Sydney is booming with new luxury resorts, hot spot eateries and immersive arts and cultural experiences.
Hotels & Resorts
The destination’s newest luxury hotel, The Eve Hotel, located in Redfern opened earlier this year offering a serene retreat with a 20m rooftop pool, al fresco dining and thoughtfully designed rooms and suites. Marina Resort located in the heart of Nelson Bay, Port Stephens is slated to open in August offering elegant bay view rooms, an outdoor pool, and close attractions from dining, dolphin cruises and more. 25 Hours Hotel Sydney The Olympia is opening in October in the vibrant inner city suburb of Paddington. The hotel will feature 109 guest rooms including 3 themed suites along with 4 unique F&B offerings. Further down the horizon, Hilton Waldorf Astoria Sydney is slated to open in late 2026 with more than 220 rooms, many of which will have direct views of the Sydney Opera House, bridge & harbour.
Food & Beverage
Sydney’s food scene continues to boom with hot new restaurants opening – Felons Seafood opened in Manly in June in the former home of the Bavarian. The venue has 200 seats indoors and 120 on the boardwalk with interiors from Acme & Co. While the stunning modern Greek restaurant, Akti, opened on the waterfront in Woolloomooloo, helmed by celebrated Greek chef Ntinos Fotinakis and Robert Judd. Just a couple months ago, Conte Sydney opened as the world’s first Negroni Bar and Italian restaurant, and sister-restaurant to Surry Hills Stunner Bar Conte.
Arts & Culture
The Art Gallery of New South Wales just opened a landmark exhibition celebrating eight decades of Yolangi Aborignal art and culture. The iconic Sydney Botanic Gardens is tapping into astro tourism by offering, Astronomy at The Calyx, stargazing experiences for visitors from September 1 – October 28.
Sydney Marathon
The 25th annual TCS Sydney Marathon takes place on August 31, 2025. It is not only the largest event ever held in Australia but a centerpiece of an entire running festival featuring over 50,000 participants from more than 100 countries. This global event features one of the world’s most scenic marathon courses taking in Sydney’s most iconic and historic landmarks from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Opera House. The festival includes four distinct events: the TCS Sydney Marathon, TCS Sydney Marathon 10km, TCS Sydney Mini Marathon and the TCS Sydney Marathon Elite Wheelchair race.
New Western Sydney International Airport
The new Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) opening in early 2026 has completed construction on its first state-of-the-art terminal. Drawing on the region’s natural beauty, WSI’s new terminal blends sustainable design and innovative technology to offer a seamless experience for airlines and passengers at Australia’s first new greenfield international airport in more than 50 years. Some standout features include climate-responsive facade and solar panels reducing the airport’s carbon footprint, next generation technology allowing passengers to move quickly through the airport, while both domestic and international gates are under one roof making traveller’s connections simple and efficient.
Noteworthy Accolades
- New South Wales’ famous Byron Bay took the #1 spot in Lonely Planet’s, “Discover 25 Of The World’s Best Beaches.”
- Travel + Leisure’s2025 World’s Best Awards ranked three Sydney hotels among the best hotels in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific including Capella Sydney, Park Hyatt Sydney and Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
- Sydney was recently crowned the world’s best steak cityaccording to the same authority behind the 101 Best Steak Restaurant rankings, out performing Buenos Aires, Madrid, London and New York City. Neil Perry’s flagship Margaret took the #2 spot globally.
