I had an extremely disappointing experience at Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport, and unfortunately, it did not meet even basic expectations—let alone those of a 5-star hotel.
To start with, parking was clearly included in my booking. When I arrived, I confirmed this with the front desk staff, and they assured me that parking was covered. They provided me with a validated ticket to enter and exit the parking facility. However, after my stay, I was unexpectedly charged for parking without any prior notice or explanation. Worse still, no receipt or documentation of this charge was provided. This felt dishonest and completely unprofessional.
In addition to this, the room itself lacked basic amenities expected from a hotel of this standard. There was no functioning entertainment system. The television in my room was not connected, and when I contacted reception, I was told they were “updating the system.” A staff member was sent to my room but had no idea what was going on—he seemed completely untrained and uninformed. It was clear there was a lack of communication within the team.
Overall, this experience was well below standard and incredibly frustrating. From poor communication and unexpected charges to basic amenities not being available, this hotel fell short on multiple levels. I would not recommend it based on my experience.