Paddington just is. It’s a rich, well-to-do area with some of Sydney’s best pubs, incredible restaurants and a seemingly endless roster of upscale boutiques. It’s never been a dynamic part of Sydney, but it has always been one of the city’s most coveted neighbourhoods.
And so it’s always been odd that it’s never had a signature hotel. You know, that well-to-do neighbourhood touchpoint that arrives, anchors the community, builds a solid reputation, and is just as beloved by locals as by visitors. Surry Hills has a few of those – Paramount House, Ace Hotel, Eve Hotel. Paddington has 25Hours Hotel The Olympia – an oddly-named, oddly-shaped premium boutique that’s already firmly established for Sydney’s increasingly aesthetics-driven social scene.
Wind your way up Oxford Street, and you’ll find yourself here, the beginning typically marked by a heritage-listed post office. Now there’s something new, flashier and more exciting spot handling the physical disconnect between the Darlinghurst side of Oxford Street, and the Paddington side.
The new 25Hours Hotel The Olympia has plenty going for it. It’s the first Australian property from the enigmatic premium brand, that’s one. Second, it takes over a historic corner building on leafy South Dowling Street, which formerly housed the original Olympia Theatre and was strongly associated with film until it pioneered eastern suburbs snobbery by becoming the Grand Pacific Blue Room of the 1990s.
Now it’s a 109-room boutique hotel with a flair for the dramatic, smartly dressed in the 25Hours brand – a joint venture between Ennismore and Accor. Much like Accor’s now-stagnant Art Series Hotels, 25Hours distinguishes itself by treating its lobbies like contemporary art galleries, with colourful quirkiness in almost every corner and clever design that calls out the hotel’s filmic history.
Location
You’re close enough to walk into Surry Hills for dinner, Darlinghurst for late-night bars or Moore Park for major events, yet Paddington itself remains relatively restrained. The hotel is positioned on South Dowling Street, opposite the old Allianz Stadium precinct and just a short wander from Oxford Street’s best restaurants and boutiques. It’s also surprisingly practical. Sydney Airport is around 20 minutes away, depending on traffic, while the CBD feels close without the usual downtown fatigue.
That positioning matters because this hotel doesn’t really suit travellers wanting a polished corporate Sydney experience. It feels more aligned with creative travellers, design obsessives and people who prefer neighbourhood energy over harbour views and business lounges.
And frankly, it’s refreshing to see a major international lifestyle hotel brand avoid Circular Quay altogether.
Design
This is where 25Hours immediately separates itself from most Sydney hotels.
Australian hotels often confuse luxury with restraint. Think neutral tones and marble bathrooms. Some vague reference to “wellness” often follows. The Olympia goes in the opposite direction. It’s loud without becoming tacky, theatrical without slipping into gimmickry. There’s something refreshingly honest about it, and its corner position is the icing on the cake – and connective tissue between Darlinghurst and Paddington.
The building’s cinematic history informs almost everything. The original Olympia Theatre influence appears constantly, although thankfully without becoming overly literal. There are subtle references to projection rooms, old cinemas and backstage aesthetics, while public spaces feel deliberately layered rather than carefully minimal.
The lobby doesn’t really behave like a traditional hotel lobby either. Guests linger. Locals drift through. Mismatched furniture splashes colour all over the space.
At one point, it almost feels more like a boutique hotel you’d stumble across in Berlin or Copenhagen than in Sydney. That’s probably intentional given 25Hours’ European roots, but it also exposes how conservative much of Sydney’s hotel scene has become.
Importantly, the design still feels warm. That’s often where lifestyle hotels fail. They become visually impressive but emotionally cold. The Olympia avoids that trap because there’s enough softness in the lighting, textures and communal spaces to stop it from feeling overworked. The lobby’s funky design speaks volumes.
Rooms
Heavily stylised boutique hotels often become irritating once the novelty wears off. Here, the design choices remain playful while still functioning as actual hotel rooms rather than showroom concepts.
Expect rich colours, textured surfaces, eccentric artwork and small details that reward attention. My standard room leans heavily into retro cinema influences, but I’m told others feel slightly more residential. Either way, there’s personality here.
The beds are excellent. Properly excellent. The kind where Sydney’s increasingly chaotic pace suddenly slows down the second you sink in. My standard king room has an enclosed balcony, which is a rare sight. There’s no view to speak of, but the little nook is designed in such a way as to catch the sunlight, fashioned as an ideal sunbathing spot if guests are so inclined.
