The 182 rooms occupy a jewel-like building with a dramatic faceted facade, seemingly cut from a solid block of smoky quartz.
Inside, the grace notes are Australian botanicals, from the lush atrium garden to leaf-patterned carpets and a painting of a white waratah (the floral emblem of New South Wales) in the lobby.
From an intimate tented camp in the green foothills of Bali to a converted 19th-century Jesuit retreat in Tamil Nadu, our editors and reviewers have roamed the Asia-Pacific region to bring together DestinAsian’s annual collection of the year’s top hotel openings. Read on to discover which new properties stood out from the rest in terms of service, setting, amenities, and a singular sense of style.
The Hilton group’s Curio brand is all about celebrating individuality when it comes to location. Which is why the first Australian outlet in the collection bears no resemblance to its character-filled older sisters such as the historic Hotel del Coronado in San Diego or the Trafalgar St. James in London. Instead, West Hotel sits on the verge of Sydney’s new Barangaroo precinct, an up-and-coming lifestyle hub with residential and commercial towers, parkland and cultural spaces, boutiques and restaurants overlooking the western harbor.
The 182 rooms occupy a jewel-like building with a dramatic faceted facade, seemingly cut from a solid block of smoky quartz. Inside, the grace notes are Australian botanicals, from the lush atrium garden to leaf-patterned carpets and a painting of a white waratah (the floral emblem of New South Wales) in the lobby.
Designers Fitzpatrick + Partners also brought in big vases of native flowers, which add pops of dusty pink and gold to the guest-room palette of blue velvet, marble, dark wood, and brass. Named after botanist Daniel Solander, who sailed with Captain Cook on his first Pacific voyage aboard the Endeavour, the hotel’s Art Deco–inspired restaurant-cum-lounge features a jade-green terrazzo bar where you can sample tasty cocktails that continue the floral theme. Nettle gimlet, anyone?
61-2/8297-6500; westhotel.com.au; doubles from US$368.
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2018 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“The Luxe List 2018: West Hotel Sydney”).
