Is The EVE Hotel in Redfern an instant classic?

The EVE Hotel has opened with 102 rooms, two signature restaurants and a rooftop pool.
Liquid & Larder has curated two new dining concepts for the hotel, Bar Julius and Lottie.
Room rates start from $549 a night.

As a talented team of synchronised swimmers splash around Sydney’s newest rooftop pool to the tune of Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe,’ I forget that I’m standing on the border of Redfern and Surry Hills. I’m in West Hollywood at one point, but when the searing red lights bounce off the frame of pink sunloungers, I’ve shifted over to Miami circa 1960.

I’m here for the beautiful launch party for The EVE Hotel, Sydney’s newest property and something I feel the city has never seen before. Yet has desperately needed.

The EVE Hotel is the latest high-profile property to open in Sydney, giving Redfern its very first luxury hotel and bringing a big-hearted, vibrant personality to the new Wunderlich Lane precinct.

A marriage of different architectural and design ideas, The EVE Hotel is a patchwork of imagination, tied together with a riot of colour and a top-shelf dining scene consisting of an all-day European brasserie, Bar Julius, a poolside Mexican restaurant, Lottie, and nearby eateries including the wondrous Olympus Dining with its jaw-dropping circular space.

While Sydney CBD is starting to look fatigued with new hotels, the EVE brings higher quality accommodations to the inner-city with 102 rooms and suites pulling together a tasteful blend of art, culture and design. Quirky ambient details help the rooms feel vital in a city that’s only now starting to pull together a distinct luxury offering for visitors demanding more immersive (and interesting) stays.

The EVE Hotel very much fits that bill. An interesting approach to design presents an instant classic. SJB’s Adam Haddow, 360 Degrees’ Daniel Baffsky and George Livissianis have blended their own ideas, while a curated art collection highlights works by Australians Louise Olsen and Tarryn Gill. Most notable is a cutting-edge moon sculpture behind reception, shedding digital tears when guests check out.

Textures and colours in the rooms are playful, with soothing eucalyptus or red clay tones set against terrazzo countertops, wood panelling and tactile soft furnishings. There are oversized bathtubs and, for some, private balconies. But the unquestionable highlight is The EVE’s transportive rooftop garden with a 20-metre pool in the middle. Again, it feels like West Hollywood by day and Miami at night, unlocking a new scene-to-be-seen for locals and visitors.

More to come

The EVE Hotel is the latest to open its doors at Wunderlich Lane, where a collection of retail, health and wellness shopfronts are centred around new concepts from three of Sydney’s most reliable hospitality groups: Liquid & Larder (Bar Julius, Lottie), House Made Hospitality (Island Radio and Baptist St Rec Club) and The Apollo Group (Olympus Dining).

Still to come at the precinct are R by Raita Noda, a premium Japanese dining spot with a daily changing menu, and Saltbox, a hot new event venue that will offer flexible spaces and custom menus, from the group behind industry-leading caterer Cook & Waiter. The former is supposedly opening in February 2025 – so within a week, all going well – while Saltbox is due to open in May.