First, the hotel changed it's name: It's now called the Sydney Harbour Hotel. This hotel is located right in middle of a very happening neighborhood called The Rocks and you are a Very short walk to the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Bridge, the Cruise Port Terminal, Ferries to anywhere, the Art Museum, a 24 hour convenience store, great restaurants, bands and dancing at night 7 days a week, the Big Bus hop on and off stops, and high end and medium end shopping. In fact some of the rooms at this hotel have a view of the Opera House. I can't think of a better location to stay in for your first or second visit to Sydney than this hotel. This hotel was booked by my tour for a 5 night stay in April 2025. Now having said all this: This Hotel needs some major renovation or maybe demolition? I actually don't think they can knock it down because it's an "historic" property. There was a mold experiment going on in my room and other rooms people on the tour told me. The carpet is old and torn. The bathtub is so narrow that I could not stand without bending my toes. The grout is dirty, cracked moldy. Showers take 2x as long because the temperature controlled by 2 knobs from the early 19th century cannot keep the temperature at one setting--you have to keep on adjusting it. The towels are hit or miss--you feel like hitting someone with them the room needs so much work. The included breakfast is just okay, but the fresh fruit is good, not great. The lobby is drab and uninspiring with a small bar area with happy hour specials. From a bed comfort and room cleanliness standpoint the king bed was very comfortable and sheets and towels clean. My room looked out onto a construction site on the back end and on the last day of my stay (the other days were weekends and holidays), you could not sleep past 6 am when the heavy machinery starts pounding away. Make sure not to get a room facing the construction. The view from the small pool on the roof is excellent and so is the view of the Opera House. The folks that work here run the gamete from helpful to "your bothering me." I regularly asked for extra towels and bar soap at the front desk and got it without waiting for delivery. Basically if you can just stay out of your room here, you will be okay.... read more

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I would have to agree with other recent reviews that this place merits a high rating for its location and its price. Certainly it's not a "5 star hotel" by any stretch of the imagination, but you really cannot find a better value that is so conveniently located in a historical part of town. We stayed here for the first time many years ago, and on our recent return to Australia we made a point of booking this hotel again. When one looks at photos of Sydney, they often see a gleaming skyline of shiny high rises. In contrast, this hotel is located in an area called The Rocks, which is the oldest part of town and is essentially where the city of Sydney began. This district is full of cobblestone streets, alleyways, and steps, creating a labyrinth among the old and historic buildings. The hotel is just steps away from the Circular Quay, and from the rooftop you have incredible views of the the Opera House to the east and the the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the north. The hotel has a large central atrium, and most floors (except for the very top levels) overlook this atrium. It's a bit dark though, because there isn't a lot of of lighting installed along the walls. The room that we had was small but comfortable, but other than the desk chair there was no other place to sit except for the bed. The bathroom was showing some age and the water pressure could have been a bit better. Nevertheless, for our needs it was just right. Our hotel booking included breakfast, which was a sumptuous buffet with an omelet station and a juicing station. There were many hot and cold options, and a fine selection of breads, muffins, pastries, and fresh fruit. We also ordered room service on our first evening since we were jet-lagged, and were stunned by the relatively low cost of our meal. Basically, the entrees we picked were the same price as eating at the restaurant, with only a nominal (A$3) tray charge. On our last night we ate in the hotel restaurant, and were pleased with the quality of the meal. Our server was a little awkward and nerdy, but endearingly so. Our only issue with our meal was since the restaurant is in the atrium, it was dark at night and rather chilly as well. The staff - front desk, restaurant, bar, room service, housekeeping - was friendly and responsive. We really appreciated the fact that even though we arrived at the hotel at 8:00am (our flight from the US landed just after 6:00am), they let us check in right away, so we were able to freshen up before we headed out into the city to ward off the jet lag. Outstanding customer service overall, and we have no doubt that we'll be staying here again on our next trip to Sydney. read more

