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Ace Hotel Sydney: A Boutique Haven in Surry Hills
In Sydney's coolest neighbourhood, Daisy Lester checks into the Ace Hotel, where vintage-inspired design meets a creative clientele. This boutique-style hotel with 257 rooms offers an intimate atmosphere, a lively cultural programme, slick rooftop dining, and a bustling ground-floor bar.
Location
Founded in Seattle in the late 1990s, Ace hotels have expanded globally, combining boutique luxury with accessible prices. Ace Hotel Sydney is situated in the trendy Surry Hills area, known for its award-winning restaurants, lively bars, and vintage shops. The leafy neighbourhood is filled with Victorian-era terrace houses, independent art galleries, and bookshops. Located on the border of the Central Business District and adjacent to Chinatown, the hotel provides easy access to the Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanical Gardens, and Darling Harbour. The 333 bus from outside the hotel reaches Bondi Beach in 30 minutes and Circular Quay in 15 minutes, where ferries connect to Manly, Watson’s Bay, and Taronga Zoo. The hotel is just 20 minutes from Sydney airport via the T8 train.
The Vibe
Designed by Melbourne studio Flack Local, Ace Hotel Sydney blends the group's signature 1970s styling with an outback-inspired colour palette. The lobby features tan leather sofas, terracotta tiling, and red marble surfaces, while locally-sourced timber, concrete walls, and steel piping reference the area's industrial past. Plants, original Aboriginal artworks, and tapestries brighten the space. The rooftop restaurant, Kiln, offers a colour palette mirroring the city landscape visible through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Like Soho House without the membership fees, Ace Sydney serves as both a hotel and social hub. It attracts a creative clientele of freelancers and locals who utilise The Lobby bar, designed to evoke a suburban living room. In the evening, laptops are replaced by cocktails, and the photobooth becomes popular. Couples, solo travellers, and Sydney residents gather over coffee and juices at the all-day Good Chemistry cafe, which also features a different artist's work each month.
Service
Service is informal and relaxed. The check-in team and bar staff offer a warm welcome, and the front desk provides 24-hour service, including luggage storage, taxi arrangement, and dining recommendations.
Bed and Bath
Despite its boutique feel, Ace Hotel offers 257 rooms ranging from entry-level (small, medium, or medium-plus) to premium options (large, double double, and terrace rooms). The upper-floor suites resemble a rock star's home, with sunken living areas and panoramic views. The cosy rooms (16 to 19 square metres) cater to solo guests and couples who spend most of their time exploring the city. Music is a theme throughout Ace hotels, and rooms include custom Tivoli Audio radios, vinyl players, and a curated record collection, with acoustic guitars in premium options. Exposed brick walls, terracotta tiled floors, and wooden headboards enhance the retro feel. Smaller room categories feature an in-room sink and separate shower and toilet rooms with Firsthand toiletries, while larger rooms boast freestanding bathtubs. Built-in sofas and desk tables are available in larger accommodations, making it worthwhile to pay more for mid-range or premium types if you plan to spend time in the room.
Food and Drink
The hotel's restaurant Kiln, perched 18 floors up with sweeping city views, is a Surry Hills favourite. It sits on the site where Australia's oldest ceramic kilns were discovered, inspiring its name. Specialising in wood-fired Italian cuisine with Japanese and Southeast Asian flavours, it reflects Sydney's multicultural food scene. Dishes such as cod roe tuna tartare, kangaroo carpaccio, and pickled duck breast are designed for sharing, alongside blue swimmer crab tart and kurobuta pork neck. The ground floor all-day dining spot, Loam, serves Australian cuisine using local produce. A laidback cafe by day, it transforms into a warmly lit bistro at night. Breakfast is not included in room rates, but Loam excels at a signature Aussie brunch, offering the green goddess poached eggs or the OG egg morning roll. The Lobby bar is lively, especially during happy hour, with cosy lighting and worn-in interiors, serving all-day light bites. Among the Ace signature cocktails, the Coconut Bounty and zingy Tokyo collins are standouts. Good Chemistry cafe offers batch brew coffees, juices, kombuchas, and tea. The hotel accommodates dietary requests.
Facilities
The hotel's small but well-equipped gym includes treadmills, a rower, weight machines, dumbbells, and yoga mats, with towels and a water dispenser. Bikes and helmets for exploring Sydney are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and hotel guests have access to a nearby car park. In lieu of spa facilities, Ace Hotel can arrange in-room treatments, from massages to beauty services. In addition to the vinyls in rooms, guests can choose records from the hotel's wider library downstairs. There is also a busy cultural programme, featuring DJs in The Lobby on weekends, staged readings of unproduced television pilots, supper clubs, and artist residencies.
Family Friendly?
Ace Hotel welcomes families with double double rooms, terrace and loft room types, as well as interconnecting rooms, free baby cribs, and infant beds on request. Kid-friendly menus are available at Loam restaurant and Good Chemistry cafe. However, the atmosphere is more geared toward couples and groups of friends, with a lively bar in the evening, music events, and art programmes.
Accessibility
The hotel offers 10 accessible rooms with wheelchair-accessible doorways, step-free access, and roll-in shower facilities, along with grab bars, a raised toilet, and lowered sink. Lift access is available to all floors, including the entrance and rooftop restaurant.
Check In/Check Out
Check-in from 3pm; check-out by midday.
Pet Policy
Ace Hotel Sydney welcomes dogs for an extra $120 (£88) per stay, with a maximum of two dogs per room. Pet beds, food and water bowls, and a mat are provided, with designated rooms. Dogs are allowed in public areas except restaurants and bar areas, but a liability waiver is required upon check-in.
At a Glance
Best thing: The stylish interiors and trendy location. Perfect for: Those wanting to explore Sydney's stylish urban areas. Not right for: Travellers wanting to be close to the beach or main sights. Instagram from: The Kiln restaurant, with panoramic views across the CBD and Surry Hills.
Address: 47-53 Wentworth Ave, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Phone number: +61 2 8099 8799
Website: acehotel.com/sydney/
