The lowdown | The InterContinental Sydney off Macquarie Street is “tightly held” as they say in real estate circles. Housed in Colonial Sydney’s Treasury building (vintage: 1851), it was reconfigured – and a modern tower built for the guest rooms – in the 1980s, ahead of opening as a glittering five-star hotel in 1985. It’s operated as an InterContinental ever since (37 years and counting), and this is the 509-room hotel’s biggest ever refurbishment.

Selling point | You’re sleeping a stone’s throw from Circular Quay, with views that stretch from the Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s west across to the Sydney Heads from the upper-level public areas, such as the rooftop Aster Bar.