A choice of yoghurt is available from large self-serve dishes as opposed to individual pots. For the hot option there are three choices; bacon, scrambled eggs and spaghetti in tomato sauce. Tea and coffee is available from a very slow machine.
Drinks and canapes at the Marriott were the best of the five hotels that I visited. Canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. Complimentary drinks are served from 5.30pm until 9.30pm - 2 hours longer than any of the other hotels! The canapes were excellent, well at least the choice was. You could safely say it was more akin to a small dinner buffet. A good choice of oven roasted Mediterranean vegetables, a cold oriental noodle salad with beef and various small bite-size snacks. There were three hot choices; pork dumplings, fish and pasta. Also a nice fresh fruit platter and cheese platter along with cakes for desserts.
Drinks are self-serve and there are beers and bottles of water in the fridges. The place was over-whelmingly busy and a family of six decided there was so much choice that they could make an evening meal out of it. There was an incident with the pork dumplings as I discovered they weren't actually cooked. I informed one of the lounge hosts who, rather prudishly, after I showed her the raw meat, picked a dumpling and dissected it before confirming that it was uncooked. Other guests were complaining as well and, after a bit of a delay, the offending dish was taken away. One guest was quite paranoid and said in a panicky voice, "oh my god, I ate two of those, what shall I do? Shall I make myself sick?"
InterContinental Sydney Club InterContinental Lounge
What can I say? Simply stunning is an understatement. Actually located on the top floor of the hotel, your breath is taken away once you emerge from the lift which takes you from level 31 to level 32 (you need your key to access this one level up to the lounge). The panoramic view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House is breathtaking, particularly at night. Floor to ceiling windows guarantee an amazing view from almost anywhere inside the lounge, with its comfortable sofas and armchairs (and long bench-style sofas).
There is even an outdoor terrace area where you can marvel at the view with the free binoculars. There are plenty of wooden chairs and tables outside and you can request a cushion should you wish.
Aside from the view, this lounge has great service and the staff are all too friendly, particularly the bubbly Claire, the Lounge Manager. There are two PCs with wireless mouses, complimentary printing/copying and fax facilities, which are located at one end of the lounge. A private games room with sliding doors is located away from the main lounge area. There are two toilets with two cubicles in each as well as a disabled toilet. This is the only lounge which doesn't have face towels as hand towels. Instead there are good quality paper towels.
There is also a shower with towels and everything you need to freshen up after an early morning arrival. Very handy indeed if you need to wait for your room whilst it's being prepared.
The breakfast is quite good and I like the fact that there is fresh tea offered instead of the customary teabags. Full-size teapots with strainers ensure a nicely brewed cuppa. Again, coffee is self-serve from the machine. There is the usual breads and pastries (excellent croissants) and cereals, as well as a fresh fruit salad, cold meat and fish and two hot choices. On the occasion I visited there was lean bacon, fried egg, tomato (without butter!
) all topped onto a large field mushroom and piled into a small dish. Lovely! There were hot pancakes for the other choice. Now, canapes are served from 5.30pm until 7.30pm and complimentary drinks are served at the same time. However, the bar remains open after 7.30pm until 9.30pm but drinks may be charged to your room. There is a free bar with a good selection of sparkling wine (there's no such thing as champagne down under) and also waiter service. Good choice of soft drinks and bottled water. Canapes are excellent, if a bit limited in choice. There was delicious suishi with accompaniments, raw sashimi and another bite-size snack which I didn't know. I really enjoy fresh fruit and was pleased to see an excellent fruit platter. Cheese with biscuits and crackers completed the canapes. Enjoying a drink with some sushi and sashimi outside on the terrace while watching the sun set over Sydney was absolutely fantastic. While flying back to London I actually saw an InterContinental commercial of this very lounge on the IFE system.
So who are the winners and losers of the executive lounges? Here's my pick of the lot.
Best Breakfast
The Sydney Hilton. Just for the range of healthy fruit, yoghurt and mixed juices, even though the InterContinental had a better hot breakfast. I also like the fact that the Hilton puts out any leftover pastries for guests (usually there's plenty) and fresh fruit after breakfast instead of binning it.
Best Drinks/Canapes
Marriott Sydney Harbour. The choice of canapes was plenty and good (aside from the pork dumpling incident) and complimentary drinks were served in the evening during a four-hour period, twice as long as other hotels.
Best Business Facilities
InterContinental Sydney, Sheraton On The Park. Both have two PCs and complimentary printing/copying and fax. The Sydney Hilton would have won as they have three PCs but to charge AU$8 to fax the first page is quite extortionate!
Best Lounge with a View
InterContinental Sydney. Need I say more?
Best Overall Lounge
InterContinental Sydney. Great breakfast and evening drinks/canapes and good business facilities as well as shower facilities and an unbeatable view makes the InterContinental Sydney a clear winner. Also, butter is freshly cut into small triangles instead of pre-packaged as in the other hotels.
Best Strawberries for Breakfast
The Westin Sydney. There is a massive bowl of freshly chopped and de-stalked strawberries for your pleasure. Beautiful!
The Hilton Sydney also had strawberries but they were neither chopped into halves nor de-stalked. The Strawb