Editor’s note: The author of this article stayed at Hotel Morris Sydney from the 27th to 29th of August, 2024 — the experiences detailed in this review are reflective of this stay.
Regardless of whether I’m travelling for business or pleasure, I’m of the firm belief that a book is a necessary travel companion. With that in mind, I took Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow. Within the first few pages, the protagonist Count Rostov is sentenced to lifetime imprisonment in Moscow’s Hotel Metropol for the unforgivable crime of being a man of leisure. To add insult to injury, his sentence is to be carried out not in his well-appointed suite, but in the dingy attic of the hotel.
Given I was travelling from Sydney to a hotel…also in Sydney, I didn’t make it much more than a dozen pages through the book before arriving at my destination. However, that was enough to incite a pang of sympathy for the Count’s plight of a lifetime ensconced within the four walls of a space designed with impermanence in mind — although said sympathy was swiftly dispensed with as I approached Hotel Morris. Located in the centre of Haymarket, amidst the chaos of Chinatown and a mere hop away from Capitol Theatre, Hotel Morris is ideally situated for business travellers and urban explorers.
Housed within an Italianate building designed by architect Virgil Dante Cizzio, Hotel Morris was originally opened in 1929 and held the accolade of being Australia’s tallest hotel for 34 years. It’s lived many lives—and changed both hands and names several times—since then, most recently as a backpackers’ hotel. A respectful refurbishment and restoration of the building coupled with interiors by Australian interior design studio Tom Mark Henry have breathed new life into the heritage-listed building, with Hotel Morris reopening its doors as a boutique hotel, sitting within Accor’s Handwritten Collection.
Leaning into art deco aesthetics with a touch of Italian palazzo influence, Hotel Morris has well and truly shed its drab backpackers appearance. The hotel plays with light and dark; located on the ground floor, the aptly named in-house hotel and restaurant Bar Morris is equal parts glamorous and dramatic, with rich, layered interiors defined by a bold colour palette, moody lighting, and luxurious details. Red is used as an accent colour throughout the hotel — at Bar Morris, it’s complemented by brass details, venetian plaster, natural stone, chequered banquette seating and camel-toned bar stools, and handmade subway tiles to create a space redolent of old world New York glamour.
With space in the CBD a hot commodity, Hotel Morris makes the most of each square foot. The bar counter doubles as the reception desk where check-in and check-out takes place, with guests needing to traipse through Bar Morris to reach the elevators to get to their rooms. Such a setup may be disconcerting for imbibers, however the front desk staff are discreet and efficient so as not to disrupt the cocktail mood. The Italian influence extends from the design to the welcome here, with guests greeted with an aperitivo of honeyed almond tea on arrival.
As you ascend up Hotel Morris, the interplay between light and dark becomes evident. Hallways on the guest floors are defined by plush carpets in russet and ochre tones and maximalist graphic wallpaper depicting an ancient Roman or Greek scene, with toga-clad men and women clutching grapes and goblets. The hallways act as a gradual transition into the light-filled rooms, which carry the signature red hue first introduced in the lobby bar, but cultivate a tranquil yet impactful environment through gauzy soft furnishings, dark timber, yellow glass sconces, playful geometric fabrics, and statement lighting.
It was upon arriving in my room at Hotel Morris that I realised that the ultimate sentence is not a lifetime in a cramped suite, but a mere two days next to a construction site. For, while we didn’t have a show booked at Capitol Theatre, we were treated to a live performance of Construction: The Musical!, with an all star cast led by Drill!, Hammer!, Stomp!, and Crash! (String’s less talented cousins). While the facade and interiors of the hotel have been treated to a well-executed facelift, the bones of the backpackers’ hotel before it still remain. The paper-thin walls mean that the construction taking place next door was not only as audible as if it was taking place inside the room, but is physically felt too, with every drill, hammer, and thump shaking the connecting wall and reverberating through the room. And should you be of the opinion that the performance next door is getting a little one note, you can always retreat to the bathroom, wherein said paper-thin walls will allow you to experience an urban medley; the construction now accompanied by the conversation of the couple next door (one of whom did actually carry out a rather admirable shower solo tune the following morning).
Now, when one is faced with adversity of any kind, it’s always reassuring to receive a word or two of comfort. However, the friendly front desk staff seemed to have adopted an elephant in the room approach to dealing with the situation, cheeringly asking if “everything was great so far,” when I popped out for the night a couple hours later. Mildly baffled, I wondered whether my travel companion and I had experienced some sort of shared auditory hallucination. Was the symphony of construction a mere phantasm? Such a theory was conceivable, for upon my return to the room later that night, it was quiet. Well, as quiet as it gets in the CBD. Shaking my head in bemusement, I lay back on the plush king bed and switched off the light.
