Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay Review: Guests, Location and Rooms

Travellers looking at Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay usually want to know three things: what guests have said, where the hotel sits, and what its rooms and facilities offer. Listings and travel publications do not always agree on those details, so this review shows which points hold across sources and which do not. Executive Traveller rated the property 3-star in its 2011 review, the earliest dated source used here.

Last checked: 2026-10-31

Neighbourhood: Rushcutters Bay, east of the Sydney CBD · Room count: 258 rooms (cited in two organic results) · Rooftop feature: Rooftop pool listed on the property directory page · In-room features: Balcony, personal safe, walk-in shower without threshold; some rooms overlook an inner courtyard

Oldest dated impression: The 2011 Executive Traveller review predates the January 2017 renovation, so its comments on decor and the shower may not describe the current rooms.

Room count: Three listings give 258 rooms. Tripreporter’s 243 rooms plus 15 suites appears to add up to the same total, though no source states that the two figures are the same.

Ratings: Agoda shows 7.9 from 373 reviews and Virtual Tourist shows 8.6 from 1482 reviews, on different platforms, so the two scores should not be combined.

Verified facts at a glance

1 Address and rates

Listed at 100 Bayswater Rd, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011 (Frommer’s)

2 Rooftop and gym

Rooftop gym and sun-trap swimming pool (Tripreporter)

3 Design and operator

Refurbishment designed by Tom Mark Henry for TFE Hotels (Archello)

4 Rooms and shared facilities

258 rooms, a restaurant, an outdoor pool, a fitness centre and 24-hour room service (Australian.com)

Fact	Value as reported
Address	100 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011 (Frommer’s, Agoda)
Neighbourhood	Rushcutters Bay, Sydney NSW
Room count	258 rooms (Australian.com, Klook, Agoda)
Alternative room count	243 rooms and 15 suites (Tripreporter)
Rooftop pool	Heated rooftop swimming pool (Frommer’s, Reservations.com)
Restaurant	Storehouse On The Park (Tripreporter); Curve named in older sources (Frommer’s, Executive Traveller)
Refurbishment designer	Tom Mark Henry, for TFE Hotels (Archello)
Renovation date	January 2017 (Reservations.com)
Kings Cross Station	About 630 m to 700 m on foot (Agoda, Klook)
Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport	About 9.2 km (Klook)

Listing specifications and reported rates

Attribute	As reported	Source	Date of source
Guest rating	7.9 from 373 reviews; cleanliness 8.2, service 7.9, value 7.8, facilities 7.6	Agoda listing	Undated
Accommodation rating	8.6 from 1482 reviews	Virtual Tourist	Undated
Star rating	3-star	Executive Traveller	30 May 2011
Deluxe Suite rate	A$234–266 per night (cheapest room A$144–172)	Executive Traveller	2011
Double room rate	A$175–A$199	Frommer’s	Undated
Suite rate	A$250–A$330	Frommer’s	Undated
Parking	A$30	Frommer’s	Undated
Internet	A$25 per day	Executive Traveller	2011

How this review was built

How we researched this

Sources reviewed: booking and review aggregator listings, a national tourism listing, editorial travel publications and guidebooks, a design publication, a wedding venue listing and an online personal guest account.

Limitations: no on-site visit, no staff interview, no independent price check, and no confirmation from the hotel’s own website of the room count or current pool status.

Vibe hotel rushcutters bay reviews

Guest impressions from 2011

Executive Traveller’s review, dated 30 May 2011, praised a comfortable bed and friendly, efficient front desk staff. The same review called the shower odd and listed Internet at A$25 per day.

The hotel’s branding promises slightly more style and pizzazz than the Vibe Rushcutters delivered, but it’s a good pick for a single night’s stay.
Executive Traveller reviewer

That reviewer found the decor fun five years earlier but described it as looking “a little unloved”. The review judged the hotel a good pick for a single night near the eastern end of town, and recommended other Sydney options for multi-night business stays. A separate 2011 personal account on NY Hockey Online claims the rooftop pool was voted among Sydney’s “Top Five” pools; that is a single claim from a non-review site and is not corroborated elsewhere.

Ratings across platforms

Agoda lists a 7.9 “Very good” guest rating from 373 reviews, with cleanliness at 8.2, service at 7.9, value for money at 7.8 and facilities at 7.6. Virtual Tourist, a separate aggregator, shows an accommodation rating of 8.6 from 1482 reviews.

Rating caveat: The two platforms count different reviews and publish different scores, so the figures describe different samples and should be read separately.

A 2024 guest account

Tripreporter’s review, dated 8 October 2024, describes a suite of two adjoining rooms, the breakfast restaurant Storehouse On The Park, and a rooftop gym and sun-trap swimming pool.

Yes, I like this Vibe.
Anna Smith, Tripreporter reviewer

This is one review of one stay, so it shows what one guest found in 2024 rather than a pattern across guests.

Bottom line: What this means: The 2011 review predates the January 2017 renovation, so its comments on decor and the shower may not describe the current rooms. The 2024 account is therefore the closer guide to the current property, although it is a single voice.

Vibe hotel rushcutters bay location

Distances from the property

The address is 100 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011. Klook puts Kings Cross Station about 700 m away, Agoda’s highlights give about 630 m, and Australian.com describes the station as about 10 minutes away on foot. Klook also lists Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport at about 9.2 km.

