Rydges Sydney Central

“Fantastic Customer Service and Great Location”

This was actually our second visit to the hotel, with the first being in 2013 when it was owned by Sebel. This time we stayed for two nights and the customer service was fantastic from start to finish. Upon check in we had an issue with the changeover of the PGR rewards program to the EVT reward… more

This was actually our second visit to the hotel, with the first being in 2013 when it was owned by Sebel. This time we stayed for two nights and the customer service was fantastic from start to finish. Upon check in we had an issue with the changeover of the PGR rewards program to the EVT rewards program which resulted in a free breakfast missing from our account. The receptionist explained that unfortunately she couldn't do anything to fix it as the program was separate from them, but she provided me with an email address to follow the issue up. We were keen to just enjoy our stay without doing any admin so we ended up just paying for the breakfast and decided to sort it out later. As a kind gesture, the receptionist asked would we like to be upgraded to a room with a king bed which was an appreciated gesture. When I had booked 11 months ago I was unsure who was coming with me so I booked a room with two singles. Upon seeing we were a couple, she offered the upgrade. Food wise, we visited the Sydney Brewery twice and the food and atmosphere was fantastic. For breakfast both mornings we utilised the buffet breakfast at the Manna Loft and everything was perfect both times. Friendly and efficient staff, always making sure things were clean and well stocked. Unfortunately room service on one of the nights was not as good and this came from the Manna Loft not Sydney Brewery. I ordered a Chicken Parmy but could only eat half a dozen bites of it before giving up as it was absolutely drenched in white wine. So be mindful of this if you plan to order the Chicken Parmy. The housekeeping staff were fantastic and greeted you in the hallway even if they were nowhere near your room. After the first night our towels and bathmat were drenched (more on that later) so instead of "going green" we put the sign on the door for our room to be made up before we headed out in the morning. When we got back at lunchtime and unfortunately the room hadn't been made up. I tried to call reception but the phone wasn't working so I simply went down to reception and explained the situation and asked could we please just have 2 clean towels and a bathmat. Within 5 mins of being back in the room a lovely man dropped them off for us which was great service. Not long after there was a knock at the door and it was housekeeping again asking had our room been made up (we had taken the sign off the door by then). I explained what had happened and said that we were all good now thanks. She asked did we want any tea or coffee and I said yes that would be great as there wasn't any in our room at all, just a kettle. I figured that the cups were behind the kettle in the cupboard, but in the end, there were none there. A small inconvenience made up for the great customer service all round, but maybe check this out when you arrive to make sure it is all there. On the towel issue, there seemed to be a design flaw in our room (see photos) with the shower screen. Each time we used the shower the toilet got saturated and the tiles in front of it. The bathmat just became one big soppy mess. The incredibly thin toilet paper on the flimsy holder fell off right into the puddle unfortunately. Thankfully there was a spare roll. I've notified the hotel of this and hopefully this design flaw will be rectified in the future. Pillow wise, the Rydges pillows always seem to be very soft so I bought my own this time for a better sleep. Upon checkout the receptionist noticed that we didn't have housekeeping and said that she would apply the "Go Green" discount off our room service bill for the night prior. I explained that we did come down for clean towels but she was still happy to apply the discount anyway. The location is a short walk to Central Station using the Eddy Avenue or Chalmers Street entries. We felt quite comfortable at midnight returning from a concert via Chalmers Street. Eddy Avenue is a bit more darker at night. There is a 7-Eleven store on the corner of the hotel which provided an amazing choice of convenience foods. A block up near Central Station there is a Woolworths Metro on the corner and a pharmacy opposite. All up our stay was fantastic with the customer service being a stand out feature. Would definitely return.

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