6 Things You Should Know About the Hyatt Regency Sydney [Review]

The Hyatt Regency Sydney is the largest hotel in Sydney, Australia, with 878 rooms. For points-and-miles enthusiasts, it’s a fantastic hotel to redeem points at, located in a terrific part of the Central Business District, and it has several worthwhile amenities.

I’m a huge fan of Sydney, and it’s one of my most visited cities. There’s a ton of hotel options, with properties for nearly every budget, brand affiliation, and location in the area. With all my trips to Sydney, the Hyatt Regency Sydney is one of my most frequented properties, and it’s one I return to quite often thanks to its treatment of elite guests and its easy points-earning opportunities.

Here are 6 things to know about the Hyatt Regency Sydney, based on my most recent August 2025 and January 2026 visits.

1. It’s the Largest Hotel in Sydney

The Hyatt Regency Sydney is the largest hotel in all of Sydney, and it shows. There’s hardly a moment when the lobby isn’t packed with guests, as many tour groups, cruise ship passengers, and other travelers use this hotel as their go-to in Sydney because it can accommodate so many.

Sailmaker is the hotel’s main restaurant, where breakfast is served every morning. Lines to get breakfast can be very long due to the number of guests staying on-site, so get there early if you don’t want to wait. I’m a person who likes to sleep in, so admittedly, I’ll usually arrive at breakfast on the later side, and at this hotel, that can be quite a mistake, as it’s almost certain you’ll find a line to get in as the end of breakfast approaches.

Don’t be surprised if you find long lines for the elevators, too. Thankfully, the hotel has 8 elevators, so the wait shouldn’t be too long.

2. The Location Is on Darling Harbour

The Hyatt Regency Sydney is located along Darling Harbour, and to get there, you simply need to exit out the back of the lobby, go down the stairs, and cross the small street. You’ll end up right along the harbor, allowing you to walk right towards Barangaroo or left towards Tumbalong Park.

It’s an absolutely fantastic location, though it’s about a 20-minute walk from Circular Quay and the main attractions in that area. Sydney is extremely walkable, so even if you’re staying at a hotel on one end or the other, it’s still very easy to walk to other parts of the city.

Since Sydney is a very boat-friendly city, you’ll find the nearest ferry dock about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, and from there you can pretty much get to any location in the Sydney area, usually with a transfer in Circular Quay.

Within about a 5-minute walk of the hotel is Sydney’s main shopping district, with a variety of high-end brands, local shops, and the city’s main shopping mall. There’s also a pedestrian-only street where you can pop into a number of shops without having to worry about cars.

About 5 minutes from the hotel is a pedestrian bridge that will take you across Darling Harbour towards the Australian National Maritime Museum and The Star, allowing you to bypass walking around the entirety of Darling Harbour.

3. The Town Hall Station Provides Easy Access to the Airport

While certainly not an airport hotel, the Hyatt Regency Sydney is located about a 5- to 10-minute walk from Town Hall station, which has trains every few minutes to both the domestic and international terminals at Sydney International Airport.

There is one downside, however. Walking from the train station to the hotel, it’s a fairly leisurely stroll downhill. When coming from the hotel to the train station, there is about a block that you might consider pretty steep to walk up, especially with luggage. I’ve never had a problem walking it, but it could be a problem if you have multiple or heavy bags. Allow at least an hour to get to the airport from leaving the hotel, including walking from the hotel to the train station, waiting for the train, riding the train, and then walking from the airport train station to the ticket counters.

Taking the train offers major savings: A one-way fare to the airport runs about $20, whereas a taxi or car service can easily cost $75.

4. The Club Lounge Has Gone Downhill

I have been to Sydney many times over the past 10 years or so, and I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency Sydney countless times. As a Hyatt Globalist, I can access the club lounge for free. Over the course of my stays, I’ve seen the changes the hotel has implemented with the club lounge experience, and it seems to have gone downhill.

