The Collectionist

Please note: This hotel has closed.

Twenty or so years ago it was just about defensible to say that Melbourne was Australia’s creative capital. But in the intervening years it’s as though Sydney has been hell-bent on revenge. The design scene, like all of its creative industries, is world-class, so much so that top-flight design firms are apparently now sharing projects. The Collectionist Hotel is the work not of a mere one or two design firms but four, each one responsible for about ten of its 39 rooms — and every one of them, even those from the same designer, is different from all of the others, with unique artworks, colors, textures, and design inspirations.

You’ll choose your own room from what’s available in the category you booked when you check in — no need to spend too much time poring over the photos. Though they may differ aesthetically, they’re all similarly equipped, and comfortable indeed. The location, convenient to Sydney University and the hip neighborhoods of Newtown and Glebe, could hardly be more on-trend — which is handy, given that the hotel’s own services stop short of offering a proper restaurant. You’ll have your own kitchen, though, as well as a Nespresso machine, and the Collectionist’s happy hour is the perfect jump-start for a night on the town.