W Sydney opened today in Darling Harbour, a major recreational and pedestrian area adjacent to the city’s center.

The latest addition to Marriott’s Australia portfolio, the property is housed in The Ribbon, a dramatic curved building designed by Australian architectural firm Hassell that sits on the Darling Harbour waterfront. Its interiors were designed by London-based Bowler James Brindley.

W Sydney offers 588 guestrooms, including 162 suites. The decor of the rooms and suites – nautical white and navy blue color palette, undulating walls that echo the sails of yachts, bathrooms in deep oceanic blue – was inspired by the hotel’s harborside location.

Located just steps from the Sydney International Convention Centre, the hotel has nearly 14,000 square feet of meeting and event space across eight versatile rooms. These spaces include a 6,372-square-foot pillarless Great Room. Set on level five, it has floor-to-ceiling windows delivering dramatic city views.

W Sydney also has four dining and bar venues. BTWN, a restaurant helmed by chef Chris Dodd, features menus that hero the produce of New South Wales. 2AM:dessertbar is a late-night hotspot created in collaboration with Singaporean desert guru Janice Wong. The hotel’s lobby social space – Living Room – offers food (small bites) and drink (focus on sake and soju) that embrace the hotel’s location on the edge of the city’s Asiatown. 29/30 (shown at top of post) is a two-level bar with uninterrupted views of the harbor. The WET Deck (pool) bar serves tapas and cocktails in a space that evokes an underwater world. And Level 30 offers elevated cocktails, vintage Champagnes by the glass, and the decor of a super yacht.

The property’s wellness facilities include: AWAY Spa, which has five treatment rooms and connecting spaces enclosed by the meditative, geometric art of Bradley Eastman (aka Beastman); the brand’s FIT Gym with complete Technogym equipment; and WET Deck, a 30-meter open-air infinity pool.

“W Sydney marks our W Hotels brand’s triumphant return to Sydney, a long-awaited addition to our robust portfolio in Australia, following our recent debuts in Melbourne and Brisbane,” said George Fleck, vice-president and global brand leader, W Hotels. “W Sydney will cultivate a new cultural and social hub in the vibrant Darling Harbour precinct. It is the perfect canvas for a non-conformist approach to the luxury hospitality landscape with W’s bold and energetic ‘Whatever/Whenever’ service ethos, dynamic design, and immersive programming as we celebrate Sydney through a new lens.”