More about Rydges North Sydney
the ugly betty of hotels
by TripAdvisor Member digger2
This is a hard hotel to define. My first impressions were very negative & didn't improve upon entering the room. However after staying there for 4 days in a 2 room suite I found myself revisiting my first impressions.
The decor is quite dated & the entrance dark. The first impression is ugly.
However the beds, sheets & pillows are very very comfortable & the bathroom is quite good. Also if you can get a high room the light & views are excellent. And you can open the windows for fresh air!
The location is also fantastic with nearby parks to do your morning or evening exercises. There are also nice cafes close to the hotel which we enjoyed.
This hotel was booked by my business partner & I nearly walked out. However after my stay I will definately return!
Nice room, good service.
by TripAdvisor Member SydneyConcertGoer
I stayed in this hotel whilst seeing a concert in the city. It was much further from North Sydney station than I had realised, which was a bit annoying, but would have been fine had I been staying there for other purposes. I would not recommend staying there if you're carrying a lot of luggage and thinking of walking from the station - it's a fairly long uphill walk (get a taxi if you want to do this!).
The check-in was quick and easy, and the staff were friendly and helpful.
The room was nice and clean, and everything I had expected. It was a harbour view room, and the view was very nice. The room was just as it looks in the photo on the website.
Room-service breakfast was good, and arrived exactly on time (which I had arranged to be later than the usual breakfast times, due to having a later check-out, which was great).
My only complaint is that it was extremely hot and I couldn't seem to turn the airconditioning down (aside from turning it off, which I had done hours earlier, and it was still too hot in the room). It would have been nice to be able to open a window, but the window in my room had been sealed shut.
Check-out was as quick and easy as the check-in, and I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who is staying in Sydney without needing to be right in the middle of the city.
Unimpressive for Rydes
by TripAdvisor Member Australians_Abroad
When we arrived at our 2 bedroom apartment we found that the kitchen was in fact a microwave and a sink. The website and in-room TV both clearly stated kitchen - not a small kitchenette so this was very misleading. Was resolved after mgt rep was requested to come to our room on the 1st morning. She was very helpful and provided us with small oven/2burner hotplates. We also requested a frypan, saucepan, and dish drainer. The broken dining room chairs were replaced, as were the 2nd hand kitchen scourer. As some other reviews noted, rooms very shabby, mould in bathrooms, bath not cleaned, marks on walls and doors. Restaurant staff very good. Reception staff patchy on knowledge. Had zoo tickets and took 4 staff members on 3 different occasions before we were told that the ticket was actually valid for 6mths from date of stay. One told us it was valid for 2 days, 2 didn't know if it would be valid becasue it was dated 24th and we were entering on 25th. It was only luck that a very efficient girl overheard the last conversation. Yes, the dream beds were comfortable, and there was a lot of space for our 6yr old and baby to spreadout. But the negatives did outweigh the positives. We had selected the Grand Mecure to stay at, but changed due to the Rydges location/package offered. We wouldn't do so again.
Location was good - we could walk to the train, about 500mtrs. Yes it is a slope up on the way back, but follow the locals - they know the shortcuts. Nice Thai restaurant around the corner - also popular with the locals. There is also a large IGA supermarket at the station, along with a fairly sizable shopping centre.
Small Room but good package price.
by TripAdvisor Member AussieKaren
We booked a Taronga Zoo Package on 22/9/2007. The package was for a family of 4 (2 Ad + 2 Ch) and looked like a really good value deal including a parkview room, parking, buffet breakfast for 4 and entry to Taronga Zoo for 4.
Parking was easy once we got to the Motel although I'm not sure what happens during the weekdays given all the spaces in the car park are "reserved" for local business workers. But Reception told us as it was a weekend we could park anywhere.
The motel is a fair walk to North Sydney Station. However the train trip to the other side where the sites are is really quick and easy.
The room was very small. It had a queen bed and a sofa bed - which although was 2 seater in width when you folded it out it was only a small single bed. They also had a roll away bed in the room for our second child. When the sofa was not folded out we had a just enough room to walk around between the table and roll away bed (see photos). They did not give us linen for the sofa bed so at bedtime for the kids I had to go back to Reception and request it. 45 minutes later it arrived. Sleeping 2 adults and 2 children (aged 4 yr + 6 yr) in this room was horrendous. We had to rearrange the position of the sofa bed and roll away bed just to get both beds to fit in the room and that meant there was NO available floor space at all. I certainly would NOT recommend this size room to ANY family as there is really NO room to move. Maybe an upgrade to a 1 bedroom suite would be better - but we weren't able to do this due to a wedding in the motel that evening and rooms were heavily booked.
The room does not have lights on the ceilings but rather a lamp near the lounge, a desk lamp (which was broken and when we reported to maintenance they said could not be fixed - but they didn't replace it either, so we could not use the desk side of the room due to darkness) and 2 bedside lights - both of which had light globes blown and we had to report to reception - at least these were fixed.
