The Paramount House Hotel is at the epicenter of cool in Sydney. The epitome of careful but laid-back design and cool neighborhood vibes, this hotel is without a doubt the only place to consider staying while in the stunning Australian city.
The space was thought of with community in mind and is one of five separate businesses housed within the same property. Word on the street is the owner of the building waited years to find just the right tenants to occupy the space. The hotel, Paramount House Coffee, Paramount House Recreation Club and Kiosk, Golden Age Cinema Club, all work synergistically to bring locals and guests together in the most organic and unpretentious way. Also taking up space in the same building is talk-of-the-town eatery Poly which provides hotel guests with outstanding in-room dining.
The result of the four-year long restoration of what was once the former warehouse and offices of Paramount Picture Studios was well worth the wait. All of the twenty-nine rooms are spacious, homey, and offer their own personalities and design details. The beds made up in French linen sheets make for the perfect way to wake up, while Aesop amenities, Seljak wool blankets, and artwork curated by local gallery China Heights add touches that speak to the attention to detail paid by the owners and designers.
Outfitted by Melbourne-based Breathe Architecture, the hotel is the first accommodation offering by owners Russell Beard, Ping Jin Ng, and Mark Dundon, each of whom brings their creative spirit to the Paramount brand. Together they run Paramount Coffee Project and Bondi Hall in Sydney, and PCPLA in Los Angeles. Beard runs the Surry Hills micro-roaster and cafe Rueben Hills and Dundon heads the much-loved Melbourne coffee brand Seven Seeds. The team’s experience in creating buzzy community-driven experiences and brands shines through in every aspect of the hotel.
But it isn’t just the local artisan products in the fridge, or the constantly changing art showing off the work of local artists, it’s the ethos and air of effortless hospitality that makes the Paramount House special. Each member of staff of the five different businesses is warm, inviting, and the kind of person you actually want to hang out with. The coffee shop, Paramount Coffee Project, acts as an extension of the hotel lobby and is home to a bevy of cool, creative neighborhood locals. Established four years before the hotel, the coffee shop came with its own built-in local constituency and lends itself to the hotel’s laid-back but happening vibes.
Located on the stunning roof of the hotel is the Paramount Recreation Club; a membership-based program which acts effectively as a free-of-charge gym for hotel guests. It is, as they put it, “a new take on the musty old gym. Set on one of the most beautiful rooftops in Sydney…” Aiming to build a place with community and wellness in mind, the space, worked on by Right Angle Studio, offers an assortment of classes including its own signature Paramount workout class, body treatments, nutritional consultation, public programming consisting of talks and events, and a health-conscious eatery. Created in consultation with owners of esteemed restaurants Longrain, Cho Cho San, and The Apollo, the Kiosk menu is comprised of seasonal, local produce and takes cues from healthy Californian cooking. Re-inventing the traditional gym was at the center of Paramount Recreation Club’s mission. Special programming open to the public serves up a changing roster of “talks, events, and activities designed to provoke conversation and create opportunities to engage with like-minded people in new and interesting ways.”
After coffee downstairs, a workout, and infrared sauna session (brought to the hotel by local founders of Nimbus&Co), guests can stroll through Surry Hills and the connecting neighborhoods of Paddington and Darlinghurst, before catching a flick in the downstairs cinema at the hotel. The Golden Age Cinema, also worked on by Right Angle, was actually the original screening room for Paramount Pictures. Reimagined as a swanky, moody, and totally vibey cinema with adjoining bar, the move room offers an impeccable selection of curated programming.
With so much to offer, the Paramount House Hotel has cool on tap. Nowhere else in the city can you experience Sydney culture at its best.
Photography by Tom Ross
