On our first ever trip to Australia,our destination hotel was the
Four Points by Sheraton.Our flight from the uk was overnight and we were on the ground in Sydney airport around 5 am.We took a taxi to the hotel<approx 50 aus,dollars>and arrived at the hotel arond 6 am,we went to reception and they checked us in,and we were in our room and in bed for 6.30 am,well done four points,great service !
Our room overlooked darling harbour,the room was o k nothing special,and had a large king sized,very comfortable bed,t v, tea and coffee making facilities,iron and ironing board,and a complimentary safety deposit box which worked by swiping your credit card,however no charge was taken. The room had the usual overpriced mini bar and additional plug sockets for the business traveller.The bathroom had a bath with overhead shower,the bath was slightly cracked and really needed a good scrub clean,however the water was the hottest water we have ever had in any hotel we have ever stayed in.
We never ate in the hotel,nor used room service,we did go down and enquire about dinner one evening,however at 60 dollars per head for a buffett dinner,we declined and went out to eat around darling harbour.
We only stayed in the hotel for four nights, and to be fair we never had an issue,the hotel for us was just in the most perfect position for darling harbour,and if thats the focal point for your stay,then I would reccommend it.We would use this hotel again if we were ever in Sydney.
As always if I can be of any help to anyone,please feel free to e mail me at the usual address. alfiebear1950@hotmail.com.
Happy holidaying.

Alistair Allan

The number of hotels and serviced apartments dotted around Darling Harbour servicing the Syndey Convention centre makes choosing hotels a difficult one. Proximity for conferences is important, but so is comfort after a day of meetings.

The Four Points is on the fringe of the City, bordering Cockle Bay side of Darling Harbour - the monorail is 3 mins walk and walking to the Convention centre is a good 10 minutes away. Restaurants at Cockle Bay are nice looking but usually average in quality,

We were upgraded to a Harbourside "suite" - an enlarged standard room with the addition of a sofa and balcony overlooking the water after booking at $315/night. The room was comfortable, looked new enough, bedding comfortable and bathroom midrange. Whilst our room was quiet on the 8th floor, a friend was in the same style on the 3rd floor which was way too close to the expressway directly under his balcony.

They were renovating their Corn Exchange restaurant, so brekkie was in the ballroom - a comprehensive, but uniformly uninspired array of standard buffet fare for the money. Really nothing special.

Nice gym set up, but no pool, sauna or spa.

Overall, a comfortable stay - to be expected for 4 star, but no bargains here. You get what you pay for.

My wife and i stayed one night recently for our joint birthday celebrations and loved the hotel and staff. We had a king room with great views of darling harbour and had breakfast included at the hotel restaurant also. Upon arrival the staff were all very friendly and helpful from the parking and baggage staff to reception and the restaurant. The breakfast was fresh, tasty and varied and the room perfect for a quick stay. What a position right on darling harbour and close to chinatown and the pitt street shopping area. Perfect couple of days in sydney and good value for money. we'll be back for sure.

Every time I book at Four Points, I assume it will be better than it ends up being. I know that Starwood has been trying to upgrade this brand to bring it more in line with its other brands, but it still falls short. This hotel in particular, while a great location in Sydney (especially for tourists visiting the Darling Harbour area) just isn't up to par given the price tag. I had a Harbour View room on the SPG floor (the view was good), but the room was incredibly damp, even allowing for the fact that we were three blocks from the water. The cielings were quite low, making the bathroom dark since it only had one light. It was rather ironic, in that I read the Starwood brochure provided in the room, and it said one thing that Four Points had was a good shower - and this shower was not very good. Even the furniture in the room needed updating. The prices for all services - room service, in-room telephone, and Internet, to name a few - were all more expensive than the Westin Melbourne where I had stayed previously.

After I arrived and got settled in, I checked out rates for the 5-star Sheraton on the Park across town. For the subsequent nights I had in Sydney, the Sheraton was the same price - so I checked out early the next day (the front desk was very accomodating, so a thank you to them) and transferred.

It's not that the hotel overall was bad - probably 3 stars overall, and definitely suitable for tourist groups - but given the higher perception that the hotel gives on its web site and the newer, more upscale look Sheraton is trying to put on this brand, I can't give it more than the 2 stars.