Few Sydney hotels can genuinely claim to have shaped Australian history.
Long before it welcomed conference delegates and business travellers, the building now known as Paradox Sydney housed the Sydney Morning Herald, later became a Bank of New South Wales headquarters, and today offers one of the city’s most distinctive five-star meeting venues.
General Manager Peter Tudehope has been part of the property’s journey for more than two decades. Having led the hotel since 2005, he’s watched it evolve from a Radisson-branded property into the flagship of the Paradox Hotels brand.
For Tudehope, however, the biggest selling point isn’t the new name. “It’s the history,” he says.
“People don’t just stay in a hotel. They’re staying in a building that’s been part of Sydney’s story for more than 170 years.”
A hotel with three lives
Few commercial buildings span 3 centuries while continually reinventing themselves.
Originally built in the nineteenth century for the Fairfax family and the Sydney Morning Herald, the property later became the headquarters of the Bank of New South Wales before its transformation into a luxury hotel ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Today, much of that heritage has been preserved. Original executive offices have become elegant private dining rooms and boardrooms, while historical photographs throughout the hotel tell the story of the building’s newspaper and banking past.
One of the most remarkable spaces is the Sir Warwick Fairfax Room. “This was Sir Warwick Fairfax’s office,” Tudehope explains. “Legend has it there were three doors. If you left through one, you went back to work. If you were shown through another, you were heading out onto the street.”
Whether entirely true or not, it’s the sort of story that gives meetings here far more character than a conventional hotel conference room.
Meeting spaces with personality
For corporate event organisers looking for something beyond the standard, Paradox Sydney offers a collection of heritage meeting spaces not found in modern hotels.
The Sir Warwick Fairfax and Sir James Fairfax rooms retain much of their original character, making them ideal for executive board meetings, leadership retreats and private dining.
On the lower level, the Marble Room and Press Room cater for larger business events, while flexible pre-function areas allow organisers to create exhibition or networking spaces between sessions.
The Marble Room accommodates around 120 guests for banquet events or approximately 180 delegates theatre-style, while the adjoining spaces allow organisers to scale events to suit their requirements.
“It’s a boutique experience,” says Tudehope, “but within a hotel that’s actually much larger than people expect.”
More space than most
The building’s heritage doesn’t just create atmosphere. Because the structure predates modern hotel construction, guestrooms feature significantly higher ceilings than many contemporary properties.
The result is an immediate sense of space that guests notice as soon as they enter.
Paradox Sydney offers 364 guestrooms, including 26 suites, with many rooms also featuring interconnecting options for families or group travel.
Bathrooms remain another point of difference. Rather than combining shower and bath into a single space, every guest room includes separate bath, shower, toilet and vanity areas — a layout increasingly uncommon in today’s hotel market.
A new chapter
Last year marked another significant milestone.
After more than two decades operating under the Radisson brand, owner TA Global chose to bring the property under its own luxury brand, Paradox Hotels.
The Malaysian-based company owns nine hotels globally and is progressively transitioning its portfolio to the Paradox brand as management contracts expire.
For Tudehope, the change provides greater flexibility while retaining the service culture guests have come to expect. “The owners have spent 25 years working with some of the world’s major hotel brands,” he says.
“They’ve learnt what works, and now they’re applying that experience to their own brand.”
Value over extravagance
Perhaps the most striking part of Tudehope’s philosophy isn’t about luxury at all.
Instead, it’s about value. In an era where many premium hotels continue pushing rates higher, he believes guests should leave feeling they received genuine value for money.
“We want people to walk away saying they had a great experience and they didn’t feel ripped off,” he says.
“That’s really what we’re trying to achieve.”
It’s a refreshingly straightforward approach — one that appears entirely consistent with a hotel built on authenticity rather than extravagance.
If you’re searching for a Sydney venue with genuine character, central CBD location and a story delegates will remember long after the meeting ends, Paradox Sydney offers something increasingly difficult to find: a five-star hotel where history remains part of the guest experience.