For those that ever worry about becoming stale with age or merely out of touch, an overnight at QT will cure what ails you.

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QT SYDNEY

49 Market Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000

+61 2 8262 0000

Some hotels are built for function. Others are designed purely for fun. The QT Sydney, with its moody glamour and prime Market Street location, boldly aims to service both camps and succeeds in mixing business with quite a bit of pleasure.

From the elevator sensors that play music tailored specifically to the number of passengers (solo riders enjoy songs about loneliness, whereas groups are treated to party tunes) all the way to the giant LED letters that literally scream ‘HIP’, there’s no doubt the QT team have placed a high emphasis on excess.

If you’ve done your research, you’ll know to expect the quirky inclusions of a spy kit, pick-up sticks and an emergency bow-tie in the in your room closet. However, there’s no bigger billboard for merrymaking than the bottle of Cafe Patron sitting on your personal cocktail bar. It’s nice to think that the QT Sydney team still believes there’s an inner hedonist inside you just waiting to come out, even if you’ve left party-centric libations behind.

QT’s trademark design is a daring cross between gilded art-deco meets slick modernity (emphasised by the beautifully minimalist Dion Horstmans metalwork that adorned our wall).

Corridors are lit in a cinematic Kubrick-like glow and red is a strong theme across the whole venue. Judging by the number of happy couples we spotted at check-out we can confirm that the chromotherapy hits all the right notes.

All of the style fulfils the brief, however, it’s when you strip away the surplus that the QT Sydney shines.

Thanks to a very thoughtful renovation from the building’s former life as the once iconic Gowings department store, QT has retained a lot of the vintage appeal.

Apart from the curated collection of antiques, this also extends to the genuine vintage room sizes. An entrance corridor in a standard room is practically unheard of these days but it’s an example of how the QT has put efforts in to provide substance along with a hell of a lot of style. Many modern design hotels would do well to take note.

Wi-Fi is free and generously provided as soon as you check in (they clearly understand the power of a good in-situ Instagram or just really want that precious business trip market) and the range of complimentary movies is diverse.

We mention these specifically because both these inclusions are very simple but seem to be a sticking point for even larger hotel chains.

Profits be damned, QT want you to work hard and play hard. Go crazy and clear that inbox if you must, maybe check-in on Facebook while you’re at it and if you really want to run wild, why not watch Studio 54 while enjoying a shot of Cafe Patron? Sure, this all sounds pretty tame but for a hotel to provide all of this FOC*, heck it’s positively rebellious.

We’re kidding of course, there’s plenty to enjoy outside the your room and QT’s Gowings Bar and Grill and Gilt Lounge have managed to become destinations in their own rights, especially with the after work crowd. Here, video installations meet 1920s classic touches, providing an experience along with fine fare.

In fact, the dinner menu by celebrated chef Robert Marchetti (formerly of North Bondi Italian) revels in mixing the traditional with the contemporary. His stuffed zucchini flowers are always a crowd pleaser and his Mac’n’Cheese “Maccheroni con Formaggio e Tartufo” is such a fun and decadent concept that it’s like getting a loving hug from mum but from the inside. For the record, you’ve never had Mac’n’Cheese like it**.

It a way it makes sense. If you want your hotel to feel like a home away from home then you’d best execute comfort food with serious aplomb.

The beauty of all this OTT fun is there’s no curfew. QT Sydney proves that while we all might be getting older it’s nice to enjoy child-like fun with an adults appreciation.

* The Cafe Patron is the only thing not free in that equation but who’s counting when… FREE WI-FI. We like to think the cost cancels it all out.

** Mac’n’Cheese was consumed pre-photography.

CITIZENS OF THE WORLD were guests of the QT Sydney

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