The Capella Sydney is a place of history and culture. Photo / Timothy Kaye
Who boasts the latest and greatest new hotels to wow guests in 2024 - Melbourne or Sydney? With a flush of new openings, Melbourne-based writer, Michelle Tchea tries to take an unbiased approach
When it comes to rivalries, Melbourne and Sydney have a pretty competitive fight on their hands.
While everything is friendly - we challenge each other on what some may consider trivial things like sports, culinary prowess, and also best beaches - we are quite serious about who ends up on top.
The friendly rivalry between the two Australian cities is very much tongue--in-cheek. Us Melburnians don’t fear Sydneysiders because we know we are superior. Perhaps I’m biased being born and raised in the beautiful Garden City.
However, I’m happy to see that our affectionate love/hate relationship for each other has made both our cities more alluring, enticing and exciting for travellers who choose to visit here - especially when it comes to hotels.
In the last couple of years, both cities have seen a boom in hotel openings. Post-pandemic, luxury properties have opened up across the country - pushing Melbourne to be the country’s largest hotel market for the first time - overtaking Sydney in a category which it has dominated for more than 23 years.
As the cities go head-to-head and try to exceed expectations, we’re seeing an exciting hotel rivalry. Here are the best newcomers to check out in each city.
Ritz-Carlton
A lofty hotel offering sweeping views of Melbourne is now found in Australia’s tallest building and most luxurious hotel: The Ritz-Carlton. After opening two years ago, Melburnians finally have a five-star luxury hotel to rival Crown Towers which has been catering to Melbourne’s elite for the last 30 years. It is no longer the most elegant, most classy and most sought after luxury experience in town with the presence of the Ritz-Carlton looming high above. The luxury urban retreat has a private Ritz-Carlton Club, which caters to the most discerning travellers who want a 24-hour butler service, as well as access to an expansive spa on the 64th floor equipped with a steam room, sauna and vitality pool - whatever catches your fancy. But the piece de resistance is the dining. Cameo is the place for great cocktails and level 80 offers you the best afternoon tea in Melbourne right now, but real foodies will gravitate to Atria where chef Michael Greenlaw perfects sustainable and seasonal ingredients - taking them to new heights (no pun intended) with seemingly very little effort. Choose from handpicked mud crab, dry-aged duck and a chocolate manjari dessert - just don’t look down if you’re afraid of heights.
ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/melrz-the-ritz-carlton-melbourne/overview
READ MORE: What it’s like to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne
W Melbourne
If you’re looking for culture in the inner confines of your hotel room - stay a night (or two) at W Melbourne. Opened in 2021, the hotel takes its cue from the famous Melbourne laneways - street art is found splashed out on the hotel walls, colourful murals are in public spaces and there’s a slight buzz around the property with it being tucked in one of Melbourne’s most popular streets: Flinders Lane. You can’t beat the location and if you are a foodie - you will love the closeness to some of Melbourne’s hottest restaurants. However, you really don’t have to leave the hotel for a great meal, the hotel has it all: start with a pre-dinner drink at Curious with live DJ acts and stiff cocktails which change every four months in the hotel’s slightly hidden underground bar, before heading up to Lollo for a casual dinner showcasing some of Australia’s finest ingredients like grilled octopus and fresh-caught snapper. If you feel like indulging in Melbourne’s exciting melting pot culture, have an intimate Omakase dining experience at Warabi. The nine-course dinner tasting menu takes you from land to sea with wagyu beef simmered in a soy-broth to grilled eel prepared on a Hibachi BBQ - be sure to choose the Expressionist sake and wine pairing for the complete experience.
marriott.com/en-us/hotels/melwh-w-melbourne/overview
The Interlude, Pentridge
How brave are you? When it comes to superlative experiences, The Interlude, Pentridge takes the cake. The former prison was recently converted into a luxury five-star hotel and stands as one of Australia’s most luxurious urban retreats. Only 19 suites exist in this beautifully transformed property where four cells have been converted into premier rooms for weary travellers to indulge in. But while the rooms boast marble bathroom floors, comfy Dreamcatcher beds and a locally sourced mini-bar, the hotel amenities make it hard to stay in the inner confines of your room (no pun intended). There is the Olivine wine bar with a very impressive wine list and the hotel’s only restaurant: North and Common, headed up by new chef Abhi Dey who worked in our very own the Sugar Club, Auckland, before coming to Melbourne. Late night dwellers who don’t like to sleep can either take part in the hotel’s private tours of the former prison or take a warm dip in the subterranean pool.
W Sydney
Some say this is the most exciting hotel to open in Australia and it’s hard to argue with the rumoured $1billion W Sydney setting a whole new standard on Sydney’s Harbour. Located on the other side of the Bridge and Opera House (away from the crowds yet still just a 25 minute walk to iconic landmarks), the W Sydney is a cultural destination meant for locals and travellers alike to mingle, drink cocktails and even swim on the lifestyle hotel’s rooftop pool, Wet. With its location on the cusp of Chinatown, by the marina and also just a short six-minute walk into the Sydney CBD, the hotel pays tribute to its surroundings with a marine life vibe in the hallway, cool graffiti art in the restaurant, BTWN, and also an urban hideaway found in the Away spa - perfect for manicures, pedicures and a deep tissue massage. The hotel is deeply proud of its design and has an energetic team behind it. “At W Sydney, we channel the boundless energy of our beautiful harbour city and its culture of inclusivity with a tuned-in curious attitude - amplified through the always-on programming and locally inspired design native,” says newly appointed general manager Titus Rosier.
marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sydwh-w-sydney/overview
Capella Sydney
Sitting in the Sandstone Precinct, just minutes from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is the Capella Sydney. More than just a hotel, the property stands as a place of history and culture with the original inhabitants, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - one of the oldest custodians of the land being honoured in the hotel’s activities that all guests can enjoy free of charge. Showing respect for the Indigenous heritage on which the luxury property stands on, the hotel private wellness sessions and also evening sessions discuss stories detailing Australia’s past - all of which are best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand. There are three dining options here: Brasserie 1930, McRae Bar and Aperture where dinner, late-night drinks, as well as afternoon tea can be enjoyed, respectively.
capellahotels.com/en/capella-sydney
The Porter House
Located in a 1870s heritage-listed building, the 36-storey building with 122 guest rooms and suites sits idly on Hyde Park - perfect for morning walks and afternoon strolls. The hotel offers quiet elegance with an almost urban feeling oozing through the walls of the historical property. A place for urban dwellers who want to make Sydney feel like home during their short holiday in the city, the hotel restaurant Henry’s Bread and Wine and also Dixson & Sons restaurant are both destinations for people who want to indulge in homegrown Aussie ingredients - helmed by chef Emrys Jones who likes to keep things local with Yamba prawns and Murray cod all on the menu.
Crown Sydney
The first six-star luxury property on Sydney’s Harbour is none other than the lofty Crown Sydney Towers. All the experiences are here for the flashiest stay in Sydney: a glittering infinity pool, luxurious interiors and even a home-made pasta palace: A’mare. Celebrities apparently all choose to stay at Crown Sydney with Taylor Swift the most recent guest. The hotel staff are quite hush-hush about her stay but let’s assume she had sushi at Nobu, enjoyed a T-bone steak at Woodcut and celebrated her last show at Oncore by Clare Smyth. Then again, maybe she just sat around her suite and admired the views of the harbour at 75-floors above water.
The chef chats to Herald Travel about unforgettable foodie experiences in Aotearoa.