History and sustainability are at the heart of Woods Bagot's top-to-bottom redesign of InterContinental Sydney across guest rooms, public areas, restaurant and bar venues.

Tracey Wiles, Interior Design Leader at Woods Bagot, says the $120 million project, which relaunched the hotel in late 2022, is unique due to the diverse scope of works, the 171-year heritage of the property and its iconic location next to the Royal Botanic Garden overlooking Sydney Harbour.

“It's a once-in-a-generation project and we placed great importance on our role in the historical lineage of the building, taking influences of the past and integrating them into a contemporary interpretation of the hotel,” Wiles says.

Her design is inspired by the concept of 'future heritage':

“Permanence and longevity are at the heart of future heritage,” says Wiles. “When designing the InterContinental Sydney, it was imperative we designed with the same integrity of the past, selecting materials that both imbue natural beauty and would stand the test of time.

“We created an interior of timeless elegance complementing the existing beauty and protecting the historical lineage for future generations.”

Integrating and enhancing the three-level Treasury Building, built in 1851, and the 32-level tower completed in 1985, is key to the project's success.

Woods Bagot flooded rooms with the blues and greens of sub-tropical Sydney, while upscaling the hotel's restaurant and bar venues to give visitors an elevated experience and attract more locals

“The heritage architecture gave us a beautiful palette of colours, textures and classic geometries – crafted in sandstone, brickwork, timber,” says Wiles.

“In the guest rooms, embracing the tonal layering of a blue and green palette was a bold approach which works incredibly well in connecting with the amazing views. It's a strong departure from the standard beige on beige you so often see in modern properties.”

Her favourite space is The Treasury – a light-filled atrium and gathering space where the two buildings meet.

Surrounded by the arched balconies of the Treasury Building, it's now home to The Treasury, which anchors the space on a stunning chevron tiled floor arranged in contemporary pattern.

Flourishes of rich green foliage evoke the openness of the original courtyard and connect back to the nearby Royal Botanic Garden.

“There's something about sitting in history but being in a contemporary environment - that is super, super special,” Wiles says.

Project Leader Tim Davies designed a striking new entrance to the property utilising the same marble which forms The Treasury Bar, providing a continuous thread of materiality as guests move through the hotel.

“We designed a plisse (pleated) stone wall to invite guests from the porte-cochere through to The Treasury Bar,” Davies says.

“The feature wall is highly dynamic - a mix of honed limestone with book-matched Verde Oceania marble that forms a unified image at a certain point within the reception.

“Spotted Gum reception desks complement the feature wall and reference the naturalistic forms of Sydney's coastal edge.”

The redesign is capped by the creation of the rooftop Aster Bar on Level 32, previously the exclusive domain of Club InterContinental, which now shares the spectacular views.

Jennifer Brown, General Manager for InterContinental Sydney, said the redesign took the property into a new era of luxury while also giving it greater local appeal.

“A big part of our vision was to make sure we were creating not only something for hotel guests but for everyone else too, and a lot of direction comes from the restaurants and bars to sit as destinations in their own right,” says Brown.

The entire project, which completed 12 months ago, took several years and is the result of close collaboration between Woods Bagot, operator InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, owner Mulpha Australia and construction company Built.

Work included extensive heritage restoration, removal and replacement of the hotel's cooling towers, new windows in the 509 rooms and suites, all completely renovated, a new entrance, and redesign of the existing reception area.

“I think the best thing we can do when designing hotels is to find their own individual character and identity - why we go to them and not somewhere else,” says Wiles.

“For me this was the key to our redesign of InterContinental Sydney, and seeing the concept come to life with such integrity has been extremely satisfying.”

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