I think the general tenor of all the reviews on tripadvisor pretty much hit the mark. We booked two rooms for just one night. I had last stayed at this hotel in 2003 and it was good then and still is in terms of friendly and good service, adequate and interesting guest rooms, great public areas (you could spend hours "reading the walls") and very satisfactory breakfast and dining service, all at a good price.
Our friends from Brisbane arrived very early due to unexpected transport changes, and were delighted with the efforts made to cater to their needs until a room was ready late morning.
We were upgraded from a Victoria room to a family suite on the first floor. The room was on the upstairs south western corner of the hotel (18) and although very satisfactory was a bit noisier than we are used to, due to proximity to a busy intersection. Next time we will ask for something a bit more remote from the traffic. Our friends were downstairs towards the rear of the hotel and slept in total silence.
The parking (or lack of) was something that caused concern. Immediately after making the reservation, I did receive a call from the hotel telling me all of their limited spots were booked but I was on "a waiting list". On the morning prior to our arrival I enquired and was told I was "number 1 on the waiting list". On arrival there was no parking and initially I had trouble finding a "2 Hour" spot within cooee of the hotel. At checkin one of the most helpfull staff advised she was going off duty in a couple of hours, was parked in an unrestricted spot (very rare in this area) and offered to hold it for me when she left. This meant some inconvenience waiting for her spot to become available, but we filled in the time over lunch in the restaurant.
I couldn't fault the caring and helpfull attitudes of the staff but just be warned that it may be an issue if you intend staying at this hotel with a car. I did find it strange and somewhat surprising to observe from our room, which overlooked the carpark, that 4 or more spots remained vacant all that night. Obviously the "wait list" system has some deficiencies.
However, I'll be back, access to the SCG is excellent. I'll just make sure I book really well in advance and ensure I have guaranteed parking before I confirm.

we booked into the Hughenden, as it was close to a wedding that we were lucky enough to attend. we were impressed by the location (very close to Oxford Street & Centennial Park) & the ease of being able to park on the property.
hearing piano music as we checked in, and wandering through the rambling corridors to find our room which was right at the back - we loved the authentic atmosphere.
we were once again pleasantly surprised by our room, which was compact but had everything we needed including a small indoor / outdoor area where we could sit outside and read / watch the world go by, over the car park: yes - but we still had a good view of the street.
great that they accept pets including kangaroos it seems, I'd love to return and bring my canine companion one day.
we liked that this hotel has a character of it's own, and isn't a generic hotel.
breakfast was tasty and sufficient, all the staff were pleasant and cheerful.
staying at the Hughenden was part of a wonderful Sydney experience for us.

We have been regulars at the Hughenden for well over 10 years and until the past year or so have absolutely loved the place: great atmosphere; friendly, long-term staff; resident pianist/greeter/"Jeeves"; cooked-to-order breakfasts; on-site complementary parking. So what if the rooms were small and a little tired. Like your favourite old aunt, you could forgive her shortcomings.
But that was then!
With the introduction of a number of short-lived managers, the place has been "improved".
Now we have: business-like staff; basic self-serve breakfast with scrambled eggs sitting in a bain marie (weekends only, no such 'treat' if you're there on weekdays); no napkins available at breakfast time, "sorry,we ran out"; the offer to BUY 2nd hand books that have been left behind by previous guests; $20/night parking. And to add insult to injury, the prices have gone up more than 25%!
We will keep visiting the Hughenden because we still love our time there, it's just that it has lost it's way and forgotten what made it a GREAT place in the past.

We stayed over the week-end and found the hotel a bit ragged, but clean. Room was nothing special, but everything worked fine. The quirkiness of the hotel is appealing, with old posters, library, lots of daily newspapers, lounge and very helpful staff. Breakfast was very healthy and kept us going all day. We had a meal one evening - small menu, but great food and well priced too. Ordered a plate of hot chips, which was enormous. All other tables then followed our lead. 100m from Centennial Park, heaps of buses at the corner to the City / Bondi & lots of local shops in Paddington / Woollahra. All-in-all a decent place to stay,