Oxford Street Reimagined: Inside 25hours Hotel The Olympia

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Posted Monday 13 June,2026

SYDNEY — The historic façade at 1–11 Oxford Street has bore witness to a century of Sydney’s cultural evolution. Once the stomping ground of silent-film orchestrators at the West Olympia Theatre, and later the neon-lit sanctuary of late-night revelers at the legendary Grand Pacific Blue Room, this heritage landmark has officially entered its most ambitious act yet.

Marking the highly anticipated Southern Hemisphere debut of the Hamburg-born hospitality brand, 25hours Hotel The Olympia has opened its doors. Positioned where five of Sydney’s most distinct urban enclaves—Paddington, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, and Moore Park—converge, this 109-room boutique property arrives not just as a place to rest one’s head, but as a culturally hyper-connected neighbourhood hub.

Developed in partnership with Central Element and Boston Global, the property seamlessly fuses European hospitality wit with Sydney’s distinct bohemian grit.“

From the beginning, our vision has been to create hotels that are rooted in their surroundings and full of character, rather than repeating a formula,” says 25hours founder Christoph Hoffmann. “We love places with stories, with quirks, with layers of culture—and Oxford Street has all that in abundance.”

25Hours Hotel Sydney The Olympia – B8G8 09/2025 Credit Justin Nicholas

The Narrative: Dreamers and Renegades

At the core of the hotel’s design philosophy, orchestrated by custom furniture designer Shelley Indyk and art curator Masha Golemic, is a profound respect for the building’s 1911 arthouse cinema beginnings. The guest rooms are explicitly designed around the two archetypal protagonists that drive any great cinematic plot forward: The Dreamer and The Renegade.

                           [ THE OVERTURE ]
                                  │
         ┌────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┐
         ▼                                                 ▼
   THE DREAMER                                       THE RENEGADE
(Levels 2 & 4)                                    (Levels 1 & 3)
Romantic, airy, and soft.                         Bold, moody, and adventurous.
A striving for the ideal.                         A complete break from convention.

• The Renegade Rooms (Levels 1 and 3): Tailored for the runaway adventurer, these spaces feature a moody, high-contrast palette. Black ceilings, saturated carpets, graphic drapes, and atmospheric lighting mimic the tension and allure of a film noir set.

• The Dreamer Rooms (Levels 2 and 4): Embracing the romantic striving for an ideal world, these rooms are light, airy, and ethereal, defined by pastel palettes and soft textures.

Every room across the categories features exclusive, locally resonant artwork by Sydney artist Kubi Vasak. High-contrast visual cues inspired by vintage 3D glasses run throughout the property, juxtaposed with deep, nostalgic blues that pay direct homage to the vanished Grand Pacific Blue Room.

For guests checking in, the immersion begins immediately in the lobby. Conceived as a theatrical set, it features a retro-style video shop where guests can borrow VHS tapes for in-room viewing, and reception cabinetry overflowing with cinematic memorabilia. Yet, the building’s architectural bones remain beautifully exposed: heritage windows, sloping ceilings, original staircases, and the landmark ticket box have all been meticulously preserved.

25Hours Hotel Sydney The Olympia – B8G8 09/2025 Credit Justin Nicholas

The Room Categories

The hotel’s accommodations cater to overnight creatives, traveling duos, and even four-legged companions, boasting eight dedicated dog-friendly rooms and three themed concept suites.

Note: A curated local breakfast is available for AUD 35 per person.

Gastronomy: London’s West End Meets Paddington

In a major coup for the Sydney dining scene, London’s acclaimed Studio Paskin (founded by siblings Layo and Zoë Paskin) has crossed the equator to oversee three of the hotel’s four ambitious food and beverage outlets. A fourth, a sprawling rooftop sanctuary, is delivered courtesy of Ennismore’s in-house culinary studio, Carte Blanched.

The Palomar

The crown jewel of the ground floor is a 110-seat theatre of fire. Heavily influenced by the food cultures of Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Levant, the restaurant utilizes pioneering open-fire cooking techniques applied to pristine Australian produce. Diners can sit at the signature kitchen counter, fully immersed in the culinary action. The interiors subtly reference its famed London sister site, featuring pink quartzite, marble mosaics, and rich navy leathers set against original heritage brickwork.

