Old meets new. Bold
meets beautiful. Cool
meets class. And good
taste trumps all. The
one-time Pacific HQ
of Paramount Pictures
has emerged as the
country’s most exciting
hotel of 2018. A four-
yearrenovation of the
1940s landmark has
created a 29-room inn
of poise and style, but
also fun and games. In
other words, ParamountHouse gets the balance
of work and play just right.
In-room virtues include
pure linen bedding, potted
plants, indoor-outdoor
spaces and cut-above
minibars featuring
charcuterie from LP’s
Quality Meats, cheeses
from Formaggi Ocello
and wines by maverick
makers William Downie
and Tom Shobbrook.
Soak in Japanese-style
wooden tubs or underWe’ve tested everything from bufets to beds for the annualGourmet Traveller
Australian Hotel Guide. Here are this year’s standout addresses.
THE AWARDS
Hotel of the Year
PARAMOUNT HOUSE HOTEL, SYDNEY, NSWterrazzo-tiled showers,
or plan a chilli-fired night
out at Longrain or Chin
Chin nearby. Paramount
House is a hub as much
as a hotel, surrounded by
like-minded projects and
tapping into the on-trend
notion that hotels should
be the conduit to a city’s
cultural life. The hotel
shares its space with
the bustling Paramount
Cofee Project, a café that
takes its cofee seriously;
a co-working oice; the
pint-sized Golden Age
Cinema and Bar; and even
a regular growers’ market.Stretch out with a
yoga class or meditation
session on the roof terrace
of the new Paramount
Recreation Club, and
fuel up at its kiosk. Or
head downstairs to Poly,
the highly anticipated
restaurant and bar
by Ester’s Mat Lindsay
(GT’s 2018 chef of the
year), which was taking
shape as we went
to print. Welcome to
the neighbourhood.
paramounthousehotel.com
Finalists: Jackalope,
Mornington Peninsula,
Vic; Macq01, Hobart, Tas152 GOURMET TRAVELLER