The club lounge was originally a very large space on the 11th floor, away from the guest rooms and with sweeping views of all of Darling Harbour. This was truly a fabulous space, with plenty of seating options, large panoramic windows, and an expansive buffet area offering a variety of hot and cold options, including a live chef station, even in the evening.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel moved the club lounge to a much smaller space down the hall, with far fewer seats and a much smaller food-and-beverage area. With this change, food offerings in the morning and evening have decreased, and there’s been a noticeable decline in the quality, quantity, and variety of food. During my recent visit to the hotel, the lounge seemed to rotate food only every 2 to 3 days, which, for a guest staying a week, would mean they’d repeat several options.

The food in the lounge previously would suffice for dinner, whereas the offerings now are primarily light snacks, with mostly fried or simple-to-prepare dishes. The staff seems to serve the same dips, vegetables, cheeses, and salad each night, with little variation.

On my most recent trip, I developed food poisoning symptoms within 24 hours of eating in the lounge.

When visiting during Australia’s summer season (especially over the holidays), it’s not uncommon for the lounge to be completely filled with nowhere to sit, with serving staff suggesting “one-time exceptions” to bring food back to your room. The hotel would not have these issues if it had retained the original, larger club lounge. Given that the hotel is the largest in the city, the lounge doesn’t match its scale.

However, the size and food shortcomings are balanced by the helpfulness of the club lounge staff. Every time I’ve interacted with them, they’ve been genuinely caring and are very attentive, though you can tell they are constrained by the limited food and beverage options. I’ve witnessed staff apologizing to guests and offering compensation on several occasions.

5. It’s a Great Use of a Suite Upgrade

When I stay at this hotel, I try to apply a suite upgrade certificate, one of the perks of working my way through the World of Hyatt elite program. These certificates allow you to confirm a suite at the time of booking, a fantastic perk that not many other hotel chains offer.

At this hotel, the standard suite is the “Harbour View Executive Suite,” which is a 1-bedroom suite with views of Darling Harbour. Unlike many rooms at this hotel, this suite offers a balcony, perfect for relaxing on a warm summer’s day. The one downside of this suite is that, because of the way the building is designed, the wing of the hotel next door juts out into part of your view. You can really only see straight ahead and to the right, but it’s certainly still pleasant enough!

The suite is truly a 1-bedroom arrangement, with an entirely separate room that serves as a work and dining area, with a large chaise lounge and a sitting chair.

There is a door that closes this section off from the main bedroom, which features a king bed, a chair, and a walk-in closet area.

The bathroom is enormous, taking up a good portion of the room, and offers both a stand-up shower and a tub. It definitely doesn’t feel cramped, by any means!

I try to use a suite upgrade as much as possible because the suite offers a nice place to relax without messing up the bedroom, and a large bathroom where you can spread out.

6. It’s a Great Use of a Category 1-4 Certificate

The Hyatt Regency Sydney is a Category 4 hotel, where you can redeem a Category 1-4 free night certificate. I find rates at this hotel, even during peak season, are often less than $250 a night, so be sure to check the actual rate of your stay to see if it makes sense to use points or a certificate. If I’m spending cash, I’m almost certainly going to put the room on The World of Hyatt Credit Card to earn more Hyatt points from my bill.

The Category 3 Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney recently opened near Central Station, with award rates starting at 12,000 points per night, or around $150 to $200 when paying cash. Arguably, the Hyatt Regency Sydney is the best option to redeem points at in the city if you’re looking to not break the bank, as award nights start at 15,000 points, or between $200 to $250 many days when paying cash. While the Category 8 Park Hyatt Sydney charges 45,000 points per night (or easily over $800 when paying cash), you can essentially redeem 3 free nights at the Hyatt Regency Sydney for the cost of 1 free night at the Park Hyatt Sydney.

Because this hotel is so large, there are many standard rooms available. However, keep in mind that it charges more for higher-floor rooms and rooms with a view of Darling Harbour, and these are not considered standard rooms for points or certificate redemption.

Final Thoughts

The Hyatt Regency Sydney is a solid hotel redemption if you’re looking to stay in the city’s Central Business District. It offers midrange point redemption options, nice suites for upgrades, and an attentive staff that works hard to please guests. While I wish the elite treatment were a bit better, mainly with the soft product of the lounge going downhill in recent years, it’s a hotel I will still keep in mind for future visits if the price is right.