Curved floor-to-ceiling glazing wraps the elliptical tower that houses The Darling at The Star in Pyrmont, its reflective skin catching both harbour light and the Sydney skyline in a facade that signals ambition from every angle. Designed by Bates Smart and completed in 2011 as the premium hotel component of The Star casino complex, the ten-storey, 171-room property was conceived as a counterpoint to the broader entertainment precinct — a place where the design register would shift decisively toward restraint and material sophistication. The outdoor pool deck, set against that curved glass wall, distils the building's character neatly: pale stone surrounds, teak loungers, and a deep cobalt-tiled lap pool that holds its own against the architecture behind it. Inside, the interiors move between moods with considerable range. Guest rooms carry a palette of warm walnut joinery, leopard-print carpeting, and silver-on-charcoal botanical wallcoverings that give the suites a considered, jewel-box atmosphere, while harbour-facing rooms frame Blackwattle Bay through full-height windows that make the water feel structural rather than merely scenic. The dining spaces are the most theatrically resolved — the glass-wrapped steakhouse running along the ground floor with concrete columns, gold lattice screening, and stone-inlaid flooring, and elsewhere a dramatically ceilinged room where hundreds of dark braided ropes cascade from above, an installation that transforms an already dark interior into something closer to immersive art than conventional restaurant design.

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The Darling is located at The Star Sydney and is a key feature of Sydney’s leading entertainment destination. The hotel was designed as a stand-alone structure, with its own arrival experience, amenities and alluring personality. Housed in a distinctive inverted glass tower resting on a sandstone podium, the hotel features 171 stylish and spacious rooms, suites and penthouses, a 25-metre outdoor heated swimming pool, world-class cuisine and an indulgent day spa.