WEST HOTEL
THE HILTON GROUP’S CURIO brand is all about celebrating individuality when it comes to location. Which is why the first Australian outlet in the collection bears no resemblance to its heritage-filled older sisters such as the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego or London’s Trafalgar St. James. Instead, West Hotel sits on the verge of Sydney’s new Barangaroo precinct, an upand-coming lifestyle hub with residential and commercial towers, parkland and cultural spaces, boutiques and eateries overlooking the western harbor. The 182 rooms occupy a jewel-like building whose faceted facade looks like it could have been cut from a block of smoky quartz. Inside, the grace notes are Australian botanicals, from the lush atrium garden to leaf-patterned carpets and a painting of a white waratah (the floral emblem of New South Wales) in the lobby. Designers Fitzpatrick + Partners also brought in big vases of native flowers, which add pops of dusty pink and gold to the guest-room palette of blue velvet, marble, dark wood, and brass. Named after the 18th-century botanist Daniel Solander, the hotel’s Deco– inspired restaurant-cum-lounge features a jade-green terrazzo bar where you can sample tasty cocktails that continue the floral theme. Nettle gimlet, anyone? —61-2/8297-6500; westhotel .com.au; doubles from US$368