Perfect Location.... only 5-10 mins from Opera House and the Bridge - only 15 mins walk from Darling Harbour! Got given free upgrade - very friendly staff - would definitely stay there again!

1) Great Location: This is a great place to stay if you want to be right where all the action and transportation is! About 2 blocks from the train station, you can hop on and ride to many locations around town(and to and from the airport! Much cheaper than a taxi). Or just walk to Circular Quay and hop on a trolley to go to the zoo and other attractions across the Harbour. So convenient and we didn't have to rent a car.
2) Friendly & Professional Employees: First of all, they let us check into our room at 10:30 AM. Plus we got upgraded for free to a King size room with a great view. They are always willing to help with any questions or info you need- I wanted to use the internet for 15 minutes only and they didn't have cards for that short of time, so instead of making me pay extra for time I didn't need, he gave me a code for complimentary internet time. The concierge is right in the lobby and can book you to practically any tour in Sydney!
3) Decent room: Not exactly a US standard 5 star but.. Room was decent sized with big windows, no balcony. Bed was comfy and the bathroom had a great glass shower with plenty of hot water. There was also a deep old-fashioned tub that we didn't use. TV is old and in a strange location- behind doors next to the bed- but who needs TV when you're in SYDNEY! Also had mini-fridge and coffee/tea.
4)Pool- didn't use so can't comment on that

* One other tip- I would recommend avoiding GrayLine Tours. First they charged me 3 times for the tour because their website sucks- it took 3 emails and a phone call to get it taken care of. Plus they are very impersonal and the tour guides don't give much information- they're more like drivers. It was a vast contrast to our next tour with Activity Tours to the Blue Mtns. The tour guide was super friendly, gave us a TON of information (and jokes) we even learned some Aussie phrases. Check them out at activitytours.com.au

The facilities, if they were OPEN, would have been good I'm sure! The Reception desk and welcome was basic, pleasant but definitely basic. Front door staff/valet parking staff were fine although Valet parking cost of $45 a rip-off. There are 2 bars in the hotel, the ground floor bar is only open Wed-Fri (ridiculous). There was a wedding reception in the hotel the night we stayed, which didn't allow anyone else but the wedding guests to patron the only other bar in the hotel (this is perhaps not the Hotel's fault, but alas perhaps if the ground floor bar was opened!!). Rooms very basic, but clean and tidy at least. We didn't enter the pool/spa area as it not only looked dirty and unclean, There seemed to be no air circulation or seating suitable for a short visit upon opening the Pool door for a very, very quick peek. Not good. Generally very poor facilities for a supposed 5 star hotel.

My wife and I stayed here for 2 nights in December 2007 while hosting some overseas clients. In the past we typically take such clients to the Intercontinental or Marriot, both near Circular Quay, and on this occasion decided to try the Amora, being a 5 star rated hotel in a similar vicinity.

Arriving at the hotel in our car, the Valet service was prompt, friendly and efficient. Check in was also quick, as we had to check in both for our room and for a conference room (Jamieson Club Boardroom) that we had booked for the afternoon, which was on the 31st floor.

Room: The room was very comfortable, the bathroom including both a bath and a shower. The room was very clean, no signs of dust. As mentioned in previous reviews, the television was in a very strange location (in a cupboard at 90 degrees to the bed), and was and old CRT style unit.

Conference Room: The conference room for 8 people (AU$550 for 6 hours) was a letdown. On the 31st floor, it had views of the adjacent buildings and a few glimpses of the water. The decor was dated, as was the furniture, which was looking tired. During the afternoon a number of flies were buzzing around the room, and I called reception to get them to send up some fly spray. I was advised that an engineer would be sent up immediately. 3 hours later when we left the boardroom for the day, nothing had been sent up. I complained to the reception staff who apoligised, I know this is not their fault however it represented a poor system for dealing with small issues at the hotel.

Location: The location is good, but not 'prime' like many of the other hotels in the area. Several of the taxi drivers we used during the stay did not know where it was located, and we had to give directions. The walk to Circular Quay is short, but the hotel does not stand out as a 'landmark' like several of the others in the area.

Dining: We dined out both nights, at Doyles at Circular Quay on Sat night and at Sydney Tower on Sunday night. We ordered lunch through room service to the board room during our meeting and it was prompt and delicious.

Concierge: The booking at Doyles and a booking for a harbour cruise were handled efficiently through the concierge. On the last day I left my luggage with the concierge and it was also managed efficiently.

Price: We paid AU$230 for the Saturday night and AU$205 for the Sunday night, so both nights represented a saving of between AU$60 and AU$100 compared to several nearby 5 star hotels. Valet parking at AU$45 per night was steep compared to others we have stayed at.

Lobby / Lifts etc: The lobby was beautifully presented. To use the lifts, each person has to use their key to activate their floor. When the lifts are busy this is an unwanted imposition, as there is only one card reader in each lift, and they did not operate repeatably (with 10 people in the lift all trying 2-3 times to swipe their cards, this is a long process). We stayed in room 911, and when the lifts were busy often I had passed this floor before being able to access the reader and get it to work, which was an inconvenience. I have stayed in other hotels with similar systems but there have always been multiple readers and they have worked flawlessly.

Overall impression: The hotel tries hard to be 5 star but seemed a bit rough around the edges compared to the Intercontinental and the Marriot, but then again comes at a lower price. For important overseas clients, I would book them in at these other hotels in future before the Amora. I felt it was good value, and if it was just my wife and I travelling, I would stay here again.