Adelaide Marriott: The historic GPO transformed into a modern hotel with a rich legacy
After a sensitive renovation, the 19th-century sandstone building has become a slick city address for visitors.
In August 1872, the construction of the Overland Telegraph connecting Adelaide with Darwin across some of the most remote stretches on the continent was completed. Shortly afterwards, this was connected to underwater cables to England, reducing communications between Australia and Europe from some four months via snail mail steamer ships to a mere five hours.
Adelaide Marriott
This remarkable advancement was attributed in large part to Sir Charles Todd, a Greenwich astronomer who came to Adelaide in 1855 and whose wife lent her name to Alice Springs. Todd was South Australia’s postmaster-general and his legacy is celebrated at the new Adelaide Marriott in a stunning transformation of the city’s 1867-built GPO, looming over the corner of King William and Franklin streets. The hotel houses a wonderful collection of commissioned art linking the story of the Overland Telegraph with the GPO, including a laser-cut steel installation by Warren Pickering recreating the first telegram sent by Todd in Morse code.
Historic features
In the hotel’s Penny Blue restaurant (named for the stamp) I’m continuing the building’s legacy for innovation in communication by perusing Instagram while Claudio rustles up a cocktail, perhaps an “Adelady-an” with local vodka, or a non-alcoholic Royal Adelaide punch. The cocktail list is retro but the food, courtesy of young chef Maddy Zhang, is Mod Oz (although there’s Beef Wellington if the 19th-century mood takes you). I recommend the saltbush lamb cappelletti or freshly shucked Coffin Bay oysters with a tasty beurre blanc, chicken skin crumb and Avruga caviar. Zhang comes to the hotel from the popular French-flavoured Crafers Hotel in the Adelaide Hills, and an earlier stint in Paris is evident in his classic technique.
Hotel check-in
The restaurant occupies part of the heritage building, so ceilings are sky-high, with an open kitchen behind a floor-to-ceiling bank of filing drawers and another wall of compelling archival photos provided by the State Library of South Australia, including a hirsute Todd and Afghan cameleers. Opened at the end of August 2024 with 285 guestrooms and suites in a new build 14-storey tower above the GPO, the Adelaide Marriott has generously proportioned spaces that begin in the impressive lobby and reception areas.
The space is immense and so are the artworks, including two wall sculptures in copper inspired by the pneumatic tubes once used to carry urgent messages beneath the streets of Adelaide. Even the floral arrangements of banana flowers and waratahs are larger than life. A glass of chilled South Australian wine is offered at check-in, which is a nice touch if you don’t have any meetings upcoming in the 24/7 M-Club on Level 1, offering drinks and snacks in the evening to Club room category guests.
Room features
There are two Club rooms on every floor (20 and 21) and all offer great city views with a large walk-in wardrobe, separate loo, big bathroom with a deep tub and commodious shower. The palette is all soothing shades of white, soft caramels and creamy taupe with a pop of shiraz in the rug (the colour scheme is inspired by the life cycle of a grapevine) and there’s oodles of space in which to work or relax, including a corner table and large chaise longue beneath the window. A giant TV, laptop-size safe, plenty of coat hangers and minibar with requisite coffee pod machine are all to hand. The mood is comfortable, the fit-out uncluttered with no jarring elements and plenty to love, including large bedside tables with charging and power points, a big digital clock (always handy when you wake in the middle of the night in a strange city), generously proportioned robes, demisting mirrors in the bathroom and reusable water bottles with a filling station on every floor.
Heritage renovation
Care has been taken to integrate the new structure with the heritage building. A champagne-coloured dye was specially formulated for the tower’s frame to ensure it harmonises with the honey-coloured sandstone of the GPO. Work continues on the grand postal hall that will house a collection of heritage guestrooms opening in 2026 in the vein of The Tasman in Hobart, says Adelaide Marriott general manager Paul Gallop.
Meanwhile, the hotel taps into Adelaide’s burgeoning laneway culture with a cool coffee bar opening on to Post Office Lane. The hotel’s central GPO locale puts the Central Market, North Terrace cultural precinct, Rundle Mall and Adelaide Oval within easy walking distance. Or you could get your steps up in the fancy hotel gym, the first in Australia to offer Technogym Excite fitness equipment, or clock up a few laps in the 18m swimming pool on level 2.
Service is attentive but it’s the wonderful old bones of the GPO and thoughtful artworks that really sing, from the black and white photos of the building’s architectural details in the guestrooms to aerial renderings of the desert landscape crossed by the Overland Telegraph and culturally significant pieces by artists from the APY Lands. For weather nerds there’s even the first continental synoptic chart.
In the know
Adelaide Marriott is at 141 King William Street; rooms from $309 a night. City Escape packages with complimentary cocktails for two at Exchange Lane, parking and 1pm checkout are available to February 9.
Christine McCabe was a guest of Marriott Hotels.
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