Moxy Sydney Airport Hotel - Food Wine Travel

There’s always something exciting about seeing planes taking off and landing. It fuels the travel bug and creates a sense of anticipation about where our adventures will take us.

From my room on the 12th floor of the Moxy Sydney Airport Hotel, I can see the planes without even getting out of bed. It feels like they’re so close I can almost touch them.

And yet my room is as quiet as a mouse. “The windows are triple glazed,” says sales and marketing manager Jason, noting that while these rooms are perfect for plane spotting, upper-level rooms on the opposite side have wonderful views of the city.

The designers really have thought of everything. Even the patterns on the hall carpet are not just a bunch of lines jumbled together – they represent the runway if you care to look a little more closely. And the elevators are designed to look like air-freight containers!

*The patterns on the hall carpet represent airport runways.*

But the real attraction for Moxy guests is not just the hotel’s proximity to Sydney Airport but all the little perks that come with staying here. The sassy, keenly priced hotel opened in late 2023 and has already set itself apart by putting itself forward as the only Sydney Airport hotel with complimentary airport shuttle service.

The service can be booked online ahead of your stay, and if time is of the essence, you can even track the shuttle in real-time via a link on your mobile phone. This is a great service and while I didn’t bother tracking it, the shuttle arrived right on cue at the appointed time and made for a hassle-free arrival at Sydney Airport.

Another great perk is the complimentary shuttle to and from Mascot train station. There’s a hefty surcharge for using the Domestic or International train stops at Sydney Airport – currently $17.34 per adult and $15.50 per child on top of the regular train fare (including on top of concessions).

But as savvy travellers know, there’s no surcharge from Mascot train station, and it’s a quick trip on the train from Mascot into the city. This makes the hotel a great option for people wanting to do things in the city without paying CBD hotel prices. It’s also a great option for people embarking on a cruise at the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

Moxy Sydney Airport Hotel lobby — *The light-filled Moxy lobby. Photo supplied by the Moxy.*

Moxy Sydney Airport Hotel Artspace — *Arthouse, entered through the lobby, is perfect for meetings.*

A truly game-changing perk is the hotel’s ‘Stay, fly and get 5 days free parking’ deal. If you’ve driven there to stay, even just for a night, you can leave your car in the secure, undercover park for free for five nights. If you need to park longer, daily rates start at $15 and weekly rates from $100.

Moxy Sydney Airport is the brand’s first Moxy in Australia and this one’s a little different from others in the portfolio. The brand typically has a youthful playful vibe, as we discovered when we stayed at the Moxy near Milan airport in 2016 (how time flies!)

This one’s been purposely built from scratch to cater for airline travellers, and it’s designed to be all things to all people while still having an element of fun. Families will feel equally as comfortable here as solo travellers and business people will.

The colourful, spacious lobby has different zones in which to sit, eat, work or play. The Arthouse is perfect for meetings, there are comfy lounges where you can relax over a drink or dip into books from the hotel library, and there are other spaces with board games and puzzles, arcade games, and a table-tennis table. The hotel doesn’t have a swimming pool but it does have a well-fitted-out gym and a small outdoor patio where you can do yoga.

Board room cum games room off to one side of the lobby. — *Board room / games room off to one side of the lobby. Photo supplied by the Moxy.*

The 'stash cupboard’ from which you can replenish amenities. — *The ‘stash cupboard’ from which you can replenish amenities.*

The bar is right near the reception area, so a welcome cocktail is delivered to me even before I have my room key (mocktails are on offer too). In one corner of the lobby, there’s Little Baxter Café, open in the morning for coffee and pastries. This segues into a light-filled dining area where Moxy Kitchen turns out a great variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Unlike most restaurants that are off-limits outside mealtimes, you can pull up a chair at one of the tables here at any time of day or night, since it’s all part of the one big lobby. After ordering at the bar, you’ll be given a buzzer to collect your meal. While dishes from the kitchen are available only at specified times, there’s a grab and go space where you can pick up sandwiches, salads and snacks at any time of the day or night.

What do I love about the rooms apart from their quietness? Well, for starters, the Queen bed is ridiculously comfortable, with a pillow-top mattress and plump pillows. There’s a bed lamp on either side (it’s amazing how many hotels forget this important detail) and although the room is compact, it has a comfy chair and a small, cleverly designed table that hangs on the wall when you don’t need it. And how cute is this? On one of the bedside tables, there’s a retro-looking dial-up telephone that will tell you a bedtime story.

*Arcade games to keep (big and) little kids amused.*

*My room is as quiet as a mouse, despite overlooking Sydney Airport.*

The bathroom is well thought out too. The shower recess is designed such that the water doesn’t run out all over the floor (a bugbear in many hotels) plus you can fiddle with the taps to get the water to your desired temperature before stepping under the shower (another bugbear). Yep, first world problems but ones that rankle when you travel often.

A bench off to one side of the entry hall contains the sink and mirror, along with a hair dryer, electric jug, and a glass jug that can be filled with filtered water from a water fountain down the hall.

There’s no iron or ironing board, just a small steamer to do your clothes, but a laundry room on level four has an iron and ironing board, larger steamer, and coin-operated washing machines and dryers. There’s also a ‘stash cupboard’ here where you can pick up an extra pillow or hangers or replenish amenities. And no, guests don’t abuse it, Jason assures me. Moxy’s guests are clearly well-behaved, taking only what they need.

Sydney Moxy Airport Hotel bunks — *Quad Bunk Sleeper rooms are perfect for larger families or groups. Photo supplied by the Moxy.*

I love the way the hotel caters for families (an important point for Canberra folk, as the cost of adding a Canberra-Sydney flight onto international airfares can be a killer). For families with one child, the Queen Loft Sleeper rooms have a queen bed with single loft bed above.

For larger families or groups, Quad Bunk Sleeper rooms have four bunks and an ensuite bathroom. The loft room or the bunk room can be paired with a regular Queen room, the two closed off from the corridor with a single access point.

For Canberra folk who bus it up to Sydney prior to catching an early-morning flight the next day, the Murrays bus drops you at Departures and you simply take the escalator down to the pick-up area outside of Arrivals to catch the Moxy shuttle bus to the hotel. Easy peasy.