Expert reviews
“Towering above Walsh Bay from its prime position alongside the Sydney Harbour Bridge, this sleek hotel is the place for a room with a bird’s-eye view. North-facing rooms overlooking the water are the best.”
Featured as Fodor’s Choice in Sydney.
“Many hotels along Sydney’s harbor feature views of their spectacular surroundings, but none quite like Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. Towering 36 stories above Sydney Harbour, the Shangri-La stands alone in the city for the highest unobstructed views, boasting the largest windows of any harbor-facing hotel.”
“A modern Asian style focused on the Oriental blossom ties things together. A nice touch, but nothing tops sitting in your room and staring at the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.”
“The Shangri-La distinguishes itself among the cluster of five-star chain hotels in Sydney’s Circular Quay, with its famous Level 36 bar and restaurant – one of the best spots in town for a drink or a meal with a view. All the rooms feature harbour views from enormous windows and have cosy window-seats.”
What guests liked
- Amazing views
- Great rooms
- Friendly staff
- Excellent Wifi
- Great location
- Comfortable beds
All you need to know
Shangri-La Hotel is situated at 176 Cumberland Street in the Central Business District of Sydney where it offers the best in hospitality amenities and facilities to tourists and travelers looking to enjoy the best of Sydney. The hotel is strategically located close to the city financial, economic and entertainment hub which will make sure guests get the unique adventure they desire.
The hotel is rated five-star for its quality services, and it also offers excellent views of iconic places such as Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
The Shangri La Hotel offers luxury and stylish room options such as Executive Grand Harbour Twin, The Rocks Suite with Club Lounge Access, Premier Grand Harbour King, Executive Grand Harbour King and Deluxe Grand Harbour King. The hotel features room options with lounge access such as the Horizon Darling Harbour King with Club Lounge Access, Horizon Opera House City with Club Lounge Access and Executive Grand Harbour Suite with Club Lounge Access.
The hotel is about a 5-minute walk away from the Sydney Opera House while the Museum of Contemporary Art is about 300 m away from the hotel.
The rooms in the hotel are fitted with standard amenities such as free Wi-Fi for high-speed internet access, a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a minibar, air conditioning and a comfy bed.
The hotel provides other services, facilities, and amenities such as concierge services, luggage storage, 24-hour front desk, airport shuttle, daily maid service and room service.
Hotel deals & lowest price guarantee
We partner with Booking.com and Agoda. Both booking websites offer the lowest price guarantee so you can be certain you will always get the best deal for this hotel. If you have seen a better price elsewhere, all you need to do is contact the booking website and they will refund you the difference immediately. You can price match right up until the day before check-in.
Location
Recent guest reviews
19 November 2025
Excellence
Everything. From the moment you turn up your greeted at your ride by the staff and they take your bags for you,they help you right through check in and deliver your bags to your room. They deal with everything and make your check in process incredibly fast and efficient. The whole stay is incredibly relaxing. The staff are incredibly helpful and helpful all the way Thank you Shangrala
Leaving
18 November 2025
Lovely last night treat.
Booked as a treat for myself and my daughter for our last night together when I visited. Staff were so helpful and upgraded us as it will be the last time I see my daughter for a year.
That I couldn't afford to stay longer.
18 November 2025
Exceptional
Amazing staff - customer service was world class The room was immaculate
A better room service menu - IE: Cheese plater and more selections of wine etc
17 November 2025
Accommodation-wise, it was the highlight of our month stay in Australia.
Location (the views from room 3213 and the bar in the 36th floor were phenomenal). The staff were impeccable (Annie in particular in the Club on the 30th). The upgrade package was good value.
We liked everything!
17 November 2025
Exceptional
..
17 November 2025
Luxury with an incredible view
incredible view, delicious food especially breakfast. Comfortable bedrooms- we had a suite and the kids were on a sofa bed in the lounge and it was very spacious with two bathrooms.
16 November 2025
Exceptional
Great location, lovely room with great harbour views. We were also given free champagne and strawberries as it was our wedding anniversary
16 November 2025
Wonderful hotel with breathtaking views
The view from the room was spectacular!!! The staff were very friendly and efficient I will recommend to anyone travelling to Sidney
Nothing I was very happy
15 November 2025
Will be back!
Staff were so friendly, buffet breakfast was tasty and loads to choose from. Room was spacious and clean. View was amazing.
15 November 2025
Exceptional
Great Location Facilities are excellent Exceptional and friendly service
15 November 2025
Fabulous
Housekeeping threw out my reusable coffee cup....I guess they thought it was paper.
