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The Australian press has been buzzing with the recent news that a AUD$ 500 million Ritz-Carlton hotel and residential tower will be built on the harborfront. The project will bring Ritz-Carlton back to Sydney after a 20–year absence. The original Ritz-Carlton Sydney opened in 1991 and hosted numerous A-list celebrities before it was renamed in 2001. After a refurbishment in 2009, that hotel became the InterContinental Sydney Double Bay.
In a bid to win the new project, three different international architecture firms (Grimshaw Architects, BVN and FJMT) submitted design plans for the 215-meter tower, which will be located at The Star casino and entertainment complex at Pyrmont. The winning design will be chosen by a review panel this autumn.
The Australian Business Traveller notes that it will be a “six-star hotel” with 220 rooms overlooking Darling Harbour. The Daily Telegraph reports this is “the Pyrmont casino’s latest roll of the dice to attract wealthy tourists and big-time gamblers from China.”
The Ritz-Carlton Sydney is expected to open in 2020 or 2021, with 150 residences, conference facilities and a ballroom.