Kimpton Margot Sydney Celebrates Art Deco Excellence

Five-star excellence meets laidback charm at Kimpton Margot Sydney.

Housed within a sensitively revamped heritage-listed building, Kimpton Margot Sydney celebrates Art Deco design and generous hotel amenities. This pet-friendly accommodation strikes the perfect balance between approachable and luxurious and boasts Sydney’s largest open-air rooftop bar, generously sized rooms and top-notch dining facilities. Here’s everything you need to know.

Art Deco-inspired design is at the forefront of this accommodation.

Location

Kimpton Margot is a 20-minute drive from Sydney Airport. It is conveniently located in the south end of Sydney’s CBD on bustling Pitt Street, making it a prime spot to explore the CBD, iconic landmarks and inner city suburbs such as dining destination Surry Hills. For those looking to venture further, Town Hall Station is a three-minute walk away, and Central Station is a nine-minute walk away.

Guests can also borrow one of the custom Lekker bikes with picnic baskets from the lobby for a more eco-friendly way to explore the city.

Style and character

Designed by Henry Budden & Mackey, the historic building dates back to the 1930s and was once home to The Sydney Water Board office. After several iterations, IHG Hotels & Resorts acquired the building in 2021 to transform it into an eclectic hotel that pays homage to its Art Deco roots. Many of the original features have been retained including a grand safe, original tiling and a hidden underground trove, all of which bring a unique character to the hotel.

The hotel showcases a range of botanical displays.

From the Scagliola pillared lobby to the spacious guestrooms, interior design and architecture studio Stack Studio has dressed each space with bold 1930s-inspired furnishings and light fixtures, brass detailing, and an eclectic array of artworks from over 600 artists. The result is an elevated and warm design that feels equal parts stylish and welcoming.

Five Foot One Design introduced a cool beach club vibe to the rooftop which has been outfitted with colourful coastal furniture, a pastel-pink tiled bar and lush plants.

Harper Rooftop Bar is a sunny spot for an afternoon tipple.

Facilities

Kimpton Margot Sydney has a fully equipped 24-hour gym and a swimming pool. They also offer rooftop yoga with a top Sydney yogi and on-demand yoga in your room with a mat brought to your door.

Lap it up at the rooftop swimming pool.

Rooms

While hotel rooms in any CBD are notorious for being on the smaller side, Kimpton Margot’s accommodations stand out for their generosity. There are 172 rooms and suites that range from a comfortable King Bed Essential to a luxurious Hammond Suite. They all feature plush king-sized beds (rooms with twin beds available), plenty of storage, Nespresso machines, local teas and bathrooms with luxurious bathrobes, potted plants and Mr Smith Amenities – most also have bathtubs.

The spacious guestrooms blend Art-Deco charm with modern sensibilities.

While you’ll find plenty of space in the rooms, the specialty suites feel like sophisticated apartments. The Hammond suite is a glorious 160 square metres of pure luxury with a separate open-plan dining and living area with lounge seating, a powder room and a butler’s kitchen.

Travelling with pets? The Kimpton’s ‘if it fits in the lift’ policy promises no additional charge for bringing your animal companion(s) with you. Expect pet-bed loaners, food, water bowls and mats.

Food and drink

Kimpton Margot Sydney has five drinking and dining spaces onsite: Modern Australian restaurant Luke’s Kitchen, lobby bar The Wilmot Bar, Harper Rooftop Bar, wine destination Cellar by Luke and lobby cafe Pantry at Margot’s.

Indulge in delicious modern Australian fare at Luke’s Kitchen.

Helmed by renowned Australian chef Luke Mangan, Luke’s Kitchen serves breakfast, bottomless drag brunch (a dazzling affair held every second month on Saturday) and dinner. The breakfast menu features all the classics such as smashed avo, bacon and eggs, and some elevated dishes such as crumpets with poached strawberries, cheesy truffle toasty and a spanner crab omelette.

For dinner, the modern Australian menu will see you indulging in dishes such as Spencer Gulf Hiramasa kingfish sashimi, potato and garlic ravioli, and profiterole with yuzu and chocolate sauce. We recommend ordering a side of the parmesan and truffle fries – you won’t be disappointed by the serving size.

Swing by for an after-dinner cocktail at the Wilmot bar.

The 1930s-style lobby bar Wilmot is the perfect spot for a post-dinner tipple. Sink into velvet chairs and sip on experimental cocktails like the ‘Lady Marmalade’ with calvados, pear liqueur, ginger liqueur, Cointreau, cranberry juice and apple juice. Alternatively, though we recommend you visit both, a boutique wine collection with an impressive selection of drops awaits at Cellar by Luke.

Fancy a cocktail during the day? Escape the daily grind at Harper Rooftop Bar. Sit poolside and work through the playful cocktail menu, including the ‘Summer Holidaze’ cocktail with vodka, pandan, pinot grigio and lychee. Luke Mangan has designed these to be paired with tasty Mediterranean-inspired bites such as tempura zucchini flowers, cajun spiced prawns and artichoke ravioli.

Nibble on Mediterranean-style snacks and drinks at Harper Rooftop Bar.

Does Kimpton Margot Sydney have access for guests with disabilities?

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

Is Kimpton Margot Sydney family-friendly?

With its 22 interconnecting rooms, swimming pool and city location, Kimpton Margot Sydney is ideal for families.

Details

Best for: Design-savvy travellers

Address: 339 Pitt St, Sydney

Phone: (02) 8027 8000

Cost: From $289 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!

Kimpton Margot Sydney blends Art Deco charm with modern sensibilities

Five-star excellence meets laidback charm at Kimpton Margot Sydney.

Location

Style and character

Facilities

Rooms

Food and drink

Does Kimpton Margot Sydney have access for guests with disabilities?

Is Kimpton Margot 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.