Art, energy and revelry at the new Ace Hotel Sydney

• July 26, 2022

• July 26, 2022

  4 minute read

It all comes rushing back upon arriving at Ace Hotel Sydney on Wentworth Avenue in inner-city Surry Hills. The memories, the merriments, the proprietorial thoughts. Well, I try to suppress that last part. In fact, I am thrilled to see the group’s first southern hemisphere inn has replicated its specific confluence of art, food, revelry and fashionable loucheness. It is a rainy Sunday afternoon but the art-filled lobby bar is hopping with scenesters quaffing spicy Margaritas, snacking on Padron peppers and pecking away on laptops. The sunken lounge area, rendered in retro shades of caramel and burnt orange, recalls a suburban residence from ’70s Australia. The only thing missing is Jatz and cabanossi.

“Good news,” a staffer tells me. “Your room is ready.” After a fast-tracked check-in, I proceed upstairs. Carved numerical signs outside each door take a moment to decipher and I eventually locate mine. On the way up, the elevator doors chime like a synthesiser, foreshadowing the rollicking appurtenances of my chamber. My “large” room, one of 257 in varying sizes – is equipped with a D’Angelico acoustic guitar, Tivoli radio, Rega record player and a clutch of indie vinyl. The walls feature soundproof straw panelling, in case I am considering recording an album, while a sprawling green banquette could accommodate all seven members of K-pop band BTS and a few groupies. Perhaps the only discordant note is that room service has not yet launched.

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Not to worry. I have booked lunch with friends in the hotel’s all-day eatery, Loam. I stop by Good Chemistry, its sleek laneway cafe that becomes a natural wine bar at night, for a textbook latte. Back at the restaurant, I register an old-school photo booth and a series of lively works by First Nations artist Tony Albert. Loam, which is overseen by the effervescent Chris Perraton, is filling up and one diner has brought his dachshund in a carry-all (pet-friendly guestrooms are available). My friends are impressed by the hotel’s upbeat energy. A flurry of toothsome dishes follow: charred octopus, crisp roast chicken, and maple-glazed Brussels sprouts. After a few rounds of Native Negronis, my gang migrates home, but not before vowing to return when the rooftop restaurant, helmed by acclaimed chef Mitch Orr, is unveiled in the next few months.

Ace is known for revamping derelict buildings and injecting modern verve. The brand has 10 locations, including in London, Toronto and Kyoto. In Sydney, the group tapped architectural firm Bates Smart to transform the historic Tyne building on Wentworth Avenue. The site dates back to the 1820s, when it was an early kiln and pottery facility. The building, constructed in 1916, evolved from pharmacy warehouse to garment factory to a high school for at-risk children. Ace’s architects adroitly preserved the original 10-storey structure and added eight floors, which has resulted in a wild patchwork of suites. Heritage rooms display exposed brickwork, newer spaces have terrazzo flooring, and some are laced with original bay windows. Many of the smaller rooms are poky, though still polished.

Compared to its US siblings, Ace Sydney is far more refined in terms of its materiality. That is the triumph of David Flack of Melbourne-based Flack Studio, who prescribed an adventurous colour palette spanning grassy greens, warm oranges, muted browns and flashes of cobalt and yellow. Off-form concrete walls are juxtaposed with warm timber and aged brass. And swish marble surfaces abound, including a dramatic ochre-red staircase that ascends from the ground floor to level one. Flack Studio also commissioned a swag of playful contemporary art, including the polychromatic reception desk by ceramicist James Lemon and a large-scale tapestry made from upcycled fabrics by Julia Gutman.

There is no art in my room but there is plenty of nuanced design. Flack Studio customised all the furniture, including lozenge-shaped vanities, geometric sconces and platform beds. Botanical bath products are by Uka, the graphic blankets from Stansborough and the comfy robes from Deiji Studios. My quilted mattress is supremely comfortable, blackout shades are appreciated and I work happily at the spacious desk. I have a peek at one of the six suites, which remind me of a dapper Brooklyn apartment with a tidy kitchen, vintage furnishings and U-shaped lounge. “It’s the best-designed hotel we’ve stayed in,” a couple tells me the next morning. Ace might be a hipster magnet but the fact they’re in their 70s testifies to the hotel’s multigenerational appeal.

The benefits of staying in Surry Hills are manifold, and immediate access to a slew of marvellous restaurants ranks at the top of the list. Just around the corner are pan-Asian hotspot Chin Chin, avant-garde wine bar Poly and the always appetising mod-Med diner Nomad. Meanwhile, opposite the hotel, recent arrival Pellegrino 2000 is serving up tasty Italian fare.

Kiln, the hotel’s wood-fired restaurant, is being spruced with a retractable ceiling, expansive windows and eye-catching design. The interiors will be a melange of paint-splattered textiles, colourful granite, Huon pine and glass. If reservations are hard to come by, there is always the mini-bar in your room to satisfy immediate cravings. I’m not normally tempted, but this one is stocked with macadamia brittle, ginger kombucha and mini-cartons of vermentino and sangiovese. Eclectic snack offerings, an Ace hallmark, can be found at numerous hotels these days but the mix is never quite as jazzy as the Ace version.

In the know

Rooms from $349 a night; parking, $50 a day. Loam opens daily 7am-10pm; Good Chemistry, 7am-3pm; the Lobby Bar offers drinks and snacks, 12pm-1am. Kiln will trade Tuesday to Thursday, 5pm until late, with weekend brunch in the works. Also coming soon is an artist-in-residence program curated by Nina Fitzgerald of The Impact Lab, highlighting First Nations practitioners.

acehotel.com/sydney

George Epaminondas was a guest of Ace Hotel Sydney.

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