The Mulwray

Tucked adjacent to The Palomar, this intimate 50-seat cocktail and wine bar takes its inspiration—and its sultry attitude—from Faye Dunaway’s character, Evelyn Mulwray, in the 1974 classic Chinatown. A neon silhouette greets guests at the door, opening into a dark, velvet-draped lounge with brass floor inlays and handwritten mirror menus. Sommelier Eleonore Wulf has curated a bold 100-bin wine list highlighting biodynamic varietals and lesser-known independent growers, paired with an elevated bar menu featuring Sydney rock oysters and LP’s saucisson sec.

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| THE MULWRAY: A SNAPSHOT                                     |
|                                                             |
| [Oysters & Saucisson] ── Curated by Eleonore Wulf           |
| [100-Bin Wine List]   ── Biodynamic & Small-Batch Focus     |
| [Cinematic Aesthetic] ── Dark Leather, Neon, Brass Inlays   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Jacob the Angel

Bringing the charm of a classic Soho coffee house to Oxford Street, this ground-floor bakery and café features a street-side bench window designed for people-watching. Named after England’s very first 17th-century coffee vendor, the café pairs concrete floors and British sensibility with top-tier Australian coffee roasters Ona, artisanal teas by Tea Craft, and pastries from local icons Tuga Pastries.

Monica

Perched high above the city, Monica is a vibrant, 150-seat rooftop oasis that captures the spirit of 1960s Hollywood glamour. The space is anchored by a continuous-line mural installation by Sydney artist George Buchanan and zoned by lush tropical foliage, mint greens, and a running thread of rich burgundy. With 100 seats alfresco—complete with sunbeds, lounging nooks, and a firepit corner—Monica transitions seamlessly from casual midday share-plates to energetic weekend nights fueled by an integrated DJ booth.

Retail & Culture: Sorry Thanks I Love You

Further solidifying its ties to the global design community, the hotel ground floor hosts the newest outpost of Sorry Thanks I Love You. Founded by Caroline Ball and Ant White, the avant-garde multi-dimensional concept store is famous for its boundary-pushing experiential retail.

The Paddington boutique showcases a highly curated selection of hard-to-find international pieces from the likes of Astier de Villatte, Issey Miyake Bao Bao, Maison Margiela, Marni, and Mykita. It also serves as the launchpad for the founders’ debut apparel collection—a line of diamond-quilted denim jackets, soft customizable t-shirts, and statement parkas inspired by Paris’s first arrondissement.

Meetings with a View: The Academy and The Odeon

Even the corporate offerings at The Olympia break the traditional mold. Located on the lower ground floor, the hotel’s two event spaces swap stuffy boardrooms for biophilic tranquility, opening directly onto a newly engineered, lush central courtyard atrium inspired by Paddington’s north-facing microclimates.

• The Academy: Spanning 156 sqm of state-of-the-art AV capabilities, this premier room comfortably hosts up to 80 guests banquet-style or 150 theater-style.

• The Odeon: A more intimate, 60 sqm space catering to 20 guests banquet-style, perfectly configured for private screenings, creative workshops, and selective corporate breakouts.

The Verdict

For a neighborhood so deeply anchored in creative expression, architectural history, and queer heritage, the arrival of 25hours Hotel The Olympia feels less like a new commercial development and more like a homecoming. It treats heritage not as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing canvas. For the international traveler looking to bypass generic luxury, or the local Sydneysider seeking an open-fire feast and a view from the rooftops, The Olympia is ready for its close-up.

The Essentials

• Address: 1–11 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW 2021

• Location Perks: 3 km from the CBD (a 20-minute walk or 10-minute drive); direct bus routes to Bondi Beach right on the doorstep; short stroll to Allianz Stadium, the SCG, and Centennial Park.

• Parking: Available on-street and via the nearby St Margarets car park.

• Reservations: Rooms start from AUD $399 per night.