QT Sydney – Hotel Review

Don’t expect subtlety from the maximalist QT Sydney, which wraps around the glittering State Theatre on Market Street. Even Parlour Cucina, the on-site Italian at the hotel’s entrance, is gloriously gilded. But once you reach the hotel lobby, the eclectic extravagance softens into a kind of polished bower birdism where everything fits – even if nothing seems to match. Read on for the full review.

The frills aren’t just in the interiors. There are two on-site eateries here, as well as a full-service spa, barber shop and gym. QT Sydney is its own little glittering galaxy of good times, right in the heart of the CBD.

Where is QT Sydney?

QT Sydney sits beside Sydney’s State Theatre on Market Street. It’s a 25-minute drive from Sydney’s International and Domestic Airports and a five-minute walk from Town Hall train station, which has easy (and quick) public transport links to the airport.

What’s near QT Sydney?

Across the road from the multi-level Myer department store, mere metres from Pitt Street Mall, the Strand Arcade and the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), QT Sydney is practically heaven for those who’ve come to Sydney to shop. It’s also a 15-minute walk down to waterside dining hub Barangaroo and three quick tram stops from Circular Quay, where the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House unfold in full view.

Room types

Rooms at QT Sydney are divisible into “room” and “suite” categories, with a few types of each. Even the smaller room selections, such as the QT King, have a sense of expansiveness, with double dark marble vanities in bathrooms, small, built-in work desks and occasional chairs for lounging. Suites are decidedly more spacious with a full-sized workstation, round or slipper-shaped soaking tubs and stunning heritage touches like original timber flooring or windows. No matter the room type, guests will receive Kevin Murphy toiletries, free and fast wi-fi, in-room movies, T2 teas and coffee machines with pods.

Restaurants and bars

The arresting Parlour Cucina, on the hotel’s ground floor, is a triumph of balance. The Italian’s interiors are exquisite, with original ceilings, walls and fixtures from the 1930s still intact. The menu is more restrained but no less impressive: for lunch and dinner, it’s just a trio of rich pasta dishes with a selection of cheese, charcuterie and antipasti. Breakfast, including coffee by The Little Marionette, is also available from 7am.

Under the instruction of Sean Connolly, who joined QT Sydney as the creative director of food and beverage in 2021, the upstairs Gowings restaurant has had a glow-up. Reimagining the New York steakhouse, there’s seemingly no beast left unserved: everything from Fremantle octopus to Ulladulla sea urchin has made the menu.

Travel for work

Wi-fi is free in all rooms at QT Sydney and while all include workspaces, suites feature a full-size workstation for more comfortable inbox-checking.

A selection of naturally-lit meeting spaces are available for hire, too – all with audio-visual equipment, free wi-fi and some with views out over the QVB.

Spa, gym and barber shop

The treatments at apothecary-esque spaQ easily prove the value of the hotel’s “more is more” approach. Employing a kind of a mix-and-match style menu spanning facials, body treatments and a hammam-inspired steam room, each experience is infused with ingredients such as lychee, coffee, sea kelp and salt from Southern France.

The on-site Barber Shop offers haircuts, wet shaves and beard trims, all from the comfort of an antique leather chair.

What you need to know

QTea, the hotel’s newest edible collaboration with pâtissier extraordinaire Adriano Zumbo, is a must-book. Held in the hotel lobby on weekends, this high tea experience is unlike any other. The famed Zumbo macarons are here, of course, but so are some unexpected delights such as a roaming champagne trolley, spruiking over 60 types of fizz to try.

SEE ALSO: The Best Hotels in and Around Sydney’s CBD