Newcastle’s first five-star hotel opens its doors

By Alexandra Coulton

Newcastle’s Crystalbrook Kingsley opened its doors on Wednesday, bringing a five-star luxury hotel experience to the Hunter Valley gateway for the first time.

Crystalbrook transformed the city’s former Council Administration Centre, locally known as the Roundhouse, into the 130-room luxe hotel, which boasts a central location opposite Civic Park just moments away from City Hall, Civic Theatre, Newcastle Art Gallery and the War Memorial.

The multimillion-dollar redevelopment preserves the original façade of the Roundhouse building and adds a plush interior inspired by Newcastle’s coal mining past, a rooftop bar and restaurant, and ground-level café.

Named Romberg’s and Roundhouse respectively, the bar and restaurant pay tribute to the building’s architectural history, and feature 360-degree views of the city.

Full-grown olive trees at Roundhouse restaurant create a natural canopy of stippled shade over tables throughout the day, creating the mood and feel of an orchard dining experience.

Also noteworthy is that 80 per cent of the produce served is grown within a three-hour radius of the hotel.

“It’s been an extremely fulfilling two-and-a-half years since our purchase of the building, collaborating with architects, interior designers and sustainability specialists,” Crystalbrook Collection CEO Geoff York said.

“We love that from an environmental stance, we were able to give a new lease of life to this iconic building.

“With our ongoing commitment to sustainability, we are continually seeking ways to avoid single-use of anything. Here we have world-class Modernist, Brutalist architecture that we could embrace and add longevity to. It is a wonderful win for sustainability.”

In an Australian first, Crystalbrook Kingsley will have 100 per cent waste-free bathrooms, with all bathroom amenities biodegradable or recyclable.

Other sustainable initiatives include the use of upcycled and recycled material in construction, a single-use plastic-free environment, keyless room access, and paperless check-in and check-out.

Crystalbrook Collection was also able to recycle the vast majority of internal materials that needed to be removed in the transformation.

All rooms and suites come equipped with technology sweeteners including tablet control centres, STAYCAST by Google for video streaming and access to hundreds of recent release complimentary movies.

Carl Taranto, general manager at Crystalbrook Kingsley, said the hotel is “truly a transformative moment for the city of Newcastle”.

“The opening coincides with an explosion of interest in the Hunter Region just two hours north of Sydney” he said.

“We look forward to showing visitors to Crystalbrook Kingsley – in the design and personality of the hotel, as well as the restaurant, bar and café offering – what Newcastle is all about: vibrant energy and nostalgia in one moment.”

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accommodation Carl Taranto Crystalbrook Collection Crystalbrook Kingsley five star Geoff York hotel hunter valley luxury newcastle