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QT Sydney: Sleek, Stimulating Yet Ever So Zany

QT Sydney: Sleek, Stimulating Yet Ever So Zany

qt sydney

QT Sydney is one to razzle and dazzle at all hours.

There’s no one theme that QT Sydney embodies. Instead, its confetti of influences – art deco, old school theatre, Gothic design, and sexy sophistication – make QT Sydney one of a kind.

Upon arrival, you will immediately get the vibe from the hotel’s “Director of Chaos” greeting you along its Market Street entrance that this is no ordinary city hotel. And why would you want that? Sydney is in a state of constant buzz, and the boutique hotel is a retreat into a zany yet glamourous realm – and it’s intoxicatingly fun.

In a nutshell, with a door greeter dressed like an extra from Rocky Horror outside two of Sydney’s ornate historical buildings, I knew I was in for a stay that would also be extra.

The hotel

QT Sydney
Parlour Cucina a buzz morning, noon and night.

A lot is going on at QT Sydney, and your senses will be in overdrive for the most part. Its interior is loud, it’s brazen, and it’s so many sceneries in one. The 200-room hotel spreads its eclectic décor across the historic State Theatre and the old Gowings department store, and with that, the hotel offers several room categories.

From arrival, walking through its ground floor doors, you are met with a glass display of eccentric costumes, separating the hotel lifts with the hotel’s main bar, Parlour Cucina. Dimly lit, the dive bar is an intimate setting that can fling you back in time with its time warp art deco design. It’s also worth checking out Gowlings Bar & Grill upstairs for a sophisticated dining experience. Unfortunately, it was closed when I visited.

Moving on up, the lifts are an experience in themselves. The playful mood is immediately set when the doors are closed, with sensors detecting how many passengers are in the elevator to know what soundtrack to play to set the mood. Will it be a solo trip with a song on loneliness to match or a party anthem to suit the group vibe? I just had to chuckle at the hotel’s playlist that’s in tune with its guests—nice touch with the elevator music.

QT Sydney
A very colourful lobby.

The reception/lobby area also suffers from a lack of natural light, but it reinforces the underground atmosphere the hotel aims to achieve (and exceeds). It almost feels as if you are waltzing onto the set of the last century movie set with its interior transcending decades of old Hollywood glamour. A mishmash of vintage stage lights, red velvet curtains, bold rugs, retro trinkets, and colourful centrepiece lounges sprawled across its wooden floors helps create the showbiz scene, an ode to its theatre location. Make sure to admire its feature wall of old suitcases and drawers, too, a clever jumble of storage styles.

The hotel’s walking exhibits – its staff are just as gaudily dressed as the “Director of Chaos”. Yet, despite their in-character presence, they are personable and friendly – the usual outstanding professionalism to expect from a hotel.

Nothing is ever a bore throughout the hotel’s design, with each floor almost an art gallery in itself. For example, level 10’s central display of old television painted in white and intriguing light displays of a wired mannequin trapezing while holding a chandelier are both amusing pieces of décor. 

Related reads: The Albert: A Swanky Sydney Stay Fit For A Royal

The rooms

qt sydney
Succeeds with the comfort factor.

Don’t expect to find anything airy or bright here. The boudoirs are all about the art of seduction: the key emphasis being on ‘art’.

Asymmetrical bedhead, illuminated orange cabinet filled with glass ornaments, statement lighting at each head turn, peculiar animal coat hooks, feature wall art displays – it’s visually stimulating. Rest assured, the modern comforts are still there: firm mattress, pillows aplenty, contemporary corner armchair, minibar and most importantly, a coffee machine. There’s even a DIY espresso martini kit on arrival to give you that extra thrill – a sweet temptation, if I may add.

qt sydney
Hello DIY espresso martini kit!

I had the pleasure of calling the QT King Room on the tenth-floor home for the night. Absent from a view to the outside world, my room was softly lit and did not have enough natural light, but that was okay – a frisk atmosphere had been set. (There was a window in this room however it looked out to another building.)

The bathroom was spacious and features backstage dressing room lighting around the mirror and double head showers for extra kink. Remember, the hotel aces in designing intimate spaces. I would say the only temptation I didn’t appreciate was the presence of bath salts in the minibar. What a tease! There was no bathtub found in this room; however, other rooms feature a bath if that’s a make or break.

qt sydney
A bathroom suited to bathsalts.

Related reads: Why This Surry Hills Hotel Is A Chic Art Lovers Retreat

The location

Right in the thick of the Sydney CBD is where you will find yourself, with shopping mecca Pitt Street Mall and quick stop eateries right on your doorstep. The inner-city sanctuary, Hyde Park, is a short stroll away, as is St James Station (a three-minute walk).

Further afield (and not that much further) to walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens (20 minutes), the lively Oxford Street district (12 minutes), Sydney’s flashy new prescient Barangaroo and a straightforward stroll to Circular Quay to ‘gram away Sydney’s architectural icons, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

With both its youthful appeal and convenient location, this theatrical hotel will razzle and dazzle the playful types at all hours.

The details

QT Sydney – 49 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000

Julia travelled as a guest of QT Sydney and all thoughts and opinions are of her own.

Featured image: QT Sydney

See more: NSW travel

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