Sydney's Iconic Paramount House Reopens As A Boutique Hotel

By Dan Ahwa
Viva
The hotel features 29 tastefully decorated rooms. Photo / Tom Ross

A star was re-born when one of Sydney’s heritage landmarks, Paramount House, reopened in April.

The former Australian headquarters of Paramount Picture Studios in the heart of Surry Hills has been reimagined as a quietly elegant boutique hotel with a focus on the local environment.

The hotel is the first offering from Mark Dundon, Russell Beard and Ping Jin Ng the team behind Sydney cafes Reuben Hills and Bondi Hall and the overall refurbishment has been realised by Melbourne architecture firm Breathe.

The 29 rooms have all been tastefully decorated, with furnishings from a host of Australian makers reflecting its local-centric ethos. Rooms include Aesop amenities, Jardan furniture, dusky-toned Cultiver linen on the beds, brass detailing, Seljak merino blankets and curated artwork from nearby China Heights gallery.

Elements of the building also inform the design of the hotel, such as the brick parapet or remnants of stairwells that once existed; but it’s the highly Instagrammable lift interiors that will make you smile hot-pink, floor-to-ceiling wallpaper featuring the repeated motifs of kitschy hibiscus flowers and a diver in swim trunks.

The building was first constructed in the 1940s. Photo / Instagram @paramounthousehotel
The building was first constructed in the 1940s. Photo / Instagram @paramounthousehotel

Explore the adjoining co-tenants Golden Age Cinema (a restored 56-seat cinema where films from the Paramount Pictures days are screened), Paramount Coffee Project, The Office Space and Paramount Recreation Club all created as a communal hub for cultural and social gatherings.

Be sure to taste the craft beer on tap and take home a special souvenir from the gift shop an organic bathrobe from the hotel, perhaps, created by local workwear specialist Worktones; or one of their own chic Paramount umbrellas by Blunt.

Feeling peckish? The mini bar is stocked with local cheese, cured meats and Wildflower and Yulli’s Brews craft beers. Terrazzo-tiled and timber-floored bathrooms with Japanese-style wooden bathtubs beckon after a day of meetings or sightseeing amid the hustle and bustle of the city.

• Room rates start from Everyday rooms (A$240 a night) to Mack Daddy rooms (A$525 a night). Visit Paramounthousehotel.com and Destinationnsw.com.au

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