'Castle Residences' to bring luxury hotel-style homes to Sydney's inner-city

Picture this: you’ve arrived home late after a week out of town. The cupboard is bare, the fridge is empty and the last thing you feel like is takeaway.

For residents of a new development in the heart of the city, the next step couldn’t be easier: dial room service, kick back and relax.

CBRE Residential Projects managing director David Milton, who is marketing Castle Residences on Castlereagh Street, says the mixed-use development will set a new benchmark for luxury apartment homes in Sydney.

“This development fuses high-end apartments with five-star luxury hotel services and amenities – an offering that hasn’t really existed in Sydney before,” Milton says.

Castle Residences comprises 131 apartments in an elegant Candalepas Associates-designed tower next to the Porter House, one of the inner-city’s few remaining examples of 1870s Italianate factory and warehousing architecture.

One block from Hyde Park near the corner of Bathurst Street, the heritage-listed Porter House was constructed to house the Dixson & Sons tobacco company. Media coverage at the time described the structure as “an ornament to that portion of the city”.

Part of the $380 million project is a five-star, 121-room M Gallery by Sofitel hotel. The guest rooms will be located in the lower podium section of the new 36-storey building. Developer Shanghai United, one of China’s biggest real estate developers and investors, plans to restore the Porter House to accommodate the hotel reception, bars, cafes, restaurants and other public spaces.

Apartment residents will be able to take advantage of in-room hotel catering and deluxe spa treatments, as well as housekeeping, property maintenance, mail collection and around-the-clock security. A concierge will be on hand to help with restaurant, theatre and taxi bookings.

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The 
$380 million project​ is due for completion in 2020. Photo: Artist’s impression

Residents will have access to the hotel’s gym, pool and business centre, and will be able to make general service bookings for couriers, dry cleaning and laundry as if they were hotel guests. The new bars and restaurants will make socialising a breeze, while home automation technology and valet parking services are set to bring next-level luxury to homeowners.

“City buyers love the city lifestyle and are generally very busy people,” Milton says. “This level of convenience goes hand-in-hand with city living.”

The agent expects strong local and international interest, including from buyers looking for a city pad to use during the week. “They might escape to their farm or coast house on weekends.”

Developments combining apartment living and hotel rooms are on the rise in Sydney, though the level of crossover between the hospitality and homes varies. Sales recently started at 60 Bathurst from Ausbao/Shokai. It comprises almost 100 luxury apartments in a 27-storey tower above a new Crowne Plaza hotel near Sydney Town Hall. Residents will be able to use a limited range of hotel services.

Amoung those expected to show interest in the apartments are buyers looking for a city pad to use during the week​.
Photo: Artist’s impression

The Wanda Group is yet to announce full details of its new luxury mixed-use project at Circular Quay. It’s expected people who live in the residential component, One Circular Quay, will be able to access some of the services offered by the five-star Wanda Vista Hotel on the same site.

Overseas, developers in high-rise hotspots such as New York and London have been cashing in on apartment-hotel combinations for years, dazzling buyers with the promise of hotel comforts and lifestyle drawcards including restaurants fronted by celebrity chefs and chic bars that serve as an extension of residents’ entertaining spaces.

Successful examples are forged on a symbiotic relationship between the apartment and hotel elements. Residential components help make projects economically viable. Owners pay a premium for accessing the hospitality services, whether this is via higher strata levies or a pay-per-use model. Big-name hotels provide an additional layer of prestige and brand recognition.

Developments as a whole benefit from more vibrant, diverse precincts than standalone hotel or apartment buildings would provide. In a 2010 article, The New York Times noted the rise of condos that act like luxury hotels had spurred many solely residential projects to lift their amenities game.

StudioAria, which specialises in high-end hotel interiors, has chosen the finishes for the hotel rooms and apartments.
Photo: Artist’s impression

Hotel consultant Gunter Steib is advising Castle Residences developer Shanghai United on the integration of the hotel into the project.

“The concept of an apartment-hotel combination isn’t new but where we are unique is in the nature of what we are trying to do and the passion and emotion being used to bring that to life,” Steib says.

The same architecture and interior design firms have been engaged to design both the apartments and the guest rooms.

StudioAria, which specialises in high-end hotel interiors, has selected finishes for the hotel rooms and apartments, including warm grey timber floors, white veined porcelain tiles and graphite metal detailing and tapware. The homes have Gaggenau and Miele appliances, while the public spaces combine natural stone, bronze and timber accents.

“I think everybody is interested in making sure that everything works together, that one element of the project does not go off in a totally different direction. They both have to represent a feeling of unity,” Steib says.

The public sales launch for Castle Residences is scheduled for mid-August.
Photo: Artist’s impression

Castle Residences is due for completion in 2020. By that time, says CBRE’s David Milton, this part of the city will be transformed into a vibrant commercial and residential hub.

The new light rail stop outside Town Hall will improve connectivity to other parts of Sydney. That section of George Street will be converted to a pedestrian-friendly piazza. Several nearby apartment projects are due to open their doors in the next few years and residents will be moments away from some of the city’s favourite shops, dining spots and open spaces. “I think people will see this part of Sydney, on the edge of Hyde Park, as a great place to be living,” Milton says. “You’ve got high-end stores down Castlereagh Street, great restaurants like Bambini Trust around the corner and so many other luxury lifestyle drawcards. This area will really be under the spotlight.”

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