With the opening date slated as 31 January 2025, reservations are now open for The Grand National Hotel, the much anticipated boutique offering from Josh and Julie Niland, the acclaimed duo behind Saint Peter, Fish Butchery, Petermen, and more.
With 14 opulent rooms, this hotel in the Sydney suburb of Paddington will be located above their world-renowned restaurant and bar, Saint Peter, representing the final phase of its relocation to this historic site. Once a cherished neighbourhood pub with its original structure dating back to 1890, the building’s owner George Penklis approached the Niland’s in 2018 with the idea of opening a restaurant. As the renovations evolved, so did Josh and Julie’s ideas, resulting the couple’s first foray into the world of hoteliers.
Sydney-based interior designers Studio Aquilo designed the interiors with aesthetics in the 14 guest rooms more elaborate than in the restaurant downstairs. Each individually designed, rooms fuse texture and colour to offer tasteful, contemporary comfort, respecting the classic heritage backdrop. Bespoke velvet headboards frame king-size beds topped with luxurious down duvets ethically sourced by Melbourne-based Bonny, an Australian company making wonderfully cloud-like duvets.
Intricate wallpapers and maximalist carpets with varying shapes, colours and textures continue the theme. Olsens Gallery curated the walls of the rooms with paintings and prints from celebrated and emerging Australian artists alongside some black and white sketches by Ken Done, while chef Josh Niland’s whole fish philosophy has equally found its place in the hotel with rooms boasting fish-fat candles and ceramics crafted from fish bones.
The restaurant and bedrooms complement each other as much as possible, Josh commenting how “opening the hotel allows us the opportunity to fulfil our vision of hospitality beyond dining into a thoughtful 360-degree hotel experience, from handmade chocolates on your pillow to the breakfast cooked by our team.”
Preserving a cornerstone of the historic Paddington suburb and creating an ethical, thoughtful approach to hospitality designed to be enjoyed by generations to come, The Grand National Hotel opens at the end of this month and is set to make its own mark on this storied quarter of Sydney.
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The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter Photography, Christopher Pearce.
