QT Sydney

Brash and bold has long been the Australian way. And if Sydney is lately taking to subtlety, dressing in neutrals and acting ironically detached, it’s a trend the QT Sydney wants no part of. This place grabs hold of the dials marked “local color” and “design whimsy,” cranks them up to ten, snaps them off the stem, and tosses them out a window — and the salutary effect the QT’s atmosphere has on Sydney’s rapidly globalizing Central Business District is perhaps beyond measure.

The setting is a classic, long-gone department store and the attached theatre building, both century-old landmarks whose spirit clearly informed the QT’s design, thick as it is with Art Deco elegance and Roaring Twenties glamour. The rooms are no less atmospheric than the public spaces, their décor full of historical references and deeply, unrelentingly colorful. Bathrooms are particularly lavish.

But this sort of downtown design boutique lives and dies by its restaurant and bar, just as much as its rooms. In this regard the Gilt Lounge and the Gowings Bar & Grill are the QT’s insurance policy — expect them to be crammed just full enough of savvy, stylish guests and locals. It’s a much-needed personality infusion for Sydney’s CBD.