New South Wales
Take off to a cheeky new Sydney airport hotel where retro touches recall the golden era of flight
I have just checked into my Business Class cabin, which is normally enough to keep me amused for hours, but it’s the upper deck on this particular journey which intrigues me the most. I’m not actually flying today, but staying in Sydney’s newest airport hotel, the Felix by 8Hotels, which is a cheeky, curious hybrid hotel mixing part airport and part airline offerings.
I perch up on the Penthouse Level, alternating between gazing out of the gargantuan windows which overlook Sydney Domestic Airport, and peering through the telescopes to watch the comings and goings at the nearby international airport and beyond to Coogee and Brighton
Le-Sands beaches. If I squint, I can even detect people in their swimsuits.
Launched on February 1, the Felix is funky. For a start, you don’t check in on the ground level, but up at the Penthouse through either a traditional reception desk, self-serve kiosk, or via iPhone or iPad.
Then there are the rooms, starting with the Economy cabins with queen beds to the Business and First Class cabins with king beds. First Class also boasts a lounge area, divided by a giant TV which swivels to face the couch or the bed, plus freestanding baths. All bathrooms have retro copper taps, rainwater showerheads and a feature wall of pastel tiles. Elsewhere, the interior design harks back to the days when felt furnishings were all the rage.
Even the TV menu displays retro graphics, which management says is the key to this hotel’s difference. It pays homage to the 1960s “golden era” of air travel.
Not only is this believed to be the only airport hotel in the world with a penthouse view of the airport, it is Sydney’s only hotel with a rooftop cinema. Screening two movies a night, the Felix has a family-friendly 6pm movie, and a more mature flick at 8.45pm, on its 24-seater terrace with views towards the city and Sydney Tower.
Sydney designers feature heavily in the outfitting of the Felix, from its industrial chic to its heavy retro curtains, and the Leif toiletries in the bathroom.
8Hotels Group operations manager Michael Smith is most proud of the Felix’s Food Shop concept, which he modelled on his business trips to places such as New York.
“It was all about people being in transit and what we felt was important to them,” he says.
“The biggest starting point was when I would have breakfast in New York and be able to just grab a coffee and bagel from a food shop. So we serve those kinds of things for breakfast, and for lunch it’s things like pies and quiche, and dinner it’s soups and salads.
“This is aimed at the single corporate traveller. I do not want to sit in a restaurant and wait for someone to come around and take my order.
“The Food Shop is about ease and normal people’s prices rather than $40 for a steak.”
Much of what guests can eat at the hotel is locally sourced, from the beef and burgundy pies, to Marrickville’s Batch beer; coffee from Black Market Roasters; and Archie Rose gin. There’s a decent drinks menu and in the near future, guests will also be able to order Uber Eats and charge it to their room.
Smith hopes this new four-star hotel brings some “personality” to Sydney’s offerings.
For plane nerds like me, there are hangingbasket chairs in which to flop and watch departing aircraft soar to the north over the hotel, and arriving aircraft from the south.
For super-serious spotters, there’s a wide bench upon which you can perch and watch the runway.
“We want it to be an experience. You don’t want to sit bored in your room for eight hours,” Smith says.
“It is a constantly evolving view. The other day we had the American President’s plane, Air Force One, on the runway.
“The idea is to get out of your room and come and hang up on the top floor. If you are going on a holiday you can sit here and watch out for planes and get excited about your trip, and for corporates it’s about keeping it simple.”
A highlight of the Penthouse, replete with lots of baby blue, pink and grey hues (which Smith says are “Sydney colours”) is the trivision billboard, similar to a revolving billboard at an airport, except this features Ned Kelly-inspired artwork.
Despite the retro fit-out, the Felix also tips its hat to modern technology – there are 1100 USB charging hubs around the hotel including eight in every guest room. For corporates, there are two boardrooms, the Boeing and the Airbus.
Every guestroom also comes with comfy chairs, a personal safe, fridge, iron, ironing board and kettle.
You’ll think you’re at grandma’s house with the old-fashioned sugar cubes served beside the selection of teas. There’s no instant coffee or coffee pods in these rooms, with a sign pointing out you can source excellent coffee upstairs in the Food Shop.
Downstairs, there’s a 24-hour gym where you can be inspired to get physical with 1960s Jane Fonda workout pics. And there’s even three levels of carpark with spaces going for a reasonable $35 a night.
There are many airport hotels around the world, but what sets the Felix apart from others is its attention to detail right down to the Do Not Disturb luggage tags slung on door handles and the key cards upon which is imprinted the cheeky phrase “You Treat This Place Like A Hotel”.
You can almost hear grandma grumbling at you already. Luckily, she’s not on this particular journey.