After a seven-year restoration and renovation process, Capella Sydney is now open. Occupying an entire city block just moments from Circular Quay, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, the hotel welcomes guests to a benchmark destination of luxury accommodation, exceptional cuisine and unrivalled cultural immersion.
Capella Sydney is housed within the Department of Education building, Originally designed by architect George McRae. Forming part of the city in the 1900s Sandstone Precinct, the building has been meticulously restored and reimagined by Pontiac Land.
Chief Executive Officer of Pontiac Land Group, David Tsang said that the company has always been passionate about creating meaningful developments that contribute to and help shape their communities.
Capella Sydney was an ideal opportunity for us to sensitively repurpose this culturally significant landmark in the heart of downtown Sydney and transform it into a more public offering as a leading luxury hotel for everyone to be able to experience,” said Tsang.
"We are grateful for the support of the New South Wales government, and the City of Sydney in the achievement of our shared vision for Capella Sydney’s contribution towards a vibrant and rejuvenated Circular Quay precinct.”
Capella Sydney brings to the city 192 guestrooms and suites, which are arranged over nine stories. The guestrooms and suites are complete with deluxe textiles, standalone tubs, and Italian Linen. Guests are also invited to indulge in rejuvenating treatments at Auriga Spa or swim in the 20-metre heated indoor pool, designed to provide the ultimate wellness experience in the heart of the city.
President of Capella Hotel Group, Cristiano Rinaldi said that the opening of Capella Sydney is a milestone moment in the company’s global expansion.
“This launch represents a significant opportunity for Capella to showcase its refined and curated offerings to Sydney and its visitors, and we look forward to amplifying the stories, culture and experiences of the city through a uniquely Capella lens,” said Rinaldi.
Guests enter the hotel via the Farrer Place lobby where the arrival experience is heightened by the integration of acquired and commissioned art. The ground-floor collection includes works by the likes of Australian artists Judy Watson, Otis Hope Carey, Elise Cakebread and Georgia Bisley, culminating with a large robotic lighting installation by Dutch art duo DRIFT.
The Living Room, a signature space of all Capella properties, is the private ground-floor retreat for in-house guests. It’s also the place where the hotel’s culture and experience programs are conceptualised, and facilitated by Culturists who are on-hand to shape the guest experience from pre-arrival to departure.
One such experience involves a spectacular two-hour storytelling tour of a bygone era. Guests who join the walking tour, which travels from the hotel to the laneways of The Rocks, will hear fascinating stories about the history of the Department of Education building, now Capella Sydney, the Sandstone Precinct in which it resides and the culture, crime and convicts that shaped the city.
