When travelling to Sydney for work, some places put me up in places, others give me an accommodation allowance, and others well... I'm left to my own devices. This means that I'm looking for a place that is both close to where I need to rehearse (or easily accessible by public transport) and not too expensive... lest I spend my entire performance fee!
So, for this particular project... I had booked Hotel 57 in Surry Hills right within a short walk to Sydney Central, which allowed me rapid and easy access to all the public transport that I needed to get me from place to place.
Unfortunately for me, I had accidentally booked only a single night accommodation when I actually needed two. Sigh.... no wonder it looked so cheap! Oh well, no big problem... the front desk was able o quickly set me up with a room for both nights with no need to switch rooms in between. Phew... sure it cost more, but I was tired after a long travel and rehearsal day, so just having a place to stay and crash was more important than shopping around endlessly to find something that didn't eat too much into my budget... as long as I was still making money from the whole week, it didn't matter one way or another.
So, the hotel lobby is fairly modern looking in appearance... dark and subdued, which suits me just fine. Of course, like many of these overnight stay hotels... it is a touch on the cheap side of things if you look closely.
... one of the corners that is cut in comparison to "normal" hotels is the provision of breakfast. They just lay out some pre-packaged nibbles and fruits... and turn the automated coffee machine on. You are free to just come and grab stuff in the morning... but don't expect anything like a cooked meal or anything. Honestly, it is pretty lame... but I would take a bunch of stuff to eat throughout the day.
There is a weird mixed aesthetic throughout the hotel... there are little bits that have a weirdly Asian feel to them....
... and then you have a lit and spinning disco ball in the lift! It is the first time that I've been in a lift with a disco ball... I have no words. It is weird, and somewhat disconcertingly strange! I feel like I've stepped into a David Lynch movie or some sort of strange altered universe!
Corridors are the usual endless caverns... I'm not sure who chose this carpeting... but it is verging on the submarine dazzle camouflage aestheic. Don't look down whilst walking or you will start to get dizzy!
Last but not least... the room. Actually, the room was quite a decent size with a comfortable bed and bathroom. There is a fridge in case you want to store anything to drink... but this is not a serviced apartment style of room, and so there is no stovetop to cook on. Personally, I think I would rather stay at a place where you have the opportunity to cook... it does cut down on the meal costs, but you don't get to explore the restaurants. However, when you have the option to cook in, then you can treat yourself to the occasional meal out... without being forced to eat out all the time, and I think that my stomach agrees with the option to cook cleanly once in a while!
So, Hotel 57... I can definitely recommend the hotel, I'm not entirely sure how I ended up only getting half the nights that I expected, but I highly suspect that I booked the place when I was a touch tired and just messed up the booking form. Sigh...
For travellers looking to be near the centre of Sydney, and with easy access to the public transport hub of Central Station, this is a very good option. Not a lot of space, but comfortable enough... and you are going to be only using a hotel as a crash pad and not as a second home!
