Every city has that one hot hotel. It is the talk of the town that has the coolest venues, a chic design and an ambiance that draws the in-crowd. In many cities it’s the W, an Edition hotel or perhaps the Soho House. In Perth, on Australia’s most western coast, is a new hotel that instantly became coolest place in town since it opened just over a year ago. Perth’s undisputed “it” hotel is the QT Perth.
Upon arrival guests will immediately observe the avantgarde design aesthetic with a touch of whimsical and quirky undertones. The QT Perth exudes joie de vivre with a no-holds-barred design ethos of bold colors, vibrant wall prints, and edgy artwork. International guests and Perth’s hip set relish the chic sitting areas, edgy objects d’art and design elements that range from highbrow to fanciful.
The mood of the hotel is sophisticated yet playful. In fact beyond the design, the hotel has its own Director of Chaos who is there to keep the vibe of the hotel fun and playful and is dressed in her sexy Frank-n-Furter-esque -a la Rocky Horror Picture Show - inspired costume. She is really more of a host there to welcome guests and make sure the ambiance of the hotel stays upbeat and somewhat cheeky.
Perth is a relatively small city and the QT Perth is within walking distance of most of its hot spots and main attractions. Nearby the hotel is walking street malls with countless shops, eateries, and places to take in the vibe of the city. A short walk away is the banks Swan River that snakes through the city all the way through the neighboring towns to the Indian Ocean which is a few miles away. The city has a bustling nightlife scene with its iconic laneways which are street-art adorned alleys with happening pubs and hip eateries where at night they come alive with locals and tourists taking in the electric energy of the area.
Perth is also nearby some exceptional beaches such as Cottesloe Beach with its boardwalks, white sand and clear cerulean seas. One of Perth’s other claims to fame is its King’s Park which is one of the largest city parks in the world, even larger than New York’s Central Park. A few hours exploring the park are a must to explore its beautiful botanical gardens of colorful native plants, manicured grounds and the gorgeous panoramic views of the Swan River and Perth city skyline. The variety of plants and wildlife in the park is incredible and there a number of walking paths, a treetop bridge and bush trails to explore.
The QT Perth is the city’s quintessential design hotel and an ideal hub for today’s urban explorer, hipster set, and on-the-go creatives. The 18-floor high rise hotel is chock-full of Art Deco nods and glamour created to pay homage to the decadence and over-the-top opulence of Perth’s mine boom heyday of the 1980s. With the mining industry’s decline in the region, Perth is considerably less boastful as it now seeks to redefine itself as an up and coming city. Be that as it may, the QT Perth has created as a lavish statement in defiance of this status by becoming a beacon of light leading the way towards Perth’s optimistic future.
The edgy industrial chic design esthetic of the common areas carries through to the 184 rooms of the hotel. If you are into predictable and safe corporate hotels with a dull color palette and forgettable non-descript wall art, this is not the place for you. This hotel offers the wonderfully opposite end of the spectrum with assertive colors, decadent mood lighting, touches are art deco and edgy wall art from celebrated local artists.
The accommodations are generous in size with textured timber floors, purple velvet fabrics, ultra-modern furniture and uber comfortable beds. Over the bed is a lovely detailed wall print of native black cockatoos. The bathrooms are decadent as well, awash with black marble floors and walls, fluffy black hooded robes, and an oversized egg shaped soaking tub or a wet room with two shower heads that offers a way for you and your partner to get romantically clean.
The QT Perth is the city’s epicenter of cool and magnet for Perthite hip set, especially on weekends, who come for the hotel’s trendy dinner and entertainment venues. The dining options as exceptional and, again, unlike the predictable hotel dining experience of blasé cuisine and endless silver terrines of tasteless buffet food.
Santini Grill is the hotel’s hot plate and a lively and bustling restaurant with hotel guests and a loyal following up fashionable locals. There’s a reason why Santini’s was voted the best restaurant in Perth and why many nights of the week it’s tough to get a table. The sizzling pots in the open kitchen add to the ambiance as does the industrial design décor and terracotta lamp shades as candles twinkle to light the tables.
Guests dine on a range of Italian cuisine with haute dishes such as fennel crusted yellowfin tuna with Jerusalem artichoke puree, picked zucchini and Tuscan dwarf peaches to swimmer crab with handmade tagliatelle pasta or authentic Italian wood fired pizzas. The ingredients are fresh, seasonal and locally foraged by artisan producers across Western Australia. Patrons will find the meal to be approachable yet never overly fancy and highbrow. The cuisine is complemented with an extensive offering of sommelier-selected wines from the region, including a number from the nearby Margaret River wine region.
Santini Bar is adjacent to the restaurant and has quickly become the trendy and happening watering hole for elite Perthites. Think speak-easy meets refined cocktail culture where on weekends it’s the ideal hangout for the after-work set or to bring your hot date for live jazz and a steamy ambiance. This is arguably the poshest area of the hotel with an opulent dark and moody décor with gold wildflower wall prints, mirrored ceilings, and contemporary nooks for some power cocktailing. Beyond the eye candy décor, the bar celebrates good living with an inspired cocktail list created by their talented mixologists along with an extensive wine list featured Italian wines and wines from the region.
The QT Hotel, Perth is much more than a one-trick pony with a second bar that ranks among the top places in town to bend the elbow as well. The Rooftop at QT is a vibrant and bustling place to hang out for libations and light meals while overlooking the city from their deck or indoors in their lounge. This industrial luxe bar sits on the 18th floor and happens to be the city’s highest rooftop lounge with exceptional views over the cityscape and the Swan River. Perth’s discerning cocktail connoisseurs and hotel guests gather for an alfresco sitting area with plenty of couches to enjoy the fresh air and their company. On weekends the lounge kicks into high gear with the DJ spinning sexy up-tempo music as their mixologist whip up their offering of tasty cocktails.
The QT brand of hotels is a home-grown Australian brand with hotels throughout Australia and New Zealand as well. All of their ten - and growing - hotels share a slightly irreverent DNA of high design, exceptional dining with a healthy dose of quirkiness. The QT Perth is a much needed breath of fresh air into the Perth hotel scene and has, with good reason, quickly become the place to stay for today’s well-to-do urban explorer.