CRASH! Ah, an encore. Satisfied that I needn’t add another delusion to my already lengthy list of them, I checked the time as the morning performance of Construction: The Musical! got into full swing: 6.30am. Not quite the wakeup call I was expecting.
Attempting (unsuccessfully) to ignore the orchestra of the concrete jungle, we headed downstairs for breakfast. This time, when the cheery staff cheerily greeted us, I broke the unspoken rule and mentioned the so-called elephant in the room. The cheery staff cherrily replied “omg! It’s so bad isn’t it, it goes on all day!” Excellent.
Forsaking my plans to laze in bed and read all day, I thrust aside A Gentleman in Moscow (now with a tinge of longing for the comparative serenity of the Count’s attic room) and decided to make the most of my central location and be a tourist in my own city.
Read on to see how we fared at Hotel Morris.
The lowdown: Hotel Morris, Sydney
The hook; why stay at Hotel Morris?
With its central location and newly refreshed interiors, Hotel Morris makes for a solid jumping off point for personal or business travel in Sydney, and offers a glamorous space to retreat to once the sun falls.
Tell us more
Sitting on Sydney’s Pitt St, Hotel Morris holds court within an Italianate building designed by architect Virgil Dante Cizzio. First opened in 1929, the hotel underwent a facade refresh and interior overhaul courtesy of Tom Mark Henry, with the former backpackers’ accommodation emerging as a boutique hotel. The original 100 rooms were renovated to 82, with interiors taking on an art deco tone, informed by bold, earthy tones and rich materiality.
How to get to Hotel Morris
Its central location makes getting to Hotel Morris a breeze. Keeping Sydney’s signature traffic in mind, we’d recommend eschewing Ubers or taxis in favour of public transport — Hotel Morris is less than a 5-minute walk from Central Station.
Rooms and suites
Hotel Morris comprises 82 rooms spread across eight floors, with each defined by light, elegant interiors. We stayed in one of the Grande King rooms, which is the largest option of the eight room categories—there’s also Bambina, Piccolo, Morris Queen, Morris King, and Dante King, as well as accessible options for both Morris King and Bambina. Our Grande King room is generously proportioned, opening into a lounge area with a couch and coffee table that sits opposite a small coffee (Nespresso machine) and tea station and a compact wardrobe with slippers and waffle weave robes. Tucked beside the king bed is another seating area with a marble table and velvet-piped chairs (the aforementioned red hue appears again!) sitting beneath a heritage arch window which overlooks the bustling street. In the latter seating area, we’re greeted with Dolce Notte tea (an aromatic infusion of herbs and florals) and homemade pickles, which is a nice touch.
The bathroom features a rain shower and while vanity real estate is at a minimum, the sink is cleverly integrated onto an openworked shelf which provides ample storage space.
Comfort factor
Our Grande King room was well-proportioned and we weren’t left wanting for more space. However it’s worth noting that while it was the largest room category, it felt akin to what one would consider standard hotel room size. Some previous customer reviews suggest that anything under a Morris Queen errs on the micro side, so take that into consideration depending on your needs.
The king bed was comfortable and the linens soft, allowing for a good night’s sleep — well, at least until the construction started up.
Bathroom products?
Bathroom products are by the Soigné range by London-based fragrance house IIUVO. Shampoo, conditioner, and hand & body wash are found in the shower area, while hand & body wash and hand & body lotion sit sinkside.
Food and drink
Served in Bar Morris, breakfast is a combination of an à la carte and continental buffet offering. The former is a concise menu with staples like avocado on toast, eggs and toast, and housemade granola, while the latter features mini pastries, fresh fruit, cereal, cakes, yogurt, bread, and preserves.
Come nightfall, Bar Morris comes to life, with the restaurant and bar serving up seasonal Italian fare and a vibrant selection of wines spanning local Australian gems to Italian crowd pleasers, as well as a concise selection of natural drops. The creative cocktail menu serves fresh takes on classic pours, with Morris’ own signature single malt whisky featuring in the Clarified Boulevardier, which is similar to a negroni but with whisky rather than gin.
The food menu is curated by former head chef Rosy Scatigna and executed by her mentee Kezia Kristel, who recently took over the reins from Scatigna.
The dining experience at Bar Morris was relatively hit and miss. The spelt panfocaccia (a hybridised take on bread and focaccia) with parmigiano and garlic butter and oysters were a good start, with the burrata with honey, lemon, and chilli oil a passable follow up. However, things started to go a little pear-shaped after that. The kingfish crudo was dressed with an interesting combination of buttermilk, bay leaf, and apple, however the kingfish itself looked a little worse for wear; rather than the usual pale pink flesh, it was almost brown and lacked the sweet taste and silky texture the fish is known for. The spaghettoni aglio e olio with pangrattato was served almost cold, with congealed cheese turning the dish into a homogeneous mass replete with calories and carbs and devoid of flavour.
