I was very impressed with the Establishment, especially with the quality of the room. The decor and ambience was simply stunning and it has to be one of my most memorable hotel stays.
Some people will find the party downstairs in the bar a major drawing factor, but as for me, I am happy that the noise did not creep upstairs. The cookies at night and the free broadband are goodies as well.
The minor annoyance that I have:
* lobby is difficult to find, both by taxi & feet. Walking back at night, you have to walk thru a dark alleyway or walk through the extremely crowded bar.
No view-it didn't bother me but some people don't enjoy looking out the window into the back of another building.
Old fashioned CRT TV - come on, this is a funky place! What happened to the plasma TV?

Having been to Sydney more than a few times, and frequenting Establishment bar and Hemmesphere, we decided to stay at the hotel for once, and we were very surprised! The room had sort of a Japanese/boutique/warehouse feel to it. You enter the room, and the bedroom was very long, with lots of storage space and big desk. Slide open the doors at the end of the room and you enter the bathroom, with a walk-in shower and separate bathtub in the centre. Toiletries were from Bulgari - we loved the soap.

Although hard to find the main front door (we arrived through the bar) the location is great - a brief 10 minute walk gets you to Circular Quay for all the ferries. A further 5 minutes from there you're at the Opera House. in the other direction, 10 minutes gets you to the famous Queen Victoria arcade (and my favourite The Strand Arcade - for designers such as Bettina Liano, Alannah Hill, Lisa Ho, Zimmerman, Farage, etc). And because you're on George Street, there are plenty of buses to various places like Bondi and Oxford Street.

The Japanese sushi restaurant at Hemmesphere is a must! But be sure to book! Unfortunately we didn't get to try Est. but we have heard many people give great reviews. Hemmesphere is my favourite place to lounge and relax. They even sell their own compilation CD (up to series 5 now). A block away from the Queen Vic building is Bacasse. Do try their lovely modern tasting menu!

We stayed here for five nights as part of our honeymoon in Sydney. The rooms were fantastic, very spacious, lovely interior design and great bathroom. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The small touches such as fresh cookies each evening and champagne on arrival made our stay even more special.

The location of the hotel is ideal for exploring Sydney about 5mins from Circular Quay, and within walking distance of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Botanic Gardens, The Rocks & Darling Harbour.

There was however one major downside to our stay - the pretentious staff in Hemisphere (the bar upstairs). They were very rude and the level of service was non existent. This put us off from trying any of the other bars / restaurants owned by 'Establishment'. This however is no reflection on the hotel which we would happily return to.

I loved my stay at The Establishment; it is incredibly convenient if you're doing some touristy things, but it's the vibe of the exclusive low-key lobby, the "down an alley" entrance and pub, and the ultra-hip restaurants and bars that make this place unique. This is not a view hotel; but the rooms and baths are incredible. There are two color schemes to choose - dark and light. I went with light and it was the right choice for a summer vacation feel. And nothing can beat these bathrooms!