This was published 1 year ago
202 Elizabeth, Surry Hills: New 'impossible' eco stay joins Sydney's boutique hotel mile
202 Elizabeth features a sixth-floor rooftop space, with city skyline outlooks.
Blizzards of artworks, mini-bars heaving with artisan goodies, and chic design; yep, Sydney's boutique hotel revolution is in full swing, with the trendy city-fringe suburb of Surry Hills leading the uprising.
Chippendale's The Old Clare may have started the trend in 2015, but a spate of notable openings in and around Surry Hills in the last five years including Paramount House, Crystalbrook Albion (2018), and Ace Hotel (2022) has seen the suburb snatch the title of Sydney's boutique hotel mile. Further proof; TFE Hotels has tapped Surry for its first Collection brand property in Sydney (which includes Brisbane's Brutalist oasis The Calile), teasing an urban resort aesthetic with a hotly-anticipated hotel rooftop infinity pool.
Now 202 Elizabeth has emerged unceremoniously from the ether, built from the inside-out in an Australia-first – a feat born from necessity amid a tangle of red-tape that earned the project moniker "the impossible build," and stretched its completion out over nearly four years.
The 38-room stay was designed by Connie Alessi and styled by artist Lisa Madigan.
Owned by Luxeland developer Diana Ren – who bought the property once deemed undevelopable for a reported $30 million last July before launching the stunningly-restored Porter House Hotel in the CBD – the 38-room, six-level property occupies a prime spot on the busy Elizabeth and Campbell streets intersection, near a clutch of buzzy restaurants and bars.
The hotel's sudden manifestation and largely non-descript facade (the card accessed-entranceway is modestly marked with a gold "202-210") all speaks to its very Gen Z-friendly marketing tagline: "If you know, you know".
Building restrictions led construction firm Alessi Design + Build to use an innovative carbon negative, cross-laminated timber (CLT) throughout, with most pieces built offsite and lifted into place via crane.
The Lizzy suite features a free mini-bar, double rain shower and luxurious tub.
From the ground up, everything was custom designed by the company's director Connie Alessi or sourced from local suppliers, from the striking glass-encased wooden fire escape to the tapware and sustainable goat hair carpet.
The ground-floor lobby features multiple stylish working and chill-out spaces, including a sun-drenched rear courtyard and a soon-to-open retail and wine tasting space by Handpicked Wines.
"Everyone who walks in the door, their first comment is 'it's beautiful,'" said operations manager John Vanderlinde.
There are plans to launch morning yoga sessions on the rooftop.
Sydney-based artist and stylist Lisa Madigan is behind 202 Elizabeth's bold interiors, which bring the outdoors in through a swathe of serene hues, organic textures, potted palms and leafy wallpapers. Curated vintage and one-off pieces catch the eye, with ornaments and works by local artist Ash Leslie among others.
202 Elizabeth features a variety of room categories, and while no two rooms are the same, each boast king-size beds, art, herringbone floors and vegan-friendly amenities. Of course, none are more luxurious than The Lizzy (from $599), with its plush armchairs, double walk-in rain shower and soaking tub.
There are plans to launch morning yoga sessions on the sixth-floor outdoor rooftop space, overlooking the Central rail tracks and surrounding brickworks. See 202elizabeth.com.au.
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