The cos lettuce and mustard salad provided a welcome respite (it’s hard to mess up a salad, after all), however the skin-on chips with tomato salt were also served cold…and sans tomato salt. The waitstaff kindly offered to replace this (along with the spaghettoni, however we declined this one as we were all carbed out) and the second take was eminently more successful, with the sweet and savoury tomato salt lending the chips a bright, almost zesty burst of flavour.
If there’s one course I never skip, it’s dessert. Italian desserts have a special place in my heart (and on my tastebuds), so I was keen to try the offerings at Bar Morris. The trio of desserts on offer were a semifreddo tiramisu, an assortment of gelatos, and a cheese platter. Naturally, we ordered them all.
The semifreddo tiramisu was an ice-cream-esque take on the Italian classic. The petite dessert packs a flavour punch, interpreting the espresso, mascarpone, and cocoa flavours in frozen form. Meanwhile, the cheese platter came with blue, camembert, and an unidentified hard cheese — as a certified cheese fiend, these are all types of cheese I love and enjoy on an almost daily basis. Unfortunately, the selection was simply not hitting; the flavours were off and there was a slightly nauseating smell emanating from the camembert.
The gelato simply…wasn’t there. A thirty minute wait—and an idle joke about whether they were out back churning the gelato by hand—later, we decided to ask our waitress if it was on its way. This was met with a hastily mumbled response that there was “an issue” with the gelato and someone would come and talk with us. The restaurant manager proceeded to inform us that all the gelato stores were melted, but the chef wanted us to have gelato so they were indeed making it from scratch and it would be just two minutes away.
Now, if you’ve ever made gelato—or anything in the ice cream family—before, you’ll know that the desired moment of consumption is not the time to start milking the cow. A relatively time-consuming process, gelato needs to be frozen (often overnight) after being churned, so we were dubious at best about that two minute timeframe. With that in mind (and with the onset of a carb coma imminent), we decided to call it a night and head up to our room (the two minute commute from restaurant to room is the best thing about in-hotel dining); leaving the gelato welcome to join us should it choose. Another thirty minutes later and there it was delivered to our doorstep; swirled with honey and served with pistachios. Ah, a happy ending at last? Dear reader, it was a mess. Turns out that not even the universe itself can will gelato to freeze faster than the laws of physics allow. While slightly cooled sweetened cream sounds like a delightful dish for baby kittens, we set it aside in favour of the embrace of the plush king bed.
Spa and facilities
None.
The service
The service defines the experience at Hotel Morris. Unfortunately, it’s not always in a good way.
The front desk staff are welcoming and courteous; check in was efficient and an issue with the in-room Nespresso machine not working was swiftly resolved. To prevent product wastage, additional amenities (think face wash, shaving and dental kits, and coffee and tea top-ups) can be ordered via a QR code; these were delivered promptly.
That said, many of the issues with the dinner experience at Bar Morris were linked to the service. While friendly, waitstaff lacked polish and came across as inexperienced and nervous; basic questions about the menu were invariably met with an “I’ll have to check with the kitchen,” staff seemed preoccupied with discussions amongst themselves, and food was brought to the table cold (perhaps a case of cause and effect at play here).
The #gelatogate incident could easily have been resolved through open communication; we’d have much preferred simply being informed that the dish was unavailable rather than waiting half an hour without any acknowledgment (with our waitress staunchly avoiding eye contact throughout — no mean feat in a restaurant with such compact square footage).
The breakfast service was similarly touch and go. The waitress on duty seemed put out by a (polite!) request to wipe down a sticky section left on the table from the patrons sitting there prior, before proceeding to knock a fork onto my lap and leave without an apology, only replacing said fork when asked. We also noted that while the continental spread is a buffet, pastries were not topped up when depleted so guests arriving partway through the breakfast service are greeted with a rather abysmal selection.
Anything else?
The interior design transition from dark to light as one ascends up the hotel is inspired by Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, a narrative poem divided into three sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
AR Verdict
A facade refresh and glamorous interior design revamp provides Hotel Morris with the potential to be great, however its flaws mean it’s currently just a backpackers’ hotel with a pretty face. That said, it’s still early days for the boutique hotel, with the outpost worth looking into for sightseers and business travellers looking for comfortable, centrally located accommodation — just call ahead and make sure there’s no construction on.
Hotel Morris is open for bookings, with rooms priced from $240 to $340AUD/night.
Address: 412 Pitt St, Haymarket NSW 2000
Words by T. Angel