Bathrooms are compact in some categories but thoughtfully arranged, and the amenities feel appropriately premium without aggressively advertising themselves. Lighting is also handled well, which sounds minor until you stay in enough hotels with lighting designed by people who apparently hate reading.
Views vary considerably depending on room category and positioning. Some rooms frame Paddington’s rooftops beautifully, while others are more inward-facing. This isn’t really a “stay in your room staring out the window” kind of property anyway. The energy sits downstairs.
Noise insulation also deserves credit. South Dowling Street isn’t exactly sleepy, yet rooms remain impressively calm, especially since the hotel’s West Hollywood-style rooftop bar, Monica, has become a hit for Sydney’s breezy social scene.
Food & Drink
The main restaurant, The Palomar, arrives with pedigree. The London original earned a cult following for its Jerusalem-inspired cooking, and Sydney’s version carries much of that same energy. The room itself buzzes in a way Sydney hotel restaurants often struggle to achieve.
There’s theatre to the open kitchen and plenty of confidence in the menu, but not the kind of overworked “small plates for sharing” fatigue that’s overtaken parts of Sydney dining.
There’s a bowl of cucumbers mixed with green tahini and crispy chilli that has become an instant hit for Sydney’s serious foodies, packing some serious flavour. I think it tastes much better than the signature cucumber salad that everyone raves about at New York’s hard-to-book Torrisi.
Some other vegetarian dishes, like the wood-fired roasted carrots with cashews and golden raisins, are equally as delicious. It seems this kitchen is one of just a few around Sydney, really bringing glory to grown ingredients and finding new ways to make classic vegetables interesting and unique.
Downstairs, the bar feels likely to become a genuine local fixture rather than a guest-only afterthought. That’s usually the sign of a healthy hotel bar. Sydneysiders are notoriously selective about where they drink, particularly in the eastern suburbs, so seeing non-guests comfortably occupying the space says plenty.
Breakfast also deserves mention because it avoids the buffet formula many premium hotels still cling to, feeling European in spirit with a tight à la carte menu.
There’s also a small coffee shop for a quick fix, but The Palomar has such a great atmosphere (sit solo at the bar for the best results) that it’s worth sticking around for a more leisurely feed.
Amenities
Amenities feel tightly aligned with the property’s identity. There’s a small gym, stylish communal spaces and plenty of areas designed for lingering rather than rushing through. The hotel also leans heavily into cultural programming, events and collaborations, which suits both locals and the brand itself.
What stands out most is how intentionally social the property feels. Even if you’re travelling alone, there’s a natural energy to the common spaces that stops the hotel from feeling isolating. Especially Monica, which is almost always packed full of glammed-up locals.
One of the more unique things about the hotel is that reception doubles as an old-school video store, so guests can actually rent one of their working VCR players and pick a movie from a well-curated, 90s-loving selection of classics. In an age where hotels are desperate to have even just one thing that’s unique to them, it’s surprising that such a simple idea can be so effective.
Service
Staff generally feel engaged with the property itself, which sounds obvious but increasingly isn’t. There’s knowledge about the building, the area and the brand identity beyond rehearsed hospitality scripts.
There’s also an understanding that guests staying here probably want recommendations beyond Circular Quay and Bondi Beach. Ask where to eat or drink nearby, and you’ll usually get thoughtful suggestions rather than generic concierge answers.
Verdict & Value
The lead-in rate is around AU$399 per night, which is reasonably balanced for a property like this. Mind you, you’re paying for a great location as well as a fantastic social scene, in addition to just a room. I’d say it’s a good price.
It seems like The Eve Hotel, over in Redfern, has started a nice little boutique hotel revolution for Sydney. This is a stunning 25Hours because it has soul. The food is excellent, the rooftop is vibey, and the rooms are very comfortable, if not on the smaller side. It’s a hotel with genuine character and a desire to be a hub for both locals and visitors. It captures the strange overlap between old Paddington affluence, Darlinghurst nightlife and Sydney’s slowly evolving creative identity.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
25Hours Hotel The Olympia
Address: 1 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021
Contact: +61 2 7234 2525
The writer stayed as a guest of the 25Hours Hotel The Olympia.
