It is my first time staying at the Crystalbrook Collection chain of hotels. The chain owned by Syrian billionaire Ghassan Aboud currently has 7 hotels in Australia and counting. The Crystalbrook Kingsley hotel in Newcastle features luxury combined with sustainability with 130 guest rooms. And when you stay there find out why a visit to the restaurant is a must to order one of their most popular dishes.
Brutalist architecture has its ardent fans who admire the minimalist post war style that focuses on function over form. However it is not the first architectural choice for luxury hotels and transforming a space built for Newcastle's council administration into a 5 star Crystalbrook hotel was a challenge. The 1970's building is shaped like an upside down champagne cork and architectural firm EJE Architecture was enlisted for the task with Melbourne-based Suede Interior Design for the interiors. The name Crystalbrook Kingsley is a reference to Newcastle's former name Kingston and is in keeping with Crystalbrook's gender neutral hotel names.
But here we are, in downtown Newcastle on King Street. There's no driveway to park your car in, just four 15 minute public parking spots out front. I drive back and forth waiting for one of the four cars in front of the hotel to leave but then I give up and call the hotel. They instruct me to park at the top of the driveway and check in. It probably doesn't help that I've arrived at 3:05pm or peak check-in time.
Once you're in the building, the interior is awash with colour with sunny canary yellow and charcoal. The mosaic behind the lobby bar was created by Syrian artists at a non profit owned by owner businessman Ghassan Aboud. It depicts the canary bird and it is the yellow of the bird that is the hotel's signature colour and motif from the lobby to the rooms, birdcage chairs and lights. The canary is a nod to Newcastle's past as a mining town when they were sent down the mines to test out the quality of the air.
Check in is fast and friendly and before long I'm holding a small round wooden disc as my key and whizzing upstairs to the 7th floor to my park view room #717. These rooms range from 26-35m² and have a view of Newcastle Civic park below.
The king bed looks inviting; after a 2.5 hour drive a nap would be nice but I'm too busy poking around the room. There's a compendium tablet by the side of the bed with my name on it that is a nice, personal touch and a 55 inch television with complimentary movies.
Sustainability is the key here with an absence of single use plastics from the mini bar to the bathroom with chilled filtered bottles of water in the fridge and glass bottled drinks. The bathroom is 100% waste-free with Immersion amenities in share size. There are even upcycled fittings and furnishings - take a look at the curved timber joinery behind the bed made by a local carpenter using reclaimed wood. Hangers are made with cardboard and are surprisingly sturdy and the carpet is made from recyclable materials. Bikes are available for complimentary hire although the hotel is well placed within walking distance to some of Newcastle's best eateries. The hotel is a member of Earth Check, a certification, consulting and advisory group.
There are smart details that come with new builds. No longer do you have to struggle to figure out which light switch is which as they are clearly marked and illuminate when you raise a finger. There are also plenty of charging ports. Do not disturb, wake up calls, maid service, valet or just general enquiries are controlled via the tablet and you can even specify dates and times for each service. And if you opt out of daily housekeeping you'll receive a $10 credit to be used for dining and drinks or the mini bar stocked with locally based treats.
Guests booking the Crystalbrook Kingsley's foodie sleepover package in April for Newcastle Food Month will receive a bottle of ‘Botanica’ sparkling wine and a DIY Gilda kit put together by Arno Deli along with as 2 Earp Distilling Co x Romberg’s cocktails on arrival.
As the nearby clock tower bell chimes I'm reminded that it's time to get ready for drinks and dinner. I slip out of the patterned robe and get ready for the Newcastle Food Month Program reveal at Romberg's (named in honour of the building's original architect Frederick Romberg), the hotel's rooftop bar and then dinner at Roundhouse restaurant (named after the building's nickname) on the hotel's 9th floor.
The 9th and 10th floor were added on to the building during the renovation (the 10th floor holds the engineering equipment). Patrons enjoy an expansive view of Newcastle outside right out to Newcastle lighthouse. Even on this drizzly, unseasonably grey summer's evening I can see it in the distance. The restaurant also features another Syrian made mosaic on the floor as well as numerous olive trees, one of Ghasson Aboud's many businesses.
It is here that breakfast is served every morning until 10am with a range of hot and cold food, freshly baked pastries, fruit and a tea and coffee machine.
Matthew Smith is the executive chef at Crystalbrook Kingsley overseeing Roundhouse, Romberg's and Ms Mary's. If there's one dish that he cannot take off the menu it's the spanner crab lasagne. Admittedly I am a huge fan of lasagne no matter how you stuff it, but this spanner crab lasagne is particularly special.
"Crab lasagne was taught to me by a chef Mark Jensen who is currently at Peter Teakle wines in SA. I have had it on menus in various forms since 2015 and the current version is the best version," explains Matthew. With plenty of picked blue swimmer crab meat, tomato and cheese it sits in a creamy, intense crab bisque made using whole crabs. A crab shell serves as a bowl for the pangrattato crumbs. I had all intentions of just sampling this but it was so delicious that I ate the whole thing in small mouthfuls to extend the experience.
The pasture fed MBS4+ striploin is sourced from Hunter Valley Premium Quality Meats and is perfectly cooked medium rare. The steak is tender and juicy and served with a Café de Paris butter mixed through hollandaise sauce and house red wine jus. This is paired with a delicious field mushroom confited in duck fat and topped with a braised oxtail ragu.
I'm usually the last person to order a chocolate dessert after a rich meal but this chocolate cremeaux is surprisingly light. A cremieux is chocolate and creme anglaise made with 58% Belgian dark chocolate, topped with caramelised white chocolate whipped with double cream and torched Italian meringue squiggles brushed with vanilla rum on top. The ice cream has an espresso anglaise base and goes perfectly with this textural dessert. After that I head upstairs for a wonderful night's sleep.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever stayed at a Crystalbrook Hotel? And do you ever book special packages with hotels or just the room?
NQN stayed as a guest of Crystalbrook Kingsley Hotel Newcastle for a preview of Newcastle Food Month along with other media but all opinions remain her own.
Crystalbrook Kingsley Hotel
282 King St, Newcastle NSW 2300
Phone: (02) 4928 8600
https://www.crystalbrookcollection.com/kingsley
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