TL:DR - More than impressed with this Holiday Inn. Great 3 star accommodations with a great location, less than 10 min walking to circular quay (huge transit hub), Sydney opera house, harbor bridge, and tons of little shops, restaurants, and pubs. Staff was super welcoming, friendly, and nice. Like not just not mean, but genuinely nice and willing to help in any way possible. Breakfast was A+. Rooms was a bit bare, but again, it's a Holiday Inn. I love this place. From the moment we stepped in, the hotel staff was super welcoming, friendly, and eager to serve. We got in super early due to an early flight in, and the front desk worker gave us a key to the downstairs bathrooms and told us we could treat ourselves to the continental breakfast for which was part of our package. The interior of the building is quite nice actually, it reminds me a lot of embassy suites with a large open atrium right in the middle with the seating area for the breakfast extending over the front desk into the atrium. Beyond the super friendly staff, the building itself is quite basic inside, but I think most people don't know that this is actually a historical building that is a part of the rocks area, and used to be an old factory I believe. This is a big reason why they can't do many changes to the outside or to the building itself. The room itself is also super basic, it really is just a bed, small tv, and a small bathroom by US standards. But honestly, it's the Holiday Inn... If you want something nicer, you should get something nicer. The four seasons is just down the street. The continental breakfast, was actually quite good. Lots of hot foods from two types of sausages, ham, eggs, hash browns, and lots of pastries and bread. They also have a made to order omelette station, where an on staff chef will take your order and an omelette will be delivered to your table. They also provide a juicer with fresh fruit, so you can make your own juice, I did this regularly. But as many people have said before, the big draw to this place is the location, it's located in the Rocks, a really historic old timey part of town that has tons of nice bars, restaurants, cafes, shops, and history in general. It's about a 5 min walk to circular quay (pronounced "Key") which is a HUGE transit point to just about anywhere in the city via bus, train, light rail, and ferry. Just beyond circular quay is the Sydney opera house, and the water front area with higher end restaurants and lots of souvenir shops. Walking the other direction, the harbor bridge is about a 5-10 min walk as well. read more

Small room but ideally situated within walking distance of everything. Across the street from the port, a two minute walk to shops and restaurants, and five minutes to Sydney Opera House. We had a king bed with plenty of built-ins to hold clothes, a decent desk, slow internet, and a passable bathroom. Leave the room and explore. The view from the roo-top deck is spectacular! read more

The main reason I chose the Old Sydney Holiday Inn was availability; there seemed to be few other places in Sydney with rooms in my time frame. The second reason was location - It was in the historic neighborhood called The Rocks. Sure enough - 4.5 stars for location. I could walk to so many central places, whether it be the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Botanical Gardens, or the ferry terminal. (the 1/2 star off is because of the ever-present, immense cruise ships next to the hotel; they blocked all the good views) 4 stars for the staff - Friendly and courteous during my entire stay. 2 stars for lack of a gym. They declared they had admission rights to a downtown gym several blocks away, but the logistics were too inconvenient. I did morning runs and core work instead. 3 stars for Wi-Fi. It was free with my hotel club membership, but I had to constantly re-log in; quite the pain to use 2 stars for the lobby and hotel interior - Welcome to the 1980s 1 star for the room - It was cramped and rundown; oddly shaped. It had really bad hotel feng shui: the couch was alone in a dark corner (no lights whatsoever) and the so called "desk" was very narrow and had zero outlets. The bathroom toilet and shower looked to be near the end of their porcelain lives. Consequently, I spent as little time in my room as possible. And lastly...1 star for the price. Over 500 AU$ per night was still far too expensive, even with the great U.S. exchange rate. But I had few options given the low availability in town. In short: Overpriced for what it was. If I ever get the chance to return to Sydney, I would look much harder at other spots (and Airbnb) before coming back to this hotel. read more

Holiday Inn Old Sydney - View from rooftop during the 5 minutes when a cruise ship wasn't docked - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Sydney, NSW

