InterContinental Sydney Is A Stylish City Sanctuary

Historic beauty meets modern luxury at the InterContinental Sydney, a stylish sanctuary for the most discerning of travellers.

The InterContinental Group is renowned for creating some of the world’s sleekest hotels, and their Sydney outpost lives up to the hype. Poised by Sydney Harbour, this five-star hotel offers respite from the outside bustle with its serene interiors, luxurious amenities and breathtaking vistas.

Location

InterContinental Sydney is a 20-minute drive from Sydney Airport. Centrally located on Macquarie Street in the iconic Circular Quay, the hotel is within close proximity of Sydney’s icons including the neighbouring Royal Botanic Garden and Sydney Opera House which is a short 10-minute walk away. Circular Quay Station is a four-minute walk away and Wynyard Station is an eight-minute walk away for those who are keen to explore other areas of Sydney.

The historic sandstone facade of the old building.

Style and character

Residing in part of the former Treasury Building that dates back to 1851 as well as a 32-level tower, the InterContinental Sydney exudes heritage meets modern charm in spades.

Revered architecture studio Woods Bagot was called upon to sensitively refurbish the hotel in 2019 as part of the $120 million transformation where guestrooms and suites, public spaces, wellness areas, the club lounge and the dining venues were updated. This extensive re-imagination saw the space retain its heritage features while bringing it into the 21st century, drawing inspiration from the Australian landscape, Sydney Harbour and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the revamp was the creation of the contemporary rooftop bar.

The curved bar and seating nod to the 170-year-old heritage alcoves.

The heart of the hotel is the light-filled atrium, which serves as a gathering space and thoughtful meeting point between the two buildings’ architectural styles. Here you’ll find a large curved marble bar and seating that mimic the arched balconies above, lush palm trees and plush seating. A palette of calming greens and oceanic blues carries throughout the entirety of the hotel in the form of marble, furnishings and wallpaper.

The original staircase anchors the ground level.

Facilities

The InterContinental Sydney has wellness and leisure facilities including a premium gym and an indoor heated pool that overlooks the harbour and Opera House. On the ground level, there’s also a Vera Wang bridal boutique providing personalised service to find the perfect wedding gown.

Rooms

The 509 light-filled guestrooms and 28 luxe suites are generously sized, calm and quiet. All accommodations feature comfortable window-side chaises, InterContinental Cloud Beds, marble-clad bathrooms with covetable Byredo bathroom amenities, and outlooks of either the city skyline, Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Harbour Bridge or Sydney Opera House.

The guest rooms’ blue palette feels like an extension of the water.

Ultimate luxury can be experienced in one of the Signature Harbour Suites and Elite Suites which boast the best outlooks. The palatial Presidential Suite is a roomy 245 square metres and features a separate lounge room, a 14-person dining room, a butler’s pantry, a workspace and a grand piano.

The Presidential Suite is the epitome of luxury.

Food and drink

There are four dining venues to work your way through during your stay: The Conservatory Restaurant, The Treasury, Pont Dining Room and Aster.

The buffet breakfast at The Conservatory Restaurant gives other hotels a run for their money. The elevated spread offers a bounty of breakfast options from continental classics to steamed dim sims and mouth-watering pastries.

The breakfast buffet has two rooms of food to pick from.

Feeling peckish during the day? The Treasury bar on the ground level presents an all-day dining menu. Park yourself under the antique domed atrium at the curved central feature bar or plush banquette seat and treat yourself to dishes such as saltbush and pepper squid with lemon myrtle aioli or lamb shoulder with heirloom carrots, eggplant puree and braised figs. Quench your thirst with a glass of Australian wine or cocktail like the ‘Harvest Punch’ with Los Arcos tequila, BarSol Pisco, strawberry, mango, verjuice and condensed milk.

InterContinental Sydney The Treasury Bar

The Treasury Bar is clad in green marble.

Come nightfall, step into the intimate Pont Dining Room – a celebration of the diversity of Australia’s culturally rich landscape. Helmed by Chef de Cuisine Kanishka Amunugama, enjoy dishes such as Skull Island prawns with red curry butter and lime, Bangalow pork belly with chorizo jam, and pineapple aniseed myrtle with coconut cream, ginger crumb and candied desert lime.

Our tip? Don’t skip the kimchi-fermented potato fries with gruyère sauce.

InterContinental Sydney Pont Dining Room

Pont Dining Room features a whisky bar.

Aster Bar is a must-visit for those staying at the hotel as it arguably has the best views of any venue in Sydney and is one of Australia’s best rooftop bars. Head up to level 32 and sit on the terrace marvelling at the 270-degree vistas of the city.

Sit on the terrace and admire the panorama.

