Glass rooms pop up at Sydney harbourside hotel for winter

Sydney hotel Pier One has welcomed back its Glass Room pop-up in time for winter, this time with glass-walled enclosures on not one but two of its luxury suite balconies.

The five-star stay will also be hosting private ceramics classes in the pop-up suites as part of a one-off collaboration with Sydney-based clay artist Guy Vadas of Pottery Boy.

Pottery studio with a view … Guy Vadas hosts private ceramics workshops at Pier One’s Glass Room suites.

Available through to September 29, 2024, each west-facing Glass Room is designed to take advantage of the property’s knockout harbourside location.

The launch of the suites coincides with the city’s annual light spectacle, Vivid Sydney, which runs through to June 15 and, perhaps fittingly given the feast of pyrotechnics, projections and visual artistry swirling about, will showcase the creative touches of Vadas throughout.

The Stargazer Suite … sleep out under the stars.

The Ceramiques founder has overseen both Glass Room interiors, with a serenely earthy palette of greens and neutrals, sculptural ceramic pieces and sumptuous soft furnishings.

Guests can also channel their inner artiste through an in-room DIY ceramic experience ($80 a person), or opt for an exclusive 90-minute private interactive pottery class led by Vadas himself ($2000 for up to 10 people).

The Soiree Suite … for an intimate gathering.

The two Glass Rooms comprise The Soiree Suite, featuring plush lounge seating for up to eight, and The Stargazer Suite, fitted out with a double bed for a cosy winter sleepout under the stars. Guests can also choose from a range of beverage and catering options, including charcuterie plates, sandwiches, dips and deep-fried party bites.

A number of catering options are available for Glass Room guests.

Room hire from $500 for groups of up to 10 for 2½ hours from 12pm each day. The price includes some food and drinks. (Additional people $50 each, with a total guest limit of 12). Booking a Friday or Saturday overnight costs a further $450.

For last year’s pop-up Glass Room, Pier One partnered with interiors guru and In the Roundhouse founder Alyce Tran on a luxe maximalist-inspired suite, complete with a cedar hot tub.

Oysters charred with smoked wagyu fat and coconut vinegar.

The return of the Glass Rooms follows the launch of Pier One’s new restaurant Pier Dining on May 1, replacing The Gantry and offering a more casual, seafood-geared menu spearheaded by chef Dimitri Damman.

In homage to the Oyster Bar and Crab Cooker restaurant which once resided along the pier, the Sydney rock oyster gets star treatment, served freshly shucked or charred with smoked wagyu fat and coconut vinegar, and familiar comfort favourites also get a seafood spin, including a King George whiting “parmi”, and a campanelle carbonara made with a house-cured kingfish collar in place of guanciale or bacon.

See pieronesydneyharbour.com.au/glass-room