Hotel update I 51Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour
will open its doors. Located
opposite the new International
Convention Centre Sydney
(ICC), the luxury hotel will
offer 590 rooms displaying the
brand’s signature blend of French
elegance with contemporary
design. The hotel will also feature
three bars, a restaurant, club
lounge and outdoor infinity pool.
Just down the road will be
65 Sussex Street – a midscale
property from M&L Hospitality
scheduled to open by the end of
the year. Designed by architects
Fitzpatrick and Partners, the
eight-storey property will have a
distinctive geometric façade, 182
guestrooms including four suites,
plus an internal courtyard.
Next year will also see the
opening of TFE’s Vibe Hotel
North Sydney in February 2018.
The contemporary 187-room
hotel will feature the hallmarks
of the “new generation” of
Vibe Hotels, which include
inspiring guestrooms, public
spaces designed for socialising,
and free wifi. A 300-capacity
Creative Conferencing facility will
also address demand for more
dedicated meeting and event
space. This will be followed by
the Vibe Hotel Sydney Darling
Harbour in 2019.
Also in 2018, Marriott is set to
open both the Four Points by
Sheraton Parramatta and the
Four Points by Sheraton Sydney,
Central Park. The former will offer
271 rooms close to the Parramatta
CBD, an indoor swimming pool,
fitness centre and conference and
meeting facilities. Meanwhile, the
297-room Central Park property
will open as part of a mixed-use
development at the former Old
Kent Brewery site. It will feature
a bar with an outdoor terrace and
550 sqm of function space.DOWN THE LINE
A number of hotly anticipated
properties are in the works with
proposed 2019 opening dates.
These include talks to install
a 402-room W Hotel into the
glamorous A$700 million (US$550
million) The Ribbon project at
Darling Harbour; rumours of St
Regis and Bulgari openings;
plus designs being released for an
architecturally extravagant Ritz-
Carlton to be installed at The Star
entertainment hub.
More certain, however, is the
return of IHG’s Crowne Plaza. A
management agreement has been
signed for a 160-room property
at Darling Harbour, with four
multifunctional event rooms and
an 80-seat restaurant. In 2020, IHG
is also planning to open a new
Holiday Inn in the CBD, while
Accor Hotels has announced plans
to open The Porter House under
its MGallery by Sofitel brand. nClockwise from
opposite page:
Sofitel Sydney;
Hyatt Regency;
Travelodge Hotel
Sydney Airport;
Skye Hotel Suites
Parramatta; Mantra
Hotel; and Vibe
Darling Harbour