I was looking through the Wallpaper guide to Sydney and found a great description of The Kirketon as a great place for value and style in Sydney. While it was certainly stylish, I could immediately suspect that it was past its prime. Even so - the staff I encountered were very helpful and courteous. Very small base rooms but stylish in a minimalist way. Large wall mirror, built in stereo, bar, and rain shower were good touches but nothing luxurious. We found the location in Darlinghurst just fine and close to the train station and other neighborhood bars. That was good because both the bar and restaurant had recently closed so no luck there. Try the World Bar down the street! We stayed in 3 "Eight" hotels during our trip. The Cosmopolitan was definitely the best and the Pensione was the worst. IF you want small and cramped and NO style, try that one!

My partner & I stayed at both the Kirketon and the Diamant which are owned by Eight Hotels. The Kirketon's website talks about its award winning design, but that is from long ago. The rooms are small, old, and not well maintained. The hotel has no elevator. The day front desk person was very pleasant; however, the evening clerk was lazy and had a negative attitude. I'm sure the Kirketon was one of the first boutique hotels and was a fabulous place once upon a time. The room that we had was gray & gloomy and nothing about it could be described as hip. The Diamant costs about the same as the Kirketon and is new and well staffed. The Diamant ranks as above average. The Kirketon at best, ranks as OK.

A very basic hotel in Sydney. Location is convenient for King Cross, Oxford street and restaurants in Victoria street , but about forty minutes walking from The Opera House. Rooms small and bugs in the toilett Very, very noisy at night with its bar playing music too loud ( which I think it is not correct in a hotel). When you arrive it looks a chic-posh-glamourous hotel but after ten minutes in your bedroom you realize it is just a two stars hotel dressed to look a four stars hotel I would not be back

Wow, the idea of a "boutique hotel" seems so romantic, doesn't it? Away from the mainstream, off the corporate conveyor belt, no loyalty cards or being upsold to spa packages at every opportunity... What "boutique" seems to translate to - at least with this hotel - is "complete lack of service or comfort". In fact, I'd like to apologise to the staff of the Kirketon for being such an inconveniece! Firstly, to the gentleman that checked us in: I so do hope that showing us to our room ("no, don't worry about taking our bags - we'll lug them up two flights off stairs ourselves") meant that you didn't miss out on your ebay auction. And I'm truly sorry for being so uninformed to as Sydney geography to even *dare* to ask directions to Oxford street - how silly of me not to bring my TomTom ("At rude and aloof receptionist, turn right and walk 200 metres..."). Gosh, you'd think I'd walked into the RSL and ask where the beer was. And to cap it off, check out was less than a breeze, where said receptionist does not acknowledge us in the slightest and instead spent his - albeit *very* valuable time - talking with another staff member regarding which staff drinks he wanted to comp off his tab. After dumping the keys on the front desk, the parting salvo from front desk? "Hey, what room were you in?" But you know what? I'm not sorry for this one... that's just woeful service. If only the heart ache stopped there. Granted, the hotel was being closed for refurbishment the day after we were leaving, but really? That's how you keep up with the times? Who uses a VCR these days? Cavemen? No, apparently the Kirketon's hotel's patrons. I loved the special touches as well - the fact that the VCR was *duct taped* (no joke!) to the underside of the circa 1992 television. I must admit, that I did have a giggle at the HiFi system. Here I was looking for a jack for my iPod, when I should have gone into my attic and brushed off my cassette collection. If only I had read the reviews posted on this site prior to booking. The only thing worse than an establishment that does not acknowledge feedback is an establishment that responds to feedback and does nothing about see "management response". Oh well, back to the Hilton for me. Cheers, Chris B P.S. I did forget to mention that we did receive good service. After having our keys disabled since we were 10 minutes late for check out (!), the cleaning lady was lovely and let us in. Or is that just another symptom of the rot that matches the decor?

This hotel is a miserable experience... Firstly the staff are unprofessional, uninformed, and aloof. In one conversation that I overheard the desk staffer was arguing with a guest who had simply requested that a taxi be called...too difficult apparently. This response may have been brought on by the fact that the same guest had just complained about the hotel's wireless internet not functioning properly...Perhaps these people think that haughtiness is hip and cool and a necessary element of the designer/boutique brand experience? The restaurant...is it ever open? I could not get lunch nor breakfast. When I asked at the desk if breakfast was available - at 9am- the answer was "ah, like, I dunno, the restaurant looks shut today...but there are cafes across the street!" And the room...A single threadbare blanket was not enough to keep me warm, what about another blanket? Or two? As for the music system... eventually I discovered that it had been left on to welcome guests into the room...after I had spent the whole night being kept awake by what I thought was the television from the next room. It's sound quality was so poor, the location of speakers so inappropriate, and the volume which the staff had selected so low, that I could not distinguish it from what I thought was the next room's TV. There really is nothing much to like about this hotel...it is kept relatively clean but, it is tired and desperately in need of an overhaul...both of the building and the management. I note the management response below and wonder if it's author has a real grasp of what is going on at the Kirketon?