New design-driven hotel, 202 Elizabeth, opens in Sydney

In Sydney’s inner-city region of Surry Hills, a new, boutique 38-room hotel titled 202 Elizabeth has opened on, not surprisingly, Elizabeth Street.

The designer, eco-conscious hotel spans six floors and is accessed through discrete doors.

All 38 rooms vary, with no two exactly alike. Several feature balconies overlooking the street below.

Guests will be greeted on arrival with a welcome drink that is a modern interpretation of an artisan tea. Australian brands are used throughout the hotel — including Hunter Lab supplying bathroom amenities; Piyama supplying luxury robes; and several food and beverage brands in the mini bars.

The hotel will be home to Sydney’s first Handpicked Wines retail outpost (the other being located at 80 Collins Street, Melbourne).

Design notes

Owner of the hotel, Diana Ren, is passionate about organic products and textures, using several throughout the hotel in furnishings and also in the food and beverage selections.

Interior design has been managed by styled by Lisa Madigan who has sought to bring the outdoors in as well as showcasing Australian artists and designers throughout.

A selection of curated vintage and one-off pieces adorn the lobby and public spaces, with artworks from Ash Leslie, Johnny Payne Ngale and Lean Timms; and furnishings by Sarah Ellison, Rachel Donath and McMullin & Co.

Eye-catching wallpapers have been sourced from Kingdom Home Design in each of the guestrooms, reflecting motifs of pineapples, palm fronds or roses.

The premium rooms include the Surry room, featuring sleek bathrooms, a rain shower, king-size beds, and luxurious touches; and The Lizzy, a grand suite located on the top floor with a double vanity, walk-in rain shower and bathtub.

From a spacious rooftop terrace, all guests can take in views of Surry Hills and the tracks of Sydney’s Central railway. On the ground floor an outdoor courtyard will open to a soon-to-be completed Handpicked Wines outpost and wine tasting room which will double as an area for guests to work from.

Pets are also welcome at the hotel. We hear that General Manager, Adam Males’ French Bulldog, Sochi, will act as the hotel’s Director of Pet Relations — cute.

Locals will be welcome to join morning neighbourhood yoga sessions on the rooftop.

Sustainability

Built by Sydney-based Alessi Design + Build from the inside out, due to a lack of site access, the building process involved using cross-laminated timber (CLT), most of which was built offsite and then lifted into place by cranes. As a result, the hotel features exposed timber throughout, including in the lift shaft and the main feature, the wooden fire escape stairs, encased by glass and running down the centre of the hotel.

202 Elizabeth says that CLT is the only readily available carbon-negative structural material available. Further, there was zero waste during construction, making 202 Elizabeth one of Sydney’s most sustainably built hotels.

Rates start from $350 per night.

202elizabeth.com.au