After three years in planning and development, BWH Hotels Group will open the doors to Aiden by Best Western at Darling Harbour on December 1, the company has confirmed.
Despite a couple of pandemic-related false starts, the boutique lifestyle property will begin to welcome guests in anticipation of hopefully a strong return for Sydney’s summer holiday sector in the wake of the state’s borders reopening without quarantine requirements.
First revealed exclusively by HM in 2020, Aiden by Best Western Darling Harbour features 88 rooms, some with a balcony, and is set in a remodelled Art Deco building on Murray Street close to the Harbourside shopping centre and vibrant Darling Harbour precinct.
The hotel will feature Sleepmaker bedding, complemented by Nespresso pod coffee machines, Dyson Supersonic hair dryers, Rituals bathroom amenities and a minibar loaded with items from Love Tea and Madhouse Bakehouse.
Led by General Manager, Michael Sharp, the hotel will feature a myriad of innovative customer and operational technology including 24/7 hydroxyl supply in the air-conditioning which neutralises harmful particles lingering in the air and filters them out through the ventilation system.
All elevator buttons, door handles and contactless technology will feature antimicrobial films to protect guests and visitors on high-touch points of contact. Hand wipes and sanitisers will also be prominently displayed, while guests will also have access to self-service kiosks and digital room keys.
Facilities on-site will include a combined lobby, bar and café on the ground floor, featuring an all-Australian beverage menu with 1930s inspired cocktails. Other comfort measures will include a pillow menu, meditation and white noise channels, double-glazed windows and blackout blinds.
A variety of bespoke artworks including hand-painted murals showcasing native Australian flora will be dotted throughout the hotel and in guest rooms, created by artist-in-residence Jessica Le Clerc. One of her showpiece activations will feature in the lobby in the form of a massive 25-metre high ‘evergreen wall’ depicting a rainforest.
BWH Hotels Group Australasia Managing Director, Graham Perry, said the Aiden brand exudes creative positivity and was something Sydney needed right now.
“The launch of a new brand in market by BWH Hotel Group presents the opportunity for developers and hoteliers alike to reposition their property in a unique way, taking advantage of our cost-saving initiatives and our effective design and renovation programs,” Perry said.