As Sydney eyes a string of new luxury hotel openings over the next few years, one of the cityโs great grand dames is about to reaffirm its position at the front of the pack. Just months from revealing an ambitious restoration, InterContinental Sydney plans to present a complete $110 million facelift in September, the result of work that began in 2020 in collaboration with renowned design firm Woods Bagot. Set to be the biggest change the historic building has gone through to date, the InterContinental Sydney refurbishment will ideally re-establish the property, which opened in 1985 in Sydneyโs restored Treasury Building, as the quintessential harbour city hotel.
Everyone from former US presidents and Oprah Winfrey to Matt Damon has stayed at InterContinental Sydney. And for a long time the hotelโs expansive 32nd floor rooftop bar was known as the single best vantage point for anyone wanting a breezy reminder of the cityโs charm. Repute has always been quite solid for this five-star hotel, so youโd imagine a modern makeover would take things to the next level.
If all goes to plan, the hotel will once again be the epicentre for Sydneyโs luxury offerings, crowned by a reimagined outdoor terrace and signature rooftop bar that will stand in addition to various other new food and drink options throughout the hotel.
Each of the hotelโs 509 guest rooms and suites will benefit from a full transformation, including a new colour scheme that is said to favour green and blue hues to mirror the hotelโs location near the gateway to the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden and Circular Quay. This will be played off the buildingโs classical architecture, which will obviously remain largely untouched to maintain its character. Although some of the buildingโs heritage facade will also be restored.
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โWe are thrilled to finally share more on whatโs been happening behind closed doors these past two years,โ said Jennifer Brown, General Manager of InterContinental Sydney.
โThe reimagination of Sydneyโs most iconic heritage hotel redefines the contemporary luxury hotel experience whilst paying homage to the buildingโs rich past and its many unique stories. This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the hotel. Together with our owners, Mulpha, we are proud to have elevated this very special place.โ
The new InterContinental Sydney should play well into Circular Quayโs overall transformation, which includes the new Quay Quarter precinct and all the restaurants and bars that have opened there so far.
Perhaps most notable about the InterContinental Sydney refurbishment is that the rooftop bar will, for the first time, be open to the general public as well as hotel guests. Previously the coveted space was only really accessible for hotel guests outside of a few exceptions.
This should help Sydney step up the global plate when it comes to world-class cities with world-class hotel bars. I donโt even need to tell locals how dismal Sydneyโs hotel bars have been for the past few decades, outside of exceptions like QT Sydneyโs Gowings, Hyatt Regencyโs Zephyr, Pullman Quay Grandโs Hyde Hacienda, and more recently A by Adinaโs Dean & Nancy on 22.
InterContinental Sydney will remain open for guests until the new renovations are revealed to the public in September 2022.
