Before my visit, I’d have wagered that many Sydney folk would be unfamiliar with the Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney, tucked away as it is in a CBD back street with minimal foot or car traffic.
Yet this is a hotel that really speaks to its location in multicultural Haymarket – evident in everything from the bold artworks by Chris Yee, Samy Baby and Hiromi Tango, right down to the hotel’s burger of the month, a Korean-inspired beef bulgolgi burger.
The hotel is fun, playful and at the same time comfortably stylish and design-forward. Clearly, plenty of Sydney folk have indeed discovered the hotel, for its all-purpose hangout, Talk Shop — part café, part bar and part community hub — is pumping on the night of my visit. On a Monday night.
Burger of the Month, where you can travel the world one burger at a time, is one of many special promotions that the hotel offers to draw patrons in. Every day there’s something different.
On this Monday night, there’s a half-price deal on both drinks and food, so I’m tucking into a zesty Korean chicken burger and some Malaysian satay sticks, and I’ve gone all out with a Parker Street Collin cocktail after eyeing off someone else’s drink. It’s a delicious blend of gin, yuzu, lychee, lemon and soda, with four lychees strung impressively across the glass.
As well as great cocktails, Headlands coffee and loose-leaf tea by T Totaler, Talk Shop has a keenly priced menu of burgers, bowls, snacks and light dishes. I have breakfast here the next morning (avocado on toast, of course) at the same comfy table and chair by the window, right near the photo booth where you can pose for vintage-inspired snapshots.
Talk Shop hosts live music every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm, and happy hour with discounted drinks every weekday from 5pm to 8pm. The hotel is all about providing flexible spaces to work, chill or connect, and so on level 1, the same floor as the all-purpose Talk Shop, there is also Gathering Space, a small semi-private space which can be booked free of charge for under 3 hours (or more than 3 hours for a fee). I saw a group dining here on the night of my stay, but it would also be a good spot in which to work, hold a meeting, or host a small event.
Although the hotel doesn’t offer room service, you can buy anything from the menu as a takeaway and enjoy it in your room. There are 174 rooms ranging from queen-bed rooms to king-bed rooms and Premium king-bed suites with larger sitting areas.
My king-bed room, 1108, has a settee at the foot of the bed, along with a small table and single chair. It’s adjacent to another room with which it can share a communal entry to accommodate a family.
The rooms are full of character and creative energy. Mine has accent colours of orange and blue, while the bathroom walls are decorated with Samy’s black-on-white fruit-inspired line drawings. On the table near the settee lies a copy of Vault magazine, about Australian art and culture, all quite edgy just like the hotel itself.
Floor-to-ceiling windows with blockout curtains offer a bird’s eye view. My room looks down over the Capitol Theatre where The Lion King is currently playing, and I’m reminded of what an incredibly convenient hotel this is – just a few minutes’ walk from Central Station and literally around the corner from the theatre. Not surprisingly, the hotel is offering Lion King packages.
Yippee for the generously sized bench to put your suitcase on (so often they don’t allow for opening a suitcase out flat) and I like that there’s plenty of hanging space. An iron, ironing board and laundry bag areprovided. The eco-friendly paper laundry bag is one of various sustainability initiatives.
Others include the wooden swipe for door entry, and the non-provision of bottled water. Each floor has a water station with filtered chilled water and every room has a glass carafe that you can fill. For stays of more than a night, the hotel offers a light housekeeping service daily with a full service after every 3 nights.
At check-in on the ground floor, there is a 24-hour Grab & Go, where you can buy snacks, barista coffee, juice and alcoholic beverages. And if you fancy a 3am workout, the Fitness Studio on level 2 is open 24 hours. Checkout time is a very civilized 11am.
For guests coming by car, parking is available nearby at Wilson Parking Market City. But frankly you’d be mad to drive as the hotel location couldn’t be better for walking or public transport. It is moments from Chinatown, Surry Hills and the CBD, close to the light rail and Central Station, and in walking distance of Darling Harbour and ICC Sydney. On that score alone, it earns a huge tick.
Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney
13 Parker Street, Haymarket
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
Tel: +61 (0)2 9212 8213
www.captionbyhyattcentralsydney.com
With thanks to Caption by Hyatt for hosting me for one night, including breakfast. I stayed in Room 1108. Top photo was supplied by the hotel. All other photos are © FoodWineTravel