Reservations.com, a booking listing, describes the hotel as about five minutes’ drive from the Sydney city centre. That figure comes from a booking platform rather than a neutral review, so it carries less weight than the walking distances.

The Rushcutters Bay setting

A 2011 personal guest account on NY Hockey Online describes views over Rushcutters Bay Park and the Cruising Yacht Club Marina, and puts the hotel a short taxi ride from the CBD. The Easy Weddings venue listing and the Virtual Tourist aggregator both place the hotel near the park, but neither describes the view.

The trade-off: The distance figures come from booking platforms, while the park and marina description rests on one 2011 personal account. The distances carry more weight, and the setting description should be treated as a single-source impression.

Vibe hotel rushcutters bay facilities and rooms

Editor’s note: Tripreporter’s 243 rooms plus 15 suites adds up to 258, which matches the other listings. No source checked states that the two counts describe the same rooms, and the hotel’s own site was not used to confirm either figure.

In-room details

A 2010 She Goes blog review describes a clean, well-appointed room with a mini-bar, cable TV and a comfortable bed. That is one personal blog review, so it reflects a single guest’s impression from before the refurbishment.

Shared amenities

Australian.com lists a restaurant, an outdoor pool, a fitness centre, free Wi-Fi in public areas and 24-hour room service. Agoda’s listing describes free Wi-Fi in all rooms, along with a swimming pool, car park, 24-hour front desk and fitness centre. The two listings disagree on where free Wi-Fi applies.

Property timeline

30 May 2011: Executive Traveller reviews the property as a 3-star hotel.
February 2014 to May 2017: Easy Weddings shows five wedding reviews averaging 5 out of 5.
January 2017: Reservations.com gives this as the renovation date.
13 June 2018: Archello publishes the Tom Mark Henry refurbishment project.
27 June 2021: Vacations & Travel quotes TFE Hotels describing the Vibe brand as “the charismatic alternative to traditional hotels”.
8 October 2024: Tripreporter publishes its guest review.

The pattern: The 258-room count and the rooftop pool are the facts most sources repeat, with the room count appearing in three listings and the pool in four sources. The in-room details rest on older or single reviews, so they carry less certainty.

Pros and cons from the sources

Strengths in the sources

A heated rooftop swimming pool, listed by Frommer’s and Reservations.com.
Kings Cross Station about 630 m to 700 m away, per Agoda and Klook.
Friendly, efficient front desk staff, according to the 2011 Executive Traveller review.
Frommer’s describes the hotel as a bargain, especially when booked online, with undated prices.

A bargain, especially when you book online.
Frommer’s reviewer

Weaknesses in the sources

The 2011 Executive Traveller review called the shower odd.
The same review listed Internet at A$25 per day.
Decor was described as “a little unloved” by 2011.
The sources disagree on the room count and on where free Wi-Fi applies.

The bottom line: The strengths are listing facts that several sources agree on, while the weaknesses come from dated or single reviews. Both should be checked before booking.

Alternatives in the same set

The only comparable property named in the sources is Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling Harbour. Vacations & Travel describes it as a brand-new 2019 build on Sussex Street, at the south-western edge of the CBD, with a rooftop bar and lap pool. Rushcutters Bay is an older property on a park, which places it in a different part of the city from Darling Harbour.

Readers comparing other hotel options can also read the CitizenM Hotels review: design, locations and guest reviews and the Hotel Indigo review: answers to top questions before booking.

The catch: The Darling Harbour details come from a 2021 trade article, so its current amenities may differ from that description.

Our pick

Our pick: a short stay at the eastern end of town

For one night at the eastern end of town, the sources point towards Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay. The 2011 reviewer rated it a good pick for that purpose, and the 2024 guest account is positive about the property. For multi-night business stays, the 2011 reviewer recommended other Sydney options.

Before you book: Confirm the room count, the current status of the rooftop pool, and the Wi-Fi terms directly with the hotel, because the sources disagree or are dated.

Additional sources

vibe-hotel-rushcutters-rushcutters-bay.vivehotels.com, easyweddings.com.au, shegoes.com.au, virtualtourist.com, vibe-rushcutters-sydney.h-rez.com, tripbobo.com

Frequently asked questions

Does Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay have a rooftop pool?

Yes. Frommer’s lists a heated rooftop swimming pool, and Tripreporter’s review dated 8 October 2024 describes a sun-trap swimming pool on the roof.

How many rooms does Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay have?

Australian.com, Klook and Agoda each list 258 rooms. Tripreporter lists 243 rooms and 15 suites, which together total 258.

Where is Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay located relative to Sydney’s CBD?

The address is 100 Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011. Kings Cross Station is about 630 m to 700 m away, and a 2011 guest account describes the hotel as a short taxi ride from the CBD.

What did the 2011 review say about the shower and Internet?

Executive Traveller called the shower odd and listed Internet at A$25 per day in its review dated 30 May 2011.

What did a 2024 guest review say about Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay?

Tripreporter’s reviewer Anna Smith wrote “Yes, I like this Vibe.” The review, dated 8 October 2024, describes the breakfast restaurant Storehouse On The Park.

The bottom line: Tripreporter’s reviewer Anna Smith wrote “Yes, I like this Vibe.” The review, dated 8 October 2024, describes the breakfast restaurant Storehouse On The Park.