Sip on classics with a twist like the ‘Tropical Old Fashion’, a delicious concoction of Plantation dark rum, Woodford Rye, coconut, banana and bitters, or bespoke tipples like the ‘Renaisance 60’ with Michter’s 10-Year bourbon, Mancino Bianco, Ruby Port and Grand Marnier. The drinks menu is to be enjoyed alongside modern Australian bites such as half-shell Hervey Bay scallop ceviche with finger lime and seaweed and Hasselback potatoes with sour cream, Yarra Valley salmon caviar and chives.

Aster is one of the chicest bars in Sydney.

Does InterContinental Sydney have access for guests with disabilities?

All rooms are accessed via a lift, and easy-access rooms are available.

Is InterContinental Sydney family-friendly?

InterContinental Sydney offers a Family Getaway Package which includes: A spacious four-person room, buffet breakfast for two adults and two children under 12 years old, parking for one car, $100 restaurant and bar credit and late check out.

Details

Best for: Business travellers, families, and design-savvy travellers.

Address: 117 Macquarie St, Sydney, NSW

Phone: (02) 9253 9000

Cost: From $457 per night.

Welcome to the first instalment of Hotel Addict, a monthly column where I check into Australia’s best hotels, exploring not just the rooms, but the stories, service and settings that make each stay unforgettable and worth adding to your wishlist.

Hotel stays have quietly become my thing. Long before I became a travel journalist, I was booking staycations just for a change of scenery. Some had charm, some had character, some had neither. Once, I even stayed in a hotel directly opposite my own apartment – partly for the novelty, partly because I wanted to see my life from a different angle.

For me, hotels represent a kind of mystery – I find myself wanting to know what these buildings contain. Many of them are designed with intention: lighting, materials, scent and sounds that often reflect the city they sit in. Time seems to gently pause in these spaces, which have increasingly become the destination itself for modern travellers.

It only felt fitting for the first hotel in this series to be in my home city and at the hotel that’s been at the top of my list: Capella Sydney.

A sandstone heritage building and palm trees

Capella sits within an Edwardian Baroque‑style sandstone building.

An email with a hotel program from the “Culturist Team” lets me know this will be a luxurious stay. There’s a guided walk around the Botanic Gardens, a weaving workshop and a Sydney contemporary art tour – the kind of addition that signals a hotel that’s tuned into the finer details, and one that’s not surprising given that Capella’s ethos centres on delivering personalised, immersive experiences.

Capella opened in 2023 within a transformed Edwardian Baroque‑style sandstone building in Sydney’s CBD that was originally designed by renowned Scottish-Australian architect George McRae. I often walk past this building and once attended an event inside – I distinctly remember being surprised by how beautiful it was. Bar Studio, Make Architects, and stylist Simone Haag were engaged to sensitively adapt the building for contemporary luxury while honouring its past, in collaboration with Heritage NSW and the City of Sydney.

When I arrive, I’m greeted by three different staff members along the way to reception. There’s a lovely subtle scent, which I later learn combines notes of bergamot, green tea leaves, peony, freesia, vetiver and cedarwood. This hotel strikes such a beautiful balance between grandness and intimacy, with large floral bouquets, contemporary artworks, impressively high ceilings that give it an international feel and quieter nooks to unwind in. Each space is unique, but they’re all unified by a warm, textural and layered design.

Sydney has been deserving of a hotel of this calibre for quite some time, with many of the accommodations in the city looking and feeling dated.

A modern hotel reception with high ceilings

The design strikes the perfect balance between grandness and intimacy.

I have a treatment booked at the hotel’s Auriga Spa prior to check-in. The space is ultra-luxe, moodily lit and intimate, featuring timber joinery, green walls and a sleek design that’s so perfect it almost transports me to Japan. I opt for the Replenish Beauty and LED Facial – a strategic choice with a TV segment on the horizon, and a hopeful bid to look extra fresh for the camera.

The treatment begins with me sitting in the softest robe of my life, wearing slippers and sipping chamomile tea. I’m then whisked away to my private treatment room, which has its own bathroom, a large skylight and a small Japanese-style garden. The treatment is extremely relaxing and moves through cleansing, exfoliating, massaging (arm, head, neck and face) and LED Light Therapy. There’s so much attention to detail – even at the end, the facialist puts my slippers back on me, while I’m still lying down.

Spa treatment room with a massage bed, featuring timber walls and a serene Japanese-style garden visible through a window.

A treatment at Auriga Spa might be the best way I’ve ever started a hotel stay. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

While this treatment certainly hasn’t had a Benjamin Button effect, my sister seems to think I’m glowing, so I walk away happy, or at the very least, zen.