14 November 2025
Great service but there are rooms for improvements.
Harbour views were great.
Food selection could be more.
14 November 2025
A stunning hotel with beautiful views of the city
A beautiful hotel we have ever stayed in and the nicest view. The 360 bar is another great feature. Close to all amenities in the CBD and to circular quay. Staff very helpful.
Nothing ! :)
12 November 2025
Statisfied
Staff were so lovely Breakfast buffet Horizon club access Room size big and nice
12 November 2025
simply the best
I am a Kiwi , this is the best hotel we have experienced worldwide weather was perfect and staff simply exceptional level 30 was well worth the extra
11 November 2025
A four star hotel, not five.
A nice hotel in a good location.
No outdoor pool. Food not great. Never enough towels left in bathroom.
10 November 2025
Would put it up against any place in the world!
It was welcoming, staff were lovely. View was the best in the world. Whole experience was amazing.
There was no full length mirror only minor but nice to have
10 November 2025
Very relax n comfy
Fantastic. Superb location and everyone was so helpful . We really had a fabulous time . Thank you
10 November 2025
Wonderful location with great views and everything you need from a top hotel
Great location, club access with breakfast was excellent. Beautiful room in a lovely hotel
Nothing - perfect stay
10 November 2025
Exceptional
The view from the lounge and skybar
10 November 2025
Very nice place to stay
Central to everything
9 November 2025
Beautiful treat in luxurious surrounds and stunning views of Sydney
Amazing views, incredibly friendly and attentive staff
Nothing not to like
9 November 2025
Fabulous
Amenities and staff. They even fulfilled my request to decorate the room for my daughter’s birthday.
9 November 2025
Next time we will make more of the amazing extras this hotel has.
Staff were very helpful
Full length mirror needed in suite
8 November 2025
Stay for one night to celebrate my granddaughters Birthday Party at the Opera House Bar
Located very close to Circular Quay however, unless you are fit enough, it is a steep downhill run. We needed to catch a cab back as it was too hard for my husband to negotiate
7 November 2025
Stayed here to celebrate my 50th and cancer gone.
Absolutely stunning elegance
All amazing couldn’t ask for better hotel staff
6 November 2025
Loved it
The whole vibe, the people, food, ambience ….
The mattress was abysmal
6 November 2025
Excellent service, amazing views.
Luxury with amazing views
N/a
5 November 2025
Exceptional
The location and staff. The view
The bar at floor 32. If you sit by the bar, there's so much noise coming from the working bar tenders. Washing dishes constant, the noise of pouring ice from.one bucket to the other, the shaking of the drinks for the whole floor. The noise of breaking glasses, that happened twice. The noise was louder than the music. Not the best place to enjoy a drink at all.
5 November 2025
Very good
The bed was extremely comfortable and the views were exceptional.
Nothing
5 November 2025
Very good
Great view, The staff were very friendly and accommodating Good size room.
No top sheet on the bed. Pillows were not good .
4 November 2025
Comfortable and grrat location
Large rooms comfortable beds Helpful and friendly staff
Nothing
4 November 2025
Central, quiet and comfortable
A nice room, quiet and dark for sleeping despite being close to the highway. Not much ambience, but it was comfortable and the hotel itself was nice.
Got an email a day or two before saying something along the lines of "you've booked a room which overlooks the highway with limited views. Why not upgrade?" That kind of annoyed me because I'd booked a Deluxe room and it felt a little rubbish to present it one way on the site, and then diminish it. Soured how I felt before I arrived.
4 November 2025
Exceptional
Great
4 November 2025
9.5/10 Highly recommend
Perfect
Bar shut too early
3 November 2025
Fabulous few days for our anniversary stay
Excellent location. Beautiful property.
If I had to change anything it would be the super soft pillows but hey, that's a personal preference.
3 November 2025
Amazing and will definitely stay again
It was amazing, the pool and spa facilities were fantastic. Used the gym and it was great. The horizon club was amazing. Had a nightly turn down service. All staff were so attentive and super friendly. It was in the perfect location for the rocks, harbour, opera house and shopping.
Kept messing up our buffet breakfast as part of our package. But wasn’t a big deal.
3 November 2025
Exceptional
The friendly helpful staff
2 November 2025
Lovely hotel, great breakfast, beautiful view
The room was lovely, bathroom well appointed and clean. Breakfast was great.
Decor starting to date slightly but is still lovely and clean
2 November 2025
Perfect stay
Everything was fantastic! Lovely staff very good service
Nothing
2 November 2025
Great stay and loved the express checkout with nice team member
Great location
Nothing
2 November 2025
Our stay was pleasent and elegant.
