Rydges Sydney Central

The hotel deserves its fours stars. The staff is friendly and forthcoming, the rooms are spacious and very clean. It is also very commendable that the hotel offers a small mini-bar voucher if guests choose not to have their rooms serviced every day. Big kudos for that, a small incentive surely raises the amount of people taking the option, and it will greatly benefit the environment.

However there are a few issues why I think this hotel does not deserve a top rating amongst it's 4-star peers:

- The sauna is broken, and according to a fellow guest who has stayed there multiple times in the past, has been for a while. It doesn't get warmer than 50 degrees (a sauna should at least get 80 degrees).
- The gym is a bit underwhelming, as there are only few training devices. Again, one devices seemed in disrepair (the rowing machine's strength couldn't be adjusted, and it has some screws sticking out the seat).
- The hotel has a major road on one side, and windows are only single-glazed. I had a room that was close to the road and usually woke up quite early from the noise of the traffic. Form my point of view the sound insulation should be upgraded.

On a side-note, it always bothers me that high-end hotels don't seem to have toilet brushes in their bathrooms. I get that they don't want to bother the guests with cleaning. Just because it is there doesn't mean a guest has to use it, but it gives them the option. I don't want to be faced with the consequences of my recent toilet visit every time I visit the bathroom again. Especially if I can choose to forfeit my daily room servicing. And it would be a waste to get the whole room serviced just for that one stain.

1. There is no proper shower door (be prepared to mop up a floor full of water after you’re done)
2. The small rack in the shower to keep soap gets in your way and you might hit it with your elbow. Wrong placement
3. There’s coffee but no creamer available (I can’t seem to figure out why)
4. The hot water is not regulated so it’s difficult to get the right temperature when showering (you either burn or freeze yourself)
5. Parking per day is $55 which I feel is ridiculously overpriced
6. The hotel stay price per night is also too pricey
7. There is no free breakfast for guests. A lousy meal costs $25 which doesn’t make sense. The 7/11 nearby has much better quality foods and coffee.