Stayed here for six nights during peak holiday/summer season in Sydney. My basic rundown: Pro: cool historic area (The Rocks) and uber-close to the Circular Quay, Museum of Contemporary Art, and opera house Con: uber-touristy area so almost everything around it is ridiculously expensive Pro: stunning/secluded views from the top floor Con: there is no gym/fitness equipment area in this hotel, and the jacuzzi water temperature on the top floor was not as hot as it could have been Pro: comfy beds, updated details in hotel rooms Con: rooms and bathrooms especially are on the small side Pro: a good walkable distance the Central Business District so you're a bit away from that madness but close enough Con: I got tired of that walk towards the end of our stay In sum: if the rates beat hotels closer to the center of the city, it is worth it... just avoid most eateries in the general vicinity (your wallet will thank you) read more

Great place to stay in Sydney when visiting. Some say the rooms are dated, but they have all the amenities and are comfortable. What more do you need anyway? If you are visiting Sydney, you are not going to spend all the time in the room anyway. The good: - Awesome service from staff. (Some of the best we have experienced) - Great views from the pool. - Location, Location, Location. - Comfortable rooms with fridge, coffee, and tea. The not as good: - Lobby bar didn't seem to have much of a selection, but you are so close to some fantastic pubs! - Bathrooms are a little cramped but they work. This is the second time we have stayed here and we used IHG points to book. Staff was fantastic from the moment we checked in to the moment we checked out. We arrived early and our room wasn't ready. They gave us the option for another room if we wanted or they would hold our luggage and call when the room was ready. We chose to wait. They called a while later to say the room was ready and it was still before check in time. When we arrived, they had already brought our bags to the room. The in-room safe had a low battery and would not lock. We mention it to the front desk when we were on our way to brekkie the next morning. The staff was very apologetic. It was fixed when we came back. They even called to check that everything was ok. As others have said the location is fantastic. The hotel is in the center of where the Rocks Markets happen on the weekend. Plenty of fantastic pubs and restaurants as well as the observatory are all within easy walking distance. Ferries, trains, and buses are all within a few minutes walk. You will always be able to find something to do. Rooms were very comfortable. There were even robes and slippers in the closet. Pot for heating water for tea or coffee and a fridge. We found the bed to be very comfortable. We did have to adjust the thermostat when we returned each day as they reset when the room is not occupied. It wasn't a big deal as the room quickly cooled down. We will definitely be back the next time we are in Sydney. read more

This is a great hotel in Sydney at this price range. The location is excellent yet they charge half of some of the properties literally just down the street on by the harbor. I spent a week here (coming from the USA) and it is a really nice vacation hotel pick. The hotel is centrally located within walking distance to the Sydney Opera or the harbor (which you can use to go to places like Taronga Zoo or Manly). The rooms were very clean and organized with plenty of outlets and modern amenities. I also noticed the room was very quiet given the hotel's location. One of the really nice things about the hotel is it's small rooftop pool. Whether you are going for a quick swim or not, this rooftop has some absolutely amazing views of the harbor and the bridge that are hard to find in Sydney. If you are in town and want to stay in a really good location but don't want to pay $400 a night for the four seasons I'd highly recommend this hotel! read more

I am not big fan of Holiday Inn hotel but I have to give 5 stars to this property due to its location. We were here for Vivid Sydney and it is just within walking distance to Circular Quay and Harbor Bridge where the best view are. Also its roof top has magnificent view to those iconic landmarks as well. Other than that, the staffs are awesome and provide very helping hand. This is also one of the hotels that have 2 double beds which is rare in Sydney. The hotel and room is slightly dated and elevator is small but this is not a major concern for me. We have a great stay and good sleep. read more

Holiday Inn Old Sydney - Roof top view - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Sydney, NSW