I loved the view from the room and how helpful the staff was. They were really friendly and willing to go above and beyond for us.
The only thing we didn't like was getting to the hotel. The big hill multiple times a day was a lot but everything about the hotel itself was wonderful!
2 November 2025
I had an amazing trip, my room, the cocktail bar and restaurant were everything I remembered.
My room was as expected, large and had a great view. The location is perfect for access to transport allover Sydney 😀
Nothing
2 November 2025
Fabulous stay for a special occasion. Staff went above and beyond, service was excellent. Their reputation stsnds for a
Luxurious and comfortable. Staff went above and beyond
Pool facilities outdated
1 November 2025
Horizon Club access well worth the additional cost
The Horizon Club package for Level 30 access was well worth the modest additional cost. It included: * Afternoon tea (2pm–4pm): tea, coffee, and freshly baked goods. * Evening drinks and canapés (6pm–8pm): a full buffet of hot and cold treats, self-serve beer and wine, and poured spirits. * Breakfast (7am–10:30am): a comprehensive buffet with tea and coffee included. We were so well-fed that we didn’t even need to go out for dinner — or pay for a takeaway coffee — during our entire stay. The only time we took our wallets out was to enjoy a couple of drinks at the Hero of Waterloo in Millers Point, during the short gap between the free afternoon tea and evening canapés! Horizon Club rooms are located on the top floors of the hotel (ours was on level 31), offering stunning views. We chose a Barangaroo view room to take advantage of the sunset. We also opted for early check-in for a small additional fee. Although we paid for a 1pm check-in, our room was ready at 10am when I dropped off my bags before a meeting. All of these thoughtful touches contributed to an amazing stay that exceeded our expectations.
One small design flaw in our Horizon Club room was the absence of a full-length mirror — something you’d typically expect in a hotel of this calibre. A simple solution would be to install one on the wall opposite the built-in wardrobe or on the back of the bathroom door. It wasn’t a major inconvenience for us, but could be frustrating for guests preparing for a wedding, special occasion, or night out. You need to be able to see your outfit from the waist-down!
1 November 2025
Shangri-la Sydney is our absolute favourite. This time we stayed in a suite and it was absolutely incredible and worth e
Amazing staff, service and the views were incredible
I’m not sure if there was anything
1 November 2025
Fantastic, great view, loved it
Loved the property so much and so did my 3 year old only downside is i had to walk through traffic with a 3 year old and that's just part of Sydney
Nothing loved the view it was amazing
1 November 2025
Outstanding friendly services with great facilities.
Friendly staff Cleaned room Best views
N/A
1 November 2025
Our stay was enjoyable, convenient and hospitable. The staff service was very good also and the views from our room were
The Horizon club facilities and level 36 bar are great but the hotel is dated and seems very similar to when I use to stay circa 20 years ago for work purposes. The views from our room were great, the staff service was good.
It’s dated and needs a makeover to compete with its neighbours. The TV also did not have any local channels and getting difficult to walk up the steep hill from George St to access the building, which by no means is the fault of the hotel.
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Special diet menus (on request)
- - Kid meals (additional charge)
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Fruits (additional charge)
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Soundproof rooms
- - Packed lunches
- - Car hire
- - Heating
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Fax/photocopying (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Currency exchange
- - Tour desk
- - Luggage storage
- - ATM/cash machine on site
- - Concierge service
- - Private check-in/check-out
- - Invoice provided
Activities
- - Sauna
- - Fitness centre
- - Spa and wellness centre (additional charge)
- - Massage (additional charge)
- - Hot tub/Jacuzzi
- - Indoor pool
- - Indoor pool (all year)
- - Beauty Services
- - Facial treatments
- - Body treatments
- - Body scrub
- - Body wrap
- - Spa facilities
- - Steam room
- - Spa lounge/relaxation area
- - Foot bath
- - Spa/wellness packages
- - Couples massage
- - Full body massage
- - Fitness
- - Fitness/spa locker rooms
Outdoors
- - Terrace
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor furniture
Entertainment and family services
- - Babysitting/child services (additional charge)
- - Strollers
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Trouser press (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Parking
- - Parking garage
Accessibility
- - Wheelchair accessible
- - Toilet with grab rails
Pool and wellness
- - Heated pool
- - Swimming pool
- - Swimming pool
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key card access
- - Security alarm
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Face masks for guests available

More photos

19 November 2025
Excellent