Staying in a brand new hotels can be interesting. Sandy and I once
stayed at a newly-opened hotel in London
where the lifts were not working (cue a 4-story hike up the stairs with our
suitcases) and the aircon was on the fritz, set permanently to about 35
degrees. I can still remember the night we spent lying naked on top of the
sheets with the window open, letting in the 2-degree outside air while inside
we gently fan-baked. (We checked out the next day and headed for the safe haven
of the Westbury.)
The QT hotel is Sydney's
newest, and when I stayed it had only been open a matter of weeks. Indeed, some
parts are still under construction. On accidentally pressing the button for the
wrong floor one day, the elevator doors opened on what I can only describe as a
building site.

So here's what I liked:
The staff. In a place like this, you'd almost expect the staff to be
too cool for school. Yet despite being uniformly young and gorgeous, all the
staff I encountered from the door to the restaurant, were without fail
pleasant, helpful and warm. There are lots of them, they've clearly been well
trained and have the kind of approach to service you'd expect at a bigger,
slicker operation.

The room design. The room I stayed in (in the Gowings side) was
gorgeous to look at with its jewel-toned cabinet filled with art glass, mosaic
rug, sheepskin throw, dark slate bathroom and freestanding tub. There are lots
of cute little touches: artisan glassware, quirky ceramic decorations, creative
lighting, a Nespresso machine and cocktail shakers and glasses in the room,
along with a cocktail recipe should you feel like whipping up your own. It's a
sexy space; you can imagine hunkering in here with your favourite person and
not leaving for a whole weekend.
The restaurant and bar. Newly-opened and already super popular. The
design in here is a little more restrained, but still colourful, warm and very
hip. I'd happily move in here. The kitchen is open, as seems to be the trend,
which I also happen to love. It's fantastic being able to see all the backstage
work that goes into your food. There is some serious food going on here, too.
Creative Food Director is Robert Marchetti, the brains behind Icebergs, North
Bondi Italian and a selection of other succesful operations.
I particularly liked the breakfast menu, which includes some different
offerings from the usual, including fish tacos, huevos rancheros and congee. I
was also thrilled to see my personal favourite breakfast, boiled eggs and
soldiers. (More on dinner here in a future post).
The location. You can't really get better in central Sydney. If you don’t have a view of the
harbour, you might as well be just steps from Pitt St and Westfield Sydney, and have
private elevator access to the craziness that is Topshop, just opened in the
bottom of the building.
A couple of teeny things I didn't like - quibbles really, which I have
passed on:
The bathroom lighting and mirrors. I get the feeling a man who does not
wear makeup was responsible for this. Smoky mirrors are brilliant for regarding
oneself naked, but not so great for applying makeup. Couple that with dim
overhead lighting and you end up sitting on the floor, propping up a hand
mirror on the ottoman and hoping you don't emerge into the outside world
looking like a drag queen. Likewise, a clear, full-length mirror somewhere
would really help a girl decide if her outfit is going to work for the day's Sydney activities.
Toilet paper. I'm usually not one to even notice toilet paper - I am
incapable of even remembering what brand we use at home. Sandy has much more of an opinion on it, and
he would not have been a fan of the two-ply stuff on offer here. The toilet
paper did not match the quality of everything else, which was really odd. See,
I said these were minor quibbles!
Overall I think the QT is a great addition to the Sydney hotel scene, and offers somewhere
really different and fun to stay. If you're looking for a non-generic design
and experience with additional inspiration for your home interiors, this is the
place for you.
For more go to www.qtsydney.com.au
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