The buffet breakfast in the morning contained a good selection and the fresh hot chocolate made on request was a real bonus. We got to breakfast at 9:30am and by then the pastries and muffins had all but gone and we not replaced. I’m sure they make good morning teas though given the number of people who left with them wrapped up in serviettes.
Check-out was easy however you need to be careful which lift you enter to go to the car park. Although the motel has 3 lifts, only one lift lets you down to the car park. This can be a real hassle with luggage and unfortunately you can't select which lift of the 3 is going to open when you push the lift button.
Despite all the shortcomings I still think the package was a good deal as it included family entry to the zoo (normally $93 for a family), plus overnight parking in North Sydney, plus breakfast for 4. This meant that in fact we probably paid less than $75 for the room for the night - which when you consider Sydney prices - is really an excellent deal.
Pros: Price, Location, hot chocolate for breakfast
Cons: size of room, poor maintenance staff.
OK hotel, but could be better
by TripAdvisor Member JUDITHbristol
This is an OK hotel if you want to be based in North Sydney. FIne for business with a nice enough restaurant for breakfast and nice enough, farily large rooms. I was dissapointed by the standard of cleaning in the rooms, again it was OK but no attention to detail. A soap wrapper remained on the side of the bath for 7 nights until I left. Again not a major issue and all in all reasonably OK, cost effective and good if you want to be in North Sydney.
However, Rydges brand should be better, and unless you really want to stay in North Sydney you can find much better hotels elsewhere.
Misleading package
by TripAdvisor Member dancingprincess
I booked this hotel as part of a cheap package advertised on their website. When I booked I clearly stated that each room would have 2 adults and 1 child. The total was to be $248 per room for 2 nights. The room stated it had a queen and single sofa bed in each room. The hotel itself is in a good spot and the rooms were quite nice. It was easy parking and close to some shops etc but there is no pool or any other activities at the hotel.Anyway upon checkin I was informed that there would be a $35 per night per room charge for the sofabed (which was in the room anyway).This turned a cheap package weekend away into a quite expensive one with an extra $140 to be paid. If I knew this when booking I would never have booked the package. The breakfast was nice but thats about it.i wouldnt stay here again.There are nicer hotels closer to the city which are just as cheap and there deceptive booking process has left a sour taste in my mouth.
It was OK but not rushing back
by TripAdvisor Member Karta_Mita
This place was advertised as a special and I jumped in with the promise of a hotel close to the city and all of Sydney's facilities. I must say that it was not a bad stay but I would expect more for such a hotel. I would say that it is probably a good business hotel but not really a good place for a holiday trip to Sydney.
Basically, the hotel is too far from the nearest station to give easy access to the city. The walk is about 10 minutes on the way down and a bit more in the way up. I was suprised that North Sydney shuts down so early each day and there are not many restaurants locally.
The room and its decor was fine but not too flash, there are some parts that should be improved if it was to be a better class. The Rydges had lots of selling points on the bed and that was soft and comfortable but the pillows were ordinary. The food provided for breakfast was alright but not standout.
The major issue is that I did dislike was the level of staff ability. Maybe it was the holiday season but the level of competence of the staff was variable and there was an absence of supervisors to ensure that things were being done correctly.
Awesome Beds
by TripAdvisor Member tanyatia
Stayed for one night. In a Parkview Room. Not much of a view of a park, or should I say I wouldn't call what they refer to as a parkview a view of a park.
Our room was on the 12th floor (the top). The room was a decent size, the bed the best a have ever slept on. It's no surprise to know they call them a dream bed. Bathroom however was run down, with staining from water down the walls,chipped tiles & the vanity shelf falling off the wall. We awoke to no hot water at all. Apparently the whole hotel was without any hot water as the boiler had gone. They did put a note under the door to apologise. Hotel had one lift out of the two working which meant waiting for up to 10mins on two occasions to get to the ground. They did open their service lift for hotel guests but it was still slow.
Upon checkout I asked for free parking to compensate for no shower. They did this without question. I did get a call when I returned home from the manager to discuss the issues with water which I thought was a nice. Hot shower would have been better but it was out of their control.
Breakfast was great & used the bar which was expensive. $8.00 for a glass of house wine.
Would stay again if only for the best nights sleep & a good price. Beds are awesome.
Its all about the beds!!!
by TripAdvisor Member BrisCaz
I only stayed here one night because I had business in North Sydney. I agree with one reviewers comments about the building being an "ugly betty" - it sure is. My colleague and I also has a bit of difficulty working out where the entrance was but we got there.
The rooms are pretty ordinary - I was luckier than my colleague though as I had a slightly bigger room with a bit more work space. We ordered room service and it took a long time coming and was only so so. The views were ok but honestly it is all about the beds. The main reason I am now staying at Rydges hotels anywhere is because of these "Dream Beds". I dont really care about much else (except do llike a bit of space in my room) but the bed and pillows have to be ...well like the ones at Rydges.
I would more than likely choose to stay here again next time I am in North Sydney.
