What’s in a name? Plenty when it’s Kings Cross
This new Sydney hotel may claim a salubrious address but it’s in a neighbourhood with tales to tell – and I love it.
Context and detail are everything in good design and this is instantly apparent at the new Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point, tucked away on the Darlinghurst edge of the famed Coca-Cola neon billboard at the top of William St, Kings Cross. It’s my second encounter with the Indigo brand, an independent member of the mammoth IHG portfolio. There are about 150 Indigo hotels worldwide, all invested in district connections and individual style, and the majority are to found in the US, although less expected destinations include the Galapagos and Taiwan.
When Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets opened in 2021, I was among the first guests and can well recall my delight at so many clever decor quirks and artwork with historic and contemporary pointers to the borough’s denizens and milestones. Its Indigo stablemates on Melbourne’s Flinders Lane and Brisbane City Centre tick all the boxes, too. Of course, Sydney’s Kings Cross precinct has a tale or two to share, mostly X-rated during its heyday of nightclubs, strippers and underworld crime. But this just-opened property, reborn on the former Larmont Sydney by Lancemore site, is named for the more salubrious Potts Point, even though its location at the nexus of Darlinghurst and Kings Cross clearly indicates otherwise. Semantics? Yes, I think so. Potts Point is within cooee and maybe sounds more up-market. Nonetheless, this spot, no matter how you choose to spin it, is handy, with Kings Cross Station a short stroll away (one stop to the CBD’s Martin Place) and mid-city attractions within reasonable walking distance.
Witty references throughout the property nod directly to Kings Cross history and enliven the decor. With such a neighbourhood on the doorstep, the hotel has pared back on leisure amenities, so there’s no pool, spa or fancy wellness falderals, but Anytime Fitness is adjacent for workouts, and the neatly designed X Cafe, which merges with the open-plan lobby, has good coffee, pastries, light meals and snacks, plus space to spread out and work amid a backdrop of references to famous characters of the Cross, music and literature. A black and white photo of a burlesque dancer juggling her feathers and sprinkling confetti is a real showstopper, as is a contemplative image by Gary Heery of everyone’s favourite rocker, Jimmy Barnes, and a gorgeous capture of Deborah Mailman caught mid-laugh. Vintage vinyls are part of the mix, so spin a platter, if you dare. It is indeed night-clubby in this starstruck ground-floor space, also thanks to a red-carpet strip to the lifts worthy of an opening night, dramatic lighting, and stage curtains that hang halfway from the ceiling, as if caught mid-reveal.
There are 105 guestrooms, some with balconies, and all appear sleek and smooth, but categories vary so check the website for dimensions and layouts. Ensconced on level 12, a former penthouse-only eyrie in prior incarnations, the views from the terrace of my corner room 1211 edge left towards Darlinghurst via Dylan Mooney’s 40m mural titled Still Thriving, which sums up gay pride, Indigenous inclusivity and local loyalties in one colourful swoop. I look straight ahead and the view sails along William St. This covered outdoor perch feels like the prow of a cruise ship, with outdoor seating, potted plants and a cute table lantern. If a deck steward were to pop from behind the succulents and offered a sail-away cocktail, I’d scarce be surprised.
Above the king bed, airbrushed photographic wall art of one of the lacy ladies of Potts Point adds a cute touch, and I don’t mean saucy gals of the night but the typical balconied Victorian terraces of the area, mostly preserved amid the upheaval of ’80s urban redevelopment, legal and otherwise. Other retro touches include a (faux) rotary-dial telephone, bright pops of mod pink in textiles, and a pair of skimpily cut Bambury palm-patterned towelling robes to pop over ’70s shortie PJs and baby doll nighties. Surry Hills-based Five Foot One Design has created the overall look with great care and craft, even down to eyewitness reference books, including Louis Nowra’s 2013 “biography” of the district, simply titled Kings Cross. The compact ensuite area is semi open-plan, equipped with Biology unguents, and roomy enough for two guests, but its frosted glass petitions may not prove to be particularly private or soundproof.
The cherry (la cerise, perhaps) on the top is the hotel’s associated bar and diner, Luc-San, its hybrid name a clear clue to French-Japanese fusion cuisine. Turn right from the hotel’s porte-cochere and then left into Pennys Lane and there’s a neat sense of being in, and of, the neighbourhood. At the helm is seemingly indefatigable Sydney chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan, so expect his trademark focus of a bar-brasserie vibe and seasonal local ingredients. If we were in Tokyo, Luc-San would be amid the izakaya zones of Shibuya or Roppongi; in Paris, nestled along a narrow street on the Left Bank. It might seem like a geographic mishmash of cuisines, but let’s not forget Mangan originally trained under Michel Roux at the legendary Waterside Inn by the River Thames, and owned and operated Salt Tokyo in the heart of the metropolis in the early 2000s. Flavours such as shoyu, yuzu and green tea represent the east while classic steak tartare gets a nod, but not before fried sushi rice and wasabi join the party. A cherry blossom martini, anyone? It’s all very fresh and fun and so close to the jazzy new Indigo that you could almost roll around the corner and into bed.
In the know
Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point is at 2-14 Kings Cross Rd. Stay two nights or more for an introductory 20 per cent off rates; from $220 a night. Luc-San opens Tuesday-Saturday, 4pm to 11pm; for hotel guests, light dinner options are available at X Cafe on Sunday and Monday evenings.
Susan Kurosawa was a guest of Hotel Indigo Sydney Potts Point.
