Holiday Inn Sydney – Waterfront
The Holiday Inn Sydney Waterfront is one of the few hotels located on Sydney Harbor’s waterfront and near the cruise ship terminal. In fact, during my stay, there were more than one cruise ship arriving each day. The hotel’s location is excellent. There are several shops and restaurants within walking distance. A boardwalk runs behind the hotel along the waterfront and leads to the cruise terminal, passing by the marina, where there are a few snack bars serving local specialties to go. Sydney is an ideal base for visiting the surrounding tourist attractions of what was once New France, such as the Fortress of Louisbourg and the scenic Cabot Trail around Isle Royale.
The Property
This seven-story property is situated directly on the waterfront, and almost all the rooms therefore have some kind of ocean view. A medium-sized lobby, furnished with a few armchairs and sofas, welcomes you at the entrance. A small lounge adjacent to the lobby provides a furnished space with sofas and televisions, ideal for gatherings outside of guest rooms. The hotel was undergoing renovations during my visit, as indicated by several signs, and evidently, judging by the state of the bathroom and the room’s furniture, my room had not yet been renovated.
Two restaurants are available on-site. Breakfast is not included in the room rate but is offered at one of the two restaurants. It is possible to book a room with breakfast included for an additional fee, which is what I did during this stay. This package provides access to the entire menu, plus a beverage. A small counter is located near the reception desk offering a limited selection of drinks, snacks, and sandwiches. There is no complimentary coffee anywhere in the hotel lobby.
Several meeting rooms are available on-site.
The Room
For this stay, I booked a large room with a “waterfront” view. The spacious room is furnished with a very large king-size bed. This bed is not very comfortable; it’s soft and should be replaced. Two large windows, on two corner walls, offer views of Sydney Harbour, one of which overlooks the cruise terminal. A bedside table is placed on each side of the bed, with an accessible power outlet on each. The room also contains a reading chair with an footrest, a desk with a rolling chair. A power outlet is accessible at the base of a lamp, on the desk, but it doesn’t work. A power bar has been placed under the desk. A second armchair completes the furnishings. The floor is carpeted and in good condition. Most of the furniture and walls are damaged or show signs of wear.
A medium-sized television is mounted on the wall, with USB and HDMI ports accessible from the back. Direct connection to streaming services is not available. A storage unit with drawers houses a built-in mini fridge, a microwave, and a Keurig pod coffee maker. A small bottle of water is provided free of charge.
An open wardrobe contains an ironing board and iron. A luggage rack is also available.
One of the bedroom windows is round, like a porthole. This is a distinctive visual feature, but it is uncovered, allowing natural light into the room from sunrise. This problem is known to the staff, since, after discussing the situation with them, a disc-shaped piece of cardboard, which was available at the reception, was provided to cover the opening.
The air conditioning system operates with a wall-mounted temperature control, but it is very noisy. I had to turn it off during the night to be able to sleep in silence.
The bathroom
The bathroom is small. There is little counter space around the sink. The shower is inside a bathtub. By my standards, the water pressure in this shower is too low. There is no ventilation to remove the humidity. The condition of this bathroom betrays lack of maintenance, particularly the walls, which are damaged by damp, probably due to the lack of adequate ventilation. In addition, dirt on the baseboard heater and hair in the corners indicate that there is a problem with housekeeping.
Several travel-size toiletries are available.
Services
The Wi-Fi is free and excellent. I was able to stream video content without any problems. Only outdoor parking is offered, and it costs $7 per day, which is reasonable, but still surprising for an establishment in a municipality of this size, especially since the signs clearly indicate everywhere that there is no surveillance. The parking lot is on two levels: one level, with very few spaces, near the entrance, and the second level below, without direct access to the hotel. From this second level, it is necessary to climb a steep slope on foot to reach the hotel entrance.
The hotel has a large indoor pool with waterslides and a hot tub. A small gym is also available with large windows overlooking the bay, offering a superb view. This gym is rather sparse in terms of the number and variety of equipment, which is surprising for this type of establishment.
The reception staff is very friendly and helpful. During my stay, the rooms were cleaned daily.
Design
The design of this establishment or its rooms is not particularly noteworthy. I particularly appreciated the brightness of the room, enhanced by the large windows and pale-colored walls. As mentioned, the hotel was undergoing renovations during my stay. I observed several areas for improvement in the maintenance of the furnishing, the room, and the bathroom in general. It will be interesting to see the results of these changes and whether they have addressed the various issues noted in this review.
My two cents
The location of this establishment is remarkable and makes a leisure stay in Sydney extremely pleasant. I recommend the “waterfront view” room that I booked during this stay, simply for the view. Although I am curious to see if the view is significantly different from a standard room. The various inconveniences I experienced, which are described in this review, leave me undecided about whether I would book another hotel in this area, or whether I trust the ongoing renovations to improve the experience.
The devil is in the details :
- Noisy heating/air conditioning system
- Uncomfortable, too soft mattress
- Bathroom cleanliness
Pros
- Location and bay view
- On-site restaurants
Cons
- Round window without a curtain
- Paid parking
- Worn and damaged furniture
- Low water pressure in the shower
This review is based on a single visit in September 2025, in a single room at this property. It is understood that the experience may differ in another room at the same property. It is also understood that the property may have changed since that visit and may provide the visitor with a different experience than the one described in this review.