Review / W Sydney in Darling Harbour, the largest W in the world, has suites that wow and an aesthetic that leans into the urban grit of its surroundings – without losing the luxurious touch
- W Sydney – just opened last October – is set to hit refresh on the rather drab Darling Harbour with its over half-a-billion-dollar building, the Ribbon designed by Hassell architects, and 588 rooms
- The interiors are designed by the London firm Bowler James Brindley, and the Btwn bar-restaurant features culinary creations by chef Chris Dodd and Janice Wong’s five-course dessert bar, 2am
For a quite glam city, Sydney has been lacking glam hotels.
The arrival of the W Sydney last October – the world’s largest W with with 588 rooms and a purveyor of glam of the high voltage variety – is righting this.
That it is doing so in a still drab part of town – tired Darling Harbour, finally getting the refresh it deserves, and positioned in a somewhat incongruous fashion between two highways – is part of the magic.
The A$1 billion (US$646 million) curving and gleaming Ribbon building, the plans for which were first unveiled by Hassell architects in 2014, has been under closer surveillance for, well, a good part of a decade. The much anticipated opening has not been a disappointment.
Perhaps most of all because it embraces its unusual location. Interiors by the London firm Bowler James Brindley positively lean into the urban grit.
One example is the third-floor Btwn (short for “between”, as in that it’s between two highways) restaurant which features elements of underpasses and neon-lit highways in its design, along with graffitied columns by Sydney artist Sophi Odling – very concrete chic.
It’s surprisingly compelling to sit in the restaurant and see cars silently whizzing by the glass walls (the soundproofing is seriously impressive) as you eat inspired morsels from chef Chris Dodd, formerly of Matt Moran’s Aria restaurant.
