Establishment Hotel

Now in its second decade, this stylish hotel has managed to remain relevant, thanks to a luxury-oriented minimalism that has stood the test of time. Merivale, the founding company, has opened a bewildering number of new dining and nightlife options in the area since the hotel’s, ahem, establishment, so staying here feels like having your finger firmly on the pulse.

• The spacious marble bathrooms, with their peekaboo glass walls.
• The cool industrial-chic aesthetic.
• Some of Sydney’s best nightlife and dining options at the same address.

A financial-district favorite, the Establishment has all the amenities of a luxury hotel with the intimacy of a boutique inn. A short stroll from Sydney Harbour, the hotel offers a choice of décor in its guest rooms: a hip, Zen-inspired warehouse-like simplicity with black polished floorboards and a more traditional setting featuring autumnal tones and fresh flowers. (Both have marble-and-glass bathrooms that are fabulous and roomy.) The award-winning Est restaurant is presided over by one of Sydney’s best chefs, Peter Doyle. Hotel guests also get access to the elite Hemmesphere Bar, whose members include Sydney’s movers and shakers – and don’t miss the group’s new hotspots Mr. Wong, a Cantonese dining hotspot, and cocktail joint Gin Garden, both in the same Bridge Lane building.

Scene-seeking globe-trotters, style-conscious business travelers, couples looking for a fun weekend in the city.