Sir Stamford at Circular Quay, Sydney

This hotel is situated in a prime position just minutes from the Opera House, Circular Quay and The Rocks area. It is housed in a beautiful National Trust Heritage building with nine or ten floors. The foyer and lobby area are gorgeous with lovely 18th century Georgian antique furniture. The hotel has a distinctive ambience and oozes with charm and character. The art work within the hotel is also very impressive. Our room 905 which was booked through wotif.com.au at a cheap rate was absolutely wonderful. It was very spacious with a king size bed, small table and chairs, lamps, mini bar, coffee and tea facilities, trouser press, with a comfortable lounge chair and ottoman. The best thing was our huge balcony which had stunning views of the Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour and the Botanical Gardens. I was very ecstatic, as I had booked this hotel for a surprise for my husband�s birthday. Most of our time except for dinner was spent just sitting on the outdoor table and chairs taking in the spectacular view, and at night it truly was magical. We noticed the room next door to ours (911) had a bigger balcony and they would actually get the same view but with the Opera House added in as a bonus. (Fabulous room for New Years Eve.) The bathroom was marble and had two separate vanity units and excellent makeup mirror. Fluffy white bathrobes and slippers were also supplied. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and a good size deck area with sauna and gym supplied. We had dinner in the restaurant which had a lovely atmosphere, but we were hugely disappointed with the service. We waited 40 minutes for our bottle of wine, and another hour for our entr�e; the main took approx the same amount of time. I was furious and complained bitterly, as to me they had ruined my husband�s birthday. They did say they had a conference downstairs, and there was a problem with the kitchen. Regardless, I thought this to be unacceptable, they later apologized and offered to refund part of our meal. Overall, apart for the misfortune of our dinner fiasco, I thought this hotel to be wonderful. If I was visiting Sydney, this hotel would suit me perfectly. I have given this hotel a 5 star rating for its position, ambience, atmosphere and our fantastic spacious balcony with stunning views. Oops, I almost forgot to mention the lovely touch of �romance and seduction� CD playing when you opened your door.

This chain is laughable. It is pretentious and tacky. We also stayed at the airport. The hotel was not clean enough for the level. It was like a 2 star once you got in the rooms. The lobby etc. was what earned the rankings. The rooms didn't even have enough towels for the beds. This is a 2 star room in a 4 star hotel, at best. The owner of the chain has adds for himself everywhere. The restaurants are passable unless you order asian. They don't train their staff and they don't seem to care about guests. Avoid this hotel! For the location and the money there are lots of other options.