West Hotel, Sydney, a Curio by Hilton hotel

[moa999]

Decent enough.
Two downlights either side of TV, one of which provides light to the desk.
LEDs surround the wooden feature wall behind the bed. Reading lights are pretty average though.

Layout of hotel is interesting.
It's actually two buildings.

The front building contains the bar/restaurant and rooms on Levels 2-6 overlooking Sussex.
Then a relatively narrow gap and internal courtyard.
The rear building has rooms on Levels 1-8, some facing Darling Harbour/Freeway (views from levels 7/8, but likely quite noisy as you get lower although the glass is VERY thick and blocks a lot), and then rooms on the other side of the corridoor face the courtyard.

Moderate gym on Lev 2 overlooking the foyer with weights, multi-line, two runners and a bike

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Interesting observation on the branding. I'm wondering how that works for Hilton? If it's a Curio, then why not brand it as such?

 

[earlyriser]

Reminds me a bit of Hotel Hotel in Canberra. That desk is next to useless though if you want to work though.

Is the lighting in the room decent or not really?

Agree. Despite the small rooms at HSYD, the desks are quite good to get some work done.

 

[oz_mark]

Interesting observation on the branding. I'm wondering how that works for Hilton? If it's a Curio, then why not brand it as such?

Curio is a soft brand for the collection of hotels, with each hotel retaining its own brand.

 

[Cynicor]

Any chance of a gym photo please?

 

[moa999]

As requested the gym photos on Lev 2



And breakfast menu and food shot.
At the moment it's all a la carte and gold/diamond allowed one light and one big plate (pretty generous methinks) and no coffee tax. As Gold it's a definite step up on HSYD.
From looking at the slip as I walked in 3 Diamonds and 1 Gold in residence that night.
There does appear to be a podium for a buffet setup so not sure if this will change.



As mentioned the TV only has FTA (no Foxtel at this stage) but does appear to have a Sonifi SkyCast/StayCast unit plugged into HDMI1.

In theory this should allow you to cast Netflix/Stan etc but at the moment the device doesn't appear to have access to the HHonors network so isn't usable (luckily I had my laptop so used that instead). Hotel staff came up but weren't able to help.
Also as noted was provided with a Bluetooth code on check-in to use TV as stereo but also couldn't get this to work although didn't really try

 

[hydrabyss]

I am staying tomorrow night and am showing a King Waratah Premium room as well. I do wish I had not booked a pre-paid rate though as I would have preferred the Hilton now that the rates have dropped down to the same price. The lack of TV channels and not being able to play DVDs was something I never thought of.

 

[Cynicor]

Thanks for that moa999! I wonder if the buffet set up will be for weekends and other busy times?
Gym looks a bit like an afterthought but it has enough to keep one sweating it seems.

 

[hydrabyss]

Thanks for that moa999! I wonder if the buffet set up will be for weekends and other busy times?
Gym looks a bit like an afterthought but it has enough to keep one sweating it seems.

There's only a small amount of rooms available at the moment which likely explains the breakfast set up at the moment.

 

[moa999]

Yep. Hence why I flagged this mightn't be permanent breakfast setup.

Gym is small but remember its a relatively small hotel - under 200 rooms. The design actually brings additional natural light into the foyer area as it's got windows on both ends.

 

[hydrabyss]

With only 30 rooms available, the hotel is quiet with the expected official opening date around the 12th January. No letter on arrival of included diamond benefits which would have been helpful. After a quick inspection of the room I noticed a couple of mini-bar type snacks on the shelf above the fridge which was later confirmed as complimentary. Extra water bottles and tea bags for an evening type herbal tea handed out when they came to do the turndown service. Later that night returning to the hotel stopped at the bar for the complimentary drinks. It did take a few back and forwards with staff to confirm the drink options which in the end was any on the menu. So ended up ordering coughtails, I did take a photo but unfortunately I am unable to upload it.

Breakfast like moa999 mentioned was generous but like the evening drinks took a few questions to different staff before getting a definite answer on what you could choose. Quality was very good and being the only two at one time in the restaurant service was fast.

Overall an enjoyable stay and will definitely return but with so many stays up my sleave at the Hilton and some wonderful staff I have gotten to know there over the years I will just do the odd stay know and then.

