Reviewed by Chloe Sachdev
Why book W Sydney?
To be in a hyper-gloss setting on the edge of Sydney’s CBD.
Set the scene
Bright and bold. The W is part of the already iconic Ribbon building, which rises like a glassy wave above Darling Harbour. Inside, geometric lights, metallic surfaces, and bright pops of colour make it feel like a high-shine hive of activity, from the lobby Living Room bar to the rooftop Wet Deck infinity pool. Wrapped in skyscrapers and twin flyovers, you’re given wide-screen views of Sydney’s urban sprawl and are very much part of the thrum of the city.
The backstory
The largest W Hotel in the world, with a price tag of one billion Australian dollars, this is the third W Hotel in Australia after W Brisbane (opened 2018) and W Melbourne (opened 2021). This hotel marks its return to Sydney, from its previous incarceration on Woolloomooloo’s Finger Wharf. Built by acclaimed Sydney architect studio Hassel, with interior design by London-based firm Bowler James Brindley, the project had a stop-start inception but now looms over Darling Harbour as part of a spruce-up of the area and a quirky alternative to the nearby Crown and Sofitel hotels.
The rooms
There are a staggering 588 guestrooms, including 162 long-term studios and speciality suites equipped with kitchens, all with views of either Darling Harbour or the cityscape. Each room reflects the colour of the marina in electric cobalt blue, some with giant wave murals on the walls, others with blue and white nautical stripes, and all with roomy walk-in magenta wardrobes, shiny metallic minibar cabinets (with pre-batched co*cktails by acclaimed co*cktail bar Maybe Sammy) and playful touches like giant floral sharks on beds.
Food and drink
As expected for a hotel this size, you’re spoiled for choice. Days start on level three with a typical hotel breakfast buffet, which includes all manner of pastries, bagels and of course, eggs and pancake made-to-order stations. For sprightly travellers, there are excellent grab-and-go options, which include a takeaway fridge filled with fruit and just-squeezed juice and a toastie menu with everything from avocado and bean fillings to smoked eel and chicken pate. This being Australia, there is a to-go coffee bar, which moonlights as the degustation “2am:Dessert Bar" (confusingly only open until 10pm) by the lauded Singaporean dessert chef Janice Wong.
Throughout the day, the cobalt blue ‘Living Room’ by the check-in area serves crowd-pleasing dishes like burgers, salads and lobster rolls. Here, the drinks menu has an Asian tilt with co*cktails like coconut oil-washed shochu, Japanese blended whisky concoctions, and an extensive sake list. From 6pm, head to the rooftop bar and restaurant 29/30 for tropical spiked co*cktails and casual bites – pork belly baos, duck tacos and caviar churros – and various hot stone boards with sizzling cuts of rump, scallops, and salmon. Upstairs, on the top floor, the bar serves vintage hard-to-get champagne and spirits by the glass.
Lunch and dinner are in the main restaurant BTWN, named because it is literally between two flyover motorways, and though it may seem the anthesis to a harbourside fantasy, it’s been cleverly designed to zoom in on the speeding traffic – lots of graffiti art and red neon lighting – and feels a bit Blade Runner. The menu by chef Chris Dodd, formerly of two-hatted (the Australian equivalent to Michelin), though the same for lunch and supper, is extensive and excellent, with 70 per cent based on local produce (and 50 per cent hyper-local). Start with the raw and seafood bar – lobster tartare, tuna ceviche, crab crumpets – and do a tasting of oysters from different regions like Port Stephens and Merrimbula, before mains like rump steak from the Hunter Valley and slow-cooked lamb from Gundagai.
The spa
Like the rest of the hotel, the spa has an urban futuristic feel with concrete, hardwood, and fluorescent lighting. Separated into two areas, the first is the mellow bar (for pre and post-spa co*cktails, mocktails and detox juices) and four quirky pink manicure pods that look like disjointed train carriages. Keep walking through to the pulse-slowing spa with five treatment rooms offering the usual facials and massages. There’s also a guest-only sauna, steam room and gym equipped with high-tech Technogym equipment.
The neighbourhood/area
While Darling Harbour itself can feel somewhat tired with its chain restaurants and tourist-heavy sites like Madame Tussauds and Sydney Aquarium, the spot also puts you on the edge of Sydney’s bustling central business district and Chinatown and within walking distance to the city’s best restaurants and top boutiques.
The service
Friendly and relaxed. W Hotels is known for its approachable service, and this hotel is no exception.
For families
Children of all ages are welcome, and extra beds can be arranged. Kids are also allowed on the rooftop Wet Deck infinity pool, which is heated from 6am-5pm. From 5pm, the rooftop turns into a bar and is strictly for over 18s.
Eco effort
No plastic packaging or bottles, and there are plastic straw alternatives. The main restaurant uses 70 per cent local suppliers, and the hotel’s water supply is harnessed from rainwater tanks.
Anything left to mention?
Part of the appeal of this hotel is its proximity to both tourist sites and in-the-know city and Chinatown restaurants – so do make use of the concierge.