Auriga Spa has a sauna, steam room, ice fountain and a beautiful indoor heated swimming pool. There’s also “experiential showers” – new to me, but essentially it combines water flowing from different places, changing temperatures, mood lighting, gentle sounds, and a subtle lemongrass scent.

You could easily spend the better part of a day at the spa and pool, even if you’re not a guest.

The indoor heated swimming pool with glass ceiling at Capella Sydney.

Guests outside the hotel can use the spa and swimming pool. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

I’m escorted to my room, drunk on relaxation, but I make sure to take note of how noisy the hallways are – answer: dead quiet. My room is 50 square metres, which is huge by hotel standards, but particularly for one in the CBD. It feels like a high-end apartment with floorboards, a freestanding bath and a seating/dining area. My eyes are immediately drawn to the line-up of macarons waiting for me on the dining table.

I’m thrilled to see the mini bar armoire includes a small wine fridge stocked with Minuty Prestige Côtes de Provence, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Handpicked Wines Pinot Noir, and Moët Grand Vintage. Not that I plan on using it (I simply could not justify the prices) – but it’s a nice extra that makes the room feel that much more luxurious. The drinks lineup reads like a who’s-who of local favourites – Young Henrys, Maybe Sammy cocktails, Four Pillars gin and Archie Rose gin. Snacks include Tyrell’s chips, Pringles, Natural Confectionery lollies, and a Carman’s oat bar.

Some small touches I appreciate that some hotels don’t offer: the option to choose your housekeeping time, an iron that actually works well, a Bluetooth speaker, the beloved wine fridge, aluminium water bottles and a bathroom without a glass door or screen that awkwardly exposes you. The one downside is that some of these rooms don’t offer much in the way of a view.

A modern hotel room with a monochrome paletter.

I stayed in a Premier Room which was elegant and relaxing. (Image: Rachael Thompson)

4:30pm is Swill Hour – a daily tradition that nods to the historical “six o’clock swill” in Australia. This one-hour event takes place in the Living Room and invites guests to gather and enjoy each other’s company with a signature cocktail in hand. This afternoon’s tipple is a Eucalyptus Gimlet, a clever, herbaceous little cocktail, by the multi-award-winning Maybe Sammy Team, served on coasters depicting drawings of the historic building. The canapé of the day is a tomato and stracciatella tart. I noticed several staff members chatting with guests like old friends, asking how their adventures earlier in the day went – clearly remembering previous conversations from earlier visits.

Dinner is booked for 6:30pm in Aperture – arguably the most beautiful area of the accommodation. It’s decorated with Australian flora and features a kinetic sculpture hanging from the roof that opens like flowers, with softly changing lights. Tyler, who is serving us, clearly admires the Capella brand, speaking enthusiastically about the other international properties he’s been to and sharing how he sometimes brings his five-year-old daughter here to use the pool.

Interior of Aperture at Capella Sydney, featuring lush greenery and a striking ceiling-mounted sculpture.

The scale of Aperture gives it an international feel.

I kick things off with a basil melon margarita – a winning recommendation – before tucking into the best prawn toast I’ve ever had. For mains it’s crispy Ōra King salmon and spaghetti with mud crab.

When I arrive back at my room, there’s a vegan leather journal on my bed with a note that says: “The ritual of journaling allows us to pause, reflect and focus.” This is part of the turndown service, and my slippers are neatly lined up next to my bed. Will I journal? No. Do I think it’s a nice touch? Yes.

Brasserie 1930 at Capella Sydney, where Art Deco elegance meets contemporary Australian cuisine.

Brasserie 1930 boasts Art Deco elegance.

The next morning, I make the predictable choice of smashed avo for breakfast at the on-site restaurant, Brasserie 1930. There’s also a buffet brimming with all the usual suspects.

Afterwards, I head to the pool to relax for a few hours before the 11am checkout. Despite my earlier resolve not to journal, I find myself reflecting nonetheless – an irony not lost on me – on my 21st hotel stay in Sydney. I write this with growing assurance that great hotels don’t just provide a place to stay; they create memorable moments, thanks in large part to fantastic staff. Kudos to the hiring manager.

Next stop: The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart!

InterContinental Sydney boasts the city’s most spectacular views

Historic beauty meets modern luxury at the InterContinental Sydney, a stylish sanctuary for the most discerning of travellers.

Location

Style and character

Facilities

Rooms

Food and drink

Does InterContinental Sydney have access for guests with disabilities?

Is InterContinental Sydney family-friendly?

Details

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Welcome to the first instalment of Hotel Addict, a monthly column where I check into Australia’s best hotels, exploring not just the rooms, but the stories, service and settings that make each stay unforgettable and worth adding to your wishlist.