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Location, location, location! I would recommend this Holiday Inn Hotel if you want to be within walking distance to the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Circular Quay. It is centrally located and makes it very convenient when you have excursions at these tourist spots mentioned. We took one of the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours to explore the city, as well as to go to Bondi Beach, so it is helpful that the main stop to catch the bus tour is nearby as well. In fact, one of the stops of the downtown tour is right in front of the hotel. Lots of eating options nearby. I would definitely recommend staying here. The front desk people were very nice and helpful. The wi-fi was great. And the rooftop pool provided awesome views of the city. You could even watch the huge Carnival Cruiseliners take off from the harbor on certain days. This place would have gotten 5 stars if the rooms were more up to date and fancier, but really, it was more than adequate for me. read more

The building and rooms are a bit aged but the location and the service definitely make up for it. Bro and I came here for some PTO on my hotel points. These guys were so nice from start to finish. They gave us a great room on the 7th floor. We were able to check in pretty early and check out late. The room is very clean but a bit aged. There was also a lot of room. Even with 2 beds there was a lot of room to move around. Great views of the harbor, opera house and the bridge. This was just a great pace to stay at. read more

Stayed at Holiday Inn Old Sydney for the weekend. Great location and easy to walk around to hip, trendy restaurants, bars, and of course nice walk to circular quay. The hotel has amazzzzing rooftop pool with picture perfect view of harbour, opera house and the city view. Worth checking out if you do get to stay. Though, the pool is bit small, but there is spa which is bonus in cold weather. Rooms are little old and out-dated, but new flat screen tv. Dilmah tea collection in the room is good amenity and I really liked how the room came with different option pillows - soft and firm. So unique! In the bathroom, it had signs saying "help us protect environment by reusing your towels" and it had instruction of where we should put the towels if we want to reuse them and if we want the replaced towels. This is really good initiative!!! Other hotels should start this initiative as I think we sometimes forget about these little things when we stay in the hotel. Had full buffet breakfast at Playfair terrace. More than enough selection to satisfy your appetite. Fresh fruit selection, hot breakfast dishes, coffee&tea selection, bread&pastries, egg station cooked by chef and create your on juice station. What more do you need for breakfast? Loved dilmah brand tea collection, making your own coffee without too much work with a simple press of button, chef cooks your own egg dish and be creative and make your one & only fruit juice! Open terrace interior, soft music... perfect combination for breakfast. read more

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We have stayed here several times on a number of trips to Sydney and if anything is a problem, or something needs fixing or help the staff is there to do so. This is simply a great hotel in a perfect location. The food is very good. The breakfast buffet is just right. Dinner is fine and very good. The evening drinks service is friendly and so appreciated. The rooftop view is of course stunning. And what more could you need than a nice friendly place with good customer service in a wonderful location? Nothing. read more

Fantastic location, good view for Vivid. Rooftop pool, breakfast was also good. Front of house very helpful!

Certainly central, It is touristy, however there is an abundance of decent to good reasonably priced eateries close by. Recommend - The orient sailors Thai The hero of Waterloo The Lort Nelson brewery Nakashima the Holiday Inn It's an old building, like the building - the aircon does work but it is noisy and can disturb rest. Basic ammenities. Not very 2014 at all! The bedsheets Are a cotton blend, this makes sleeping in the nudie uncomfortable. I did ask reception if they had pure cotton sheets, was informed they only have "one kinda sheet". The attendant did offer and follow through on providing an alternate doona option, which i hope will help. The service in this hotel is good, they do follow up and come across as sincere. However On a previous occasion they did overcharge me for breakfast which was quickly rectified. Although disconcerting since the manager was responsible for the overcharge and was not aware of advertised deals on the website. The room like the hotel is simple. The bathroom is ok.. The bed did offer soft and hard pillow options. The soaps and creams are kinda cheap, for $200+ a night I demand better soap! Given the above, I'm sticking to a 4 stars for this hotel because = Location / views / cleanliness / safety Proximity to great Sydney pubs Reliable and fair hotel I like walking to work in the CBD, from this location. Will most likely stay here again in future read more

