After recently completing a stay at the Park Hyatt Sydney, I wanted to compile a list of the top 10 things you need to know about this property. As one of the most aspirational Hyatt properties, and one many Hyatt Gold Passport members either use their points at or their free credit card nights at, it’s important to take note of the various features of this property.
1. To get to this property, take the train from the airport to Circular Quay. From there, it’s about a quarter mile-half mile walk to the hotel along the harbor. Location with this hotel is interesting – it’s located in the Rocks section of the city with magnificent views, however is fairly far from the Sydney Opera House (you need to walk around the harbor), big-name shopping, or public transportation.
2. Upgrades at this property seem to be fairly protective from the property, meaning they aren’t giving them away as freely as other properties. I wrote a post on my upgrade experience at this hotel, which is worth a read especially if you’re a Diamond.
3. Make sure you visit the pool up on the roof of the hotel, if nothing else for the magnificent views. I found a lot of people did not know about this hidden gem, so it’s worth a trip up to see what you’re missing.
4. The Diamond welcome amenity at this property was a bottle of wine. In my opinion, it was better to take the 1,000 bonus points.
5. The hotel serves breakfast in The Dining Room, although has several other areas you can eat as well. If you’re using your Diamond breakfast amenity, the breakfast automatically comes off your bill in the Dining Room, but not in the other venues. If you’re dining in the Dining Room, the staff are very good about trying to give you a seat with a view. I found that arriving around 9:30/10a on a weekday was perfect for finding a fairly empty restaurant, thus almost guaranteeing a good place to sit.
6. Stay-late restaurants are actually not as plentiful as I would have thought in the Rocks area surrounding the hotel. If you need a place to eat, and it’s late, I recommend Pancakes on the Rocks. It’s right behind the hotel.
7. If you’re booking on points, the base room type you’ll book into is a Harbour View King. From there, you can upgrade to a better room depending on your status, etc. Some Harbour view rooms do have glimpses of the Opera House, but you’ll need to turn your head.
8. The Park Hyatt is the only hotel directly on the water in the Harbour. There are other hotels with views, that are short walks away (especially from the Circular Quay area), however the Park Hyatt is really the only hotel with unobstructed views of the harbor and city.
9. Bottled water is provided free of charge. In addition, Diamonds appear to also get a fruit bowl and chocolate as well. Complimentary coffee is provided, too, and it’s very high quality and delicious.
10. The shower handle is a bit tricky to use, and I called down to the front desk for assistance (which apparently is a normal thing since it wasn’t the first time they were asked about this). Life up on the handle, then turn to the desired temperate. The key is to lift up, which isn’t as intuitive as it would seem.
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
all great observations. To add:
1) Etihad first class chauffer is better method of transport to PHS..
2) Front desk will tell you Opera house is 25 min walk, but actually 35 mins at moderate pace
3) Pony lounge (1 block west of George) is open late with much more upscale food than Pancakes On Rocks albeit higher price point
4) PHS guests are not given prioritization to eat in the PHS lounge area.. Rather than waiting, request maitre’d to send order to room and waive room service charges
Interesting point on #4. I never had an issue with that much crowding, but it’s good to know. I did end up eating at Pony as well – good food, and “reasonably” priced. Pretty good location, too.
Don’t forget the fig and olive bath salts. Or the turndown service where they fold your clothes if they’re all over the place. Truly one of the top hotels I’ve stayed at.