Opened last April in the stylish neighborhood of Surry Hills, the 29-room Paramount House Hotel occupies two heritage buildings with roots in Aussie film history: the 1940 Functionalist former HQ of Paramount Picture Studios and an adjoining 1930s film-storage warehouse. Designers topped the compound—which includes a rooftop gym, a co-working space, and a wine bar—with a crown of copper chevron tiles (pictured below) that acts as a privacy screen for suite balconies while also looking like a glitzy backdrop from an Old Hollywood musical.
Check-in occurs in the old warehouse, on a concrete slab stamped with the words “Permanent Vacation.” Upon arrival, guests are offered a complimentary sour ale or sparkling organic tea, drawn from a copper tap by chic staffers in bespoke uniforms by Sydney-based fashion label Worktones.
The hotel sneaks in subtle nods to Paramount’s iconic 105-year-old mountain logo (Hollywood’s longest-running studio symbol) throughout the property. Look for the Max Berry painting of a snow-topped peak in the lobby or the black-and-white range on the wall of the Paramount Coffee Project, which decorates its to-go cups with a simple line-drawing summit.
The basement screening room where newsreels were shown during World War II—now houses the Golden Age Cinema and Bar, a “theatrette” kitted out with period velvet chairs and original 35 mm projectors. After catching a film, you can pop into the attached David Lynch–inspired lounge for a movie-themed cocktail, such as the Campari and limoncello–based Godfather.
The exposed brick walls and high ceilings in the guestrooms offer a constant reminder that you’re sleeping in a film-storage warehouse, albeit one that’s been updated with locally sourced accoutrements: Aesop toiletries and stonewashed Cultiver linens from Melbourne, recycled Seljak merino wool blankets from Tasmania, and funky Commons Ceramics mugs from Brisbane. Suites even feature Japanese-style timber tubs made with native blackbutt eucalyptus.