This hotel is all about the location! It's an older hotel, but the rooms were clean and tidy, as was the hotel itself. Service is pretty good. As an IHG member I received free wifi. Go the al a carte breakfast, much cheaper than the buffet. read more

Upon arrival the staff at the Hotel were very friendly and helpful. Check-in was simple and fast. The hotel was clean in the foyer area and as for the location, you are staying in the heart of the oldest part of Sydney... What more could you want. Our room was averaged sized, but what do you expect for the location. The room could do with modernisation but it catered for our needs for a short break in Sydney. If I had one minor issue it was that I wish the coffee/tea & milk was replenished daily instead of me having to go to the front desk and ask for more. Overall, I was happy with our stay at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney, The Rocks read more

Central location, clean rooms and a breathtaking view from the terrace. The rooftop pool overlooks the harbour bridge and the Opera house and on a sunny day is the best thing ever. You can order drinks and food on the rooftop and eat while enjoying the view as well. Their buffet breakfast has a good spread and the best thing about it is the fresh juice machine you can use. Close to all the attractions, the bus stops and the circular quay ferry terminals and train station as well. The service is friendly and warm, and they are accommodating of any requests you have. read more

This Holiday Inn has an amazing view of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House - definitely worth paying a little extra for the rooftop view and great location. I had an issue where I accidentally double booked the room through two different external websites. Legally, the company did not have to refund my stay, and originally they were not going to, but after contacting corporate they were gracious enough to refund me for the full amount - which again was not legally required of them and was greatly appreciated. read more

I have now found the best place in Sydney to stay, Central to everything and right in the middle of the Rocks, love it, will be back

There are trips one makes to experience a place and there are holidays one goes on to chill out in the hotel. This place is squarely for the first objective. The location in The Rocks is just fabulous! The locale has a great relaxed vibe with all the best of Sydney so close by. Yet it is insulated from the hustle and bustle. The hotel itself is a bit dated and small things like the room thermostat can be quirky. If you want to experience a great property, this is not the place. The staff are switched on and the service is great. I love staying here for the proximity to my clients make business meetings a pleasure. Evening walks by water can throw up some fantastic views and the place is surrounded by hidden gems for dinner options like Sailors Thai or the Guylian Chocolate shop (try their Granola for breakfast). The rooftop pool offers one the best views of Sydney - don't miss it for sure! read more

The main reason we chose this hotel is the location for New Year's Eve. Upon arrival our room was not ready even though we requested an early check in. In fact our room wasn't ready at 3pm when it was "guaranteed ." They came up with every excuse in the book as to why the room wasn't ready and why they couldn't give us a different one. It's our honeymoon and everywhere we've been has congratulated us and even given us a bottle of champagne. They could care less here. At such a large hotel chain I would have expected more. The rooms are tiny and definitely dated and the bathrooms are grungy. If this wasn't already paid for in advance we would certainly change hotels. Only select staff members are accommodating and most seem to not know what they're doing. Save yourself and stay elsewhere. read more

Spent 9 nights here about a month ago while in town for the Rotary International Convention. Found it quite adequate for our purposes. Room was smallish but quiet and comfortable. The roof deck view is wonderful, and the small pool would be fine for cooling off in the summer, though impractical for lap swimmers seeking a workout. Ten minute walk to Circular Quay. The double-deck tour bus has a stop across the street (one of those multiple-stop hop-on, hop-off tours that take you to 15-20 areas of town for a day pass fare of about $30. Nice Italian and German restaurants on the walking street behind the hotel, along with a "market" that has all sorts of packaged food items and some fresh fruit and dairy, which we used for in-room snacking. There's a restaurant on premises, but only for breakfast and (strangely) all-day room service. Beware the cost of a full breakfast ($27!), but you can knock $5 off that if you reserve your spot the night before. Or, opt for the continental selections only for about $15 (fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice, coffee, pastries, etc.). All in all, for the touristy, higher-end Rocks District, the Holiday Inn Old Sydney is a solid bet. read more