The Sydney hotel combining the old and the new

QT Sydney
49 Market St, Sydney, Australia

A classy new hotel has opened in the middle of Sydney on the site of the old Gowing menswear building originally built between 1912 and 1929.

The interwar commercial Palazzo style building has had its original gothic features thoughtfully restored to its former glory and linked to the adjacent State Theatre.

It’s a remarkable eclectic mix of cinema baroque with elements of Gothic, Italian and art deco design. The building has a rich history of glamour, with the theatre opening to a great fanfare in 1929 and its progressive multi-level shopping precinct opening the following year.

A team of art consultants, designers and architects worked to bring the history and rich fabric of both buildings together through a clever use of original artwork and graphics. They have made sure that QT is not bland or glam, just completely original.

The bold design of the hotel’s public spaces are set off by the historical features and sharp modern features. A striking LED wall of digital art is a feature of the public areas within the hotel, adding a dramatic and intriguing display to these already dramatic surroundings.

There is a lot of art in the place, partly helped by the fact that the interiors of the State Theatre feature rare original artworks and fixtures by William Dobell and Charles Wheeler, two of Australia’s most significant artists. In addition there are a number of works by contemporary artists including New Zealander Daniel Crooks, who exhibits a single-channel high definition digital video in the hotel’s reception and lounge. It’s an exploration of time as a spatial dimension using photographs that progress through time and videos of frozen moments that move.

There are display cases of eclectic and quirky artefacts and objects scattered around the public areas many of which may have come from the old buildings such as old pinball machines. There are also odd piles of ancient suitcases giving a slightly surreal feel to some areas. One of the lounges has the televisions playing news from the 1940s - 1970s. Bespoke furniture, graphics and a strong use of colour are evident throughout the hotel with a neo-deco design which uses lot of black and white, Yves Klien blue, magenta and citron throughout. Details using metals are also a dramatic feature.

The music streaming through the public spaces and lifts has a playlist that features classics mixed with more contemporary singers although it was slightly disconcerting to be regularly met in the lift by Elvis lamenting about being lonesome tonight or he Beatles sighing about all the lonely people. A deep palette of reds, oranges, yellows and whites feature through the 12 unique room styles in the 200 guest-room hotel. Retaining the original timber floors, the rooms in the Gowings Building are bright and airy with eccentric touches and embellishments.

The adjacent State Theatre rooms boast exclusively designed carpets and rugs, producing a lush and embracing feel brought together with bowler hat lamps and light fittings. The design team has played to the obvious eccentricities of the historical buildings, helping to create an edgier environment with an emphasis on design and fashion Every element of the rooms has been designed specifically for the space; from the design of wardrobes, bedheads and carpets, to the minibars, glass cabinets and materials, each room is individually tailored with an overall feel of a slightly extravagant radical deco. The dark stone bathrooms are accented by signature baths and large separate showers with pin spot lighting ensuring a moody vibe. Focusing on luxury, the many unique variations all celebrate the unusual.

There is no grand foyer: guests are taken from the street level café up to nicely crammed lobby with passages leading off to the lifts. Up the wooden staircase into the main eating venue for the hotel is the spacious Gowings Bar & Grill which overtlooks the QVB building with a mixture of high tech and traditional European ambience.

Creative Food Director Robert Marchetti has shaped a European style brasserie that provides an unpretentious European-style menu with a signature seafood accent. Guests can also make use of the entry level Parlour Lane Roaster, a European style café which seems to be an extension of the street but is an environment which takes you basck 80 years to the heyday of the State Theatre with costumes and posters of the era. Then there is the small but beautifully formed Gilt Lounge, an impressive cocktail hangout.

The hotel prides itself on its unique spaQ which include six treatment rooms, a men’s barber, a Hammam inspired steam room with ice fountain, a relaxation lounge and spa boutique. The menu features an array of massages, a range of facials and body treatments including the Corporate Warrior for men.

John Daly-Peoples was a guest of Destination New South Wales

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