Project Overview

Hilton Sydney is an iconic modernist Sydney hotel.
It opened in 1975 it is the second International 5-star hotel to be built in Australia and is located in the coveted mid-town area of the city.

Project Commissioner

JLL (on behalf of owner, Bright Ruby)

Project Creator

a+ design group

 

Team

Mike Watson, Cameron Ng

Project Brief

The brief to A+ Design Group was the refurbishment of all 597 guestrooms, suites and corridors.
A key consideration was a re-positioning the hotel for the next 10 years. It was critical that the new room design was embraced by returning corporate guests as well as attracting new weekend leisure guests.
The owners also wanted to add 8 new guestrooms by re-configuring 4 of the existing 3-bay King Suites.
It had been 15 years since the last room refurbishment but the bathrooms and held up well as a contemporary design so the emphasis was placed on the bedroom area of the guestroom.
We wanted to not only design a contemporary hotel room but design a room which reflected the needs of the modern traveller.
Gone were the needs for a large work desk as today's guests blur the line between leisure and work with increasingly portable and accessible devices. Over 25% of the current room area was taken up by the desk zone - we removed this and replaced it with a signature armchair and ottoman with a table which could be used by guests to dine or work at. We also designed a console under the TV if guests preferred to plug in and work at a desk height table.
A combination of narrow beam downlights, concealed LED strip lighting and custom loose lamps create a warm residential feel to the room while focusing light where the guest needs it.

Project Innovation/Need

We immediately set about de-cluttering of the room (we wanted to see as much carpet as possible) - this has had a dramatic effect on the apparent room size - it now feels like a much bigger room.
This coupled with our combination of finishes selection and skilful use of lighting completely changed the room ambience - guest feedback regularly includes 'calm', 'relaxing' and 'comfortable'.

Design Challenge

The key design challenge was the size and narrow width of the room - at 28 sq.m it is small for a 5-star hotel. We needed to work hard to ensure all of the elements in the room worked in harmony. The scale of the furniture and joinery was carefully considered to create as much space as possible for guests.
The second design challenge was the tight budget which meant we needed to carefully consider how we integrated and modified existing elements such as the bedhead to tie in with the new elements.

Sustainability

Timbers used in the joinery and furniture was required to be from sustainable sources and the adhesives and lacquers needed to be environmentally friendly.
The custom carpet is 80% wool with the balance largely from recycled materials. Also, the water used in the production of the carpets is recycled within the factory.
All paints were water-based and all lighting used low wattage LED lamps.

Interior Design - Hospitality - Stay

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors where people sleep, accomodation such as hotels, furnished apartments, resorts and even private clubs. Judging consideration is given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration is also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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