Hotel review: Kimpton Margot Sydney
The boutique American brand has made its mark on one of Sydney’s most important art deco buildings.
Floor coverings inspire a certain fanaticism in hotel aficionados. You need only take a quick glance at Instagram to find multiple nerdy accounts devoted to carpets – #random hotel carpets, #questionable hotel carpets and #the hotel carpet chronicles among them. So perhaps it’s not strange to find myself photographing, somewhat obsessively, the green and cream terrazzo tiles of the new (but historic) Kimpton Margot Sydney. The flooring is so pleasingly and perfectly geometrical, as are the pastel tiles that line the corridors on this, the sixth level of the heritage-listed 1939 Sydney Water Board building. They’re just two of many features in a hotel with plenty of stories to tell.
Kimpton Margot Sydney signals the grand entrance of the boutique American brand, part of IHG Hotels and Resorts, into Australia’s hotel scene. And what a building to put the Kimpton stamp on. From its curved exterior, bronze-framed windows and marble-flanked lifts to the old porcelain water bubblers and giant minimalist clock, the place screams heritage – art deco and Bauhaus, to be precise.
And no feature screams it more loudly than the stunning red scagliola columns that dominate the cavernous lobby, reception and bar area. The finely detailed plaster has been kept in tip-top condition by the highly skilled Victorian-Italian family involved in their creation back in the ’30s. The pillars are so precious that nothing, not even the newly installed light trees encircling them, is allowed to touch their surface. It’s these kind of constraints, but attention to detail, that have resulted in such a beautiful $8m revamp of what was Primus Hotel.
Opened in 2015, the Primus was a favourite of mine for pre-show cocktails. In the gentle hands of interior designers Stack Studio, Kimpton Margot Sydney has emerged as a more convivial, welcoming place. Some elements will be familiar to fans of its previous iteration; the property has been refreshed, not completely overhauled. Importantly, the lighting has been softened, especially in the lobby lounge, where an enormous skylight has always bathed the space in natural rays. Furnishings here are an eclectic mix of pastel velvet couches, plaid and swirling carpets, deco-style tables and shelving units displaying collectibles of the era and coffee-table tomes on design. Stack Studio has succeeded in its mission to create the feeling of a highly stylish living room. It’s a place where guests and visitors can gather for cocktails from the sleek Wilmot Bar or coffee from The Pantry at Margot, where a shiny espresso machine takes pride of place on a hefty slab of marble (beans by MotherSky). Every evening, from 5pm, guests are welcome to partake in Social Hour, with a staff member serving complimentary tipples from a drinks trolley. It’s all so civilised, without being stuffy.
So, who is the mysterious Margot? General manager Bruce Ryde describes her as an amalgam of midcentury female artists such as Margaret Preston and Margaret Olley, strong creative women who made their mark on Australia’s cultural landscape. Art plays a central role in the hotel’s new look. Almost 600 individually chosen pieces, including sculptures, paintings and prints, are on show, curated by the keen eye of consultancy Artduo Australia. The angular lines of art deco and Bauhaus contrast with feminine portraits and lush potted plants. Black and white photographs adorn the walls of the curvaceous mezzanine level, while a striking abstract sculpture by Tony Twigg dominates the entrance. Wherever you look, something decorative catches the eye.
There are 172 guestrooms and suites ranging across the property, with the pick of the bunch the Celebrity and Diplomat suites. I’m up on the sixth floor in a one-bedroom suite rather unimaginatively categorised as a “1 King 1 Bedroom and Living Area High Floor”. Surely there’s a more evocative name to describe this elegant accommodation. It opens to a living area with reading nook, a dining table for six, wet bar, powder room and a navy velvet lounge perfect for relaxing with a movie or admiring the painting hanging above a nest of pretty tables topped with mother-of-pearl. The minibar is stocked with half bottles of Penfolds wine, Peroni beer, Antipodes water and premixed cocktails, and a Nespresso machine is at the ready.
Unlike guestrooms with views, Room 605 is dark and moody, even a touch Gotham City. The bedroom has a king-size bed with towering leather bedhead, smart TV and abundant storage. It leads to a slick bathroom of marble and travertine with black tapware, rain shower, Mr Smith amenities and a temptingly deep tub. On the tech side of things, guest services and hotel information are accessed via a tablet (which can also screen yoga workouts), and the TVs are Chromecast-enabled. Deco features include panelled walls and recessed ceilings, chevron-patterned wallpaper and plush ocean-blue carpet zig-zagged with golden stripes. It’s hard to believe this indulgent hideaway is on the same floor that scientists once tested the city’s drinking water in laboratories, and where up to 240 employees ate lunch in a staff dining room.
Dining at Kimpton Margot Sydney is in the hands of the irrepressible Luke Mangan, who has revived his Waterloo eatery Luke’s Kitchen on the ground floor adjacent to the lobby. The menu encompasses everything from snacks and small plates (try the prawn toast topped with spanner crab and the kingfish sashimi with sesame dressing) and more substantial fare such as tender spiced lamb rump with golden beetroot and pan-fried gnocchi. I intend to return, hungry and with an assistant, for the dry-aged duck to share.
Mangan is putting the final touches on a cellar where guests can sample fine wines and enjoy private tastings and degustation meals. He will also be turning the extensive rooftop-pool zone into a bar and grill. Meanwhile, there are bottomless brunches at his restaurant on Saturdays, with live music on the side. The enthusiasm and energy Mangan is bringing to the venue is palpable.
Ryde tells me of plans to host pop-up events on the mezzanine – perhaps blow bars and Champagne for gals on a night out. There are ideas, too, for the “strongroom” beneath the lobby. This compact space still holds the safe used to store the cash Sydneysiders paid for their water rates. It may become a whisky bar. A fleet of Dutch Lekker bikes is on hand for guests who want to explore the city (picnic hampers available). And in line with Kimpton’s pet policy, furry best friends are welcome.
It’s all part of what Kimpton calls “ridiculously personalised experiences”, says Ryde. Certainly, the brand is going to some lengths to stand out from the cookie-cutter hotel crowd. But for me, what makes Kimpton Margot Sydney extra special is the astonishing building it occupies and the sense of history it exudes.
In the know
Kimpton Margot Sydney is at 339 Pitt St, Sydney; rooms from $339 a night. Luke’s Kitchen is open for breakfast daily; brunch 11am-2.30pm Saturday; dinner 6pm-10pm Thursday to Saturday.
Penny Hunter was a guest of Kimpton Margot Sydney.