 

[eric2011]

With only 30 rooms available, the hotel is quiet with the expected official opening date around the 12th January. No letter on arrival of included diamond benefits which would have been helpful. After a quick inspection of the room I noticed a couple of mini-bar type snacks on the shelf above the fridge which was later confirmed as complimentary. Extra water bottles and tea bags for an evening type herbal tea handed out when they came to do the turndown service. Later that night returning to the hotel stopped at the bar for the complimentary drinks. It did take a few back and forwards with staff to confirm the drink options which in the end was any on the menu. So ended up ordering coughtails, I did take a photo but unfortunately I am unable to upload it.

Breakfast like moa999 mentioned was generous but like the evening drinks took a few questions to different staff before getting a definite answer on what you could choose. Quality was very good and being the only two at one time in the restaurant service was fast.

Overall an enjoyable stay and will definitely return but with so many stays up my sleave at the Hilton and some wonderful staff I have gotten to know there over the years I will just do the odd stay know and then.

What room type did you book and what did you receive as a Diamond

 

[moa999]

Went back for another stay and got a Lev 7 King Barrangaroo Suite. (I am guessing the hotel has 2 Barrangaroo and 2 Sussex Suites). Identical layout to Princess Fiona's. Size wise they are equal to two normal rooms (though not shown as such an the evacuation plan).
It also looks like the 01/03 rooms might be slightly larger.

As noted the toiletries change to Kevin Murphy. This room also had a room service menu (laser printed with a fancy clip) and laundry list which weren't present on my last stay.

Finally they were working on the TV streaming, and got it working successfully during my stay.

Very simple.
1. Change TV to HDMI1
2. A splash screen pops up telling you to ensure your device is on the Honors wifi network, browse to streaming.tv, then punch in a code.
3. Chromecast away. Tested it with Stan, Netflix and ABC

 

[hydrabyss]

What room type did you book and what did you receive as a Diamond

Booked the base room pre-paid at $208. Received a Waratah Premium on level 8. My only disappointment was it was across from the elevator but you could not hear any noise though.

 

[eric2011]

Booked the base room pre-paid at $208. Received a Waratah Premium on level 8. My only disappointment was it was across from the elevator but you could not hear any noise though.

OK so that was a 2 level upgrade. Also $208 isn't too bad, My flexible rate in Feb for Banksia King was ~$350 IIRC

 

[hydrabyss]

OK so that was a 2 level upgrade. Also $208 isn't too bad, My flexible rate in Feb for Banksia King was ~$350 IIRC

I was very happy with the upgrade considering when I booked they only showed the bottom 2 room types being available. They are now showing a few $190 pre paid rates available through to mid January and am considering booking again.

 

[moa999]

Also got some feedback on the survey i filled out.
Foxtel channel will be added shortly.

Now to go back as a Diamond having just gotten over the edge.

 

[turtlemichael]

I have had a 2 night stay last week. I screwed up the rate however. I grabbed an AP rate when the opening date was brought forward only to find that the BAR came down $100 pn below it as the dates approached. Lesson learned! I was upgraded one level to a Banksia Deluxe which was a bit surprising given the very low occupancy and the reports of suite upgrades and the like earlier in this thread. My room on level 6 had a lovely view of the freeway but the soundproofing was excellent and I heard nothing.

A buffet of sorts is now set up but it is not very comprehensive though of good quality. There were no cereals for example. A main course is still part of the deal for Diamonds. I also had dinner in the restaurant one night. It was very well priced for a hotel restaurant and really very good.

In short, I see the place as having great potential. Staff were enthusiastic and welcoming and the boutique atmosphere appealed to me. Staff are still learning the ropes. I'll be back next month to see how it is coming on. I think it is a great alternative to the Hilton. Only problem is that HH points have failed to post so I have to chase that up.

 

[jackthomas]

Have an upcoming stay booked, but the Hilton SYD has dropped substantially so considering switching over. Would anyone who has stayed at the Curio say it is worth foregoing exec lounge etc? Considering I've not stayed at Hilton SYD in almost a year, not liking my chances of any considerable upgrades despite staying weekly in years passed.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Have an upcoming stay booked, but the Hilton SYD has dropped substantially so considering switching over. Would anyone who has stayed at the Curio say it is worth foregoing exec lounge etc? Considering I've not stayed at Hilton SYD in almost a year, not liking my chances of any considerable upgrades despite staying weekly in years passed.

I seem to recall we have a certain mod on here that has a motto "you can't eat an upgrade"!

For me, the answer to that question would depend on the purpose of the stay. By myself for business, I'd take Hilton as the room size wouldn't particularly bother me and the lounge would mean a quick bite to eat and drink without going out. With family however, I'd probably not choose the Hilton, as if I was intending to pay the additional rate for a larger room, then there are better options IMHO.