After almost six years of detailed planning and review, one of the most famous tourism landmarks in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia, the Hydro Majestic Hotel, will open its doors once more on Friday, October 31.
The public opening follows an exclusive media preview in the new-look Wintergarden today attended by NSW Premier Mike Baird and more than 150 VIP travel and tourism guests.
The Hydro Majestic venues will open to the public with a series of five exclusive high tea events in The Casino Lobby and The Wintergarden.
Venues such as The Boiler House will also open progressively from Friday, October 31, and other venues such as The Salon Du The in the coming weeks, bringing the Hydro back to the people of Australia, celebrating its wonderful history and providing a broad palette of dining, event and public facilities.
The challenge of adding the next layer of history to these remarkable buildings has not been taken lightly. Rather, the Hydro Majestic’s social history and heritage and its much loved place in the memories of so many people has been examined and respected.
Department store retailer Mark Foy’s journey from when he purchased the property in 1902 was as a visionary, an ambitious and remarkable one.
He created a “Palace in the Wilderness’’ on a mountain top overlooking the Megalong Valley against all odds. Guests from around the globe flocked to it: the fortunate, the famous, the fabulous and even the infamous.
It is with this same belief and confidence in the Blue Mountains region that the Escarpment Group re-opens the Hydro Majestic, investing in re-creating the glamour and style the world remembers, while adding new and vibrant additions that talk to the past and celebrate the future.
Architect Ashkan Mostaghim of Mostaghim & Assoc has created the revised formula for the site including the new Hydro Majestic Pavilion and interpretation of the old Boiler House to create a provocative and exciting café environment with a vista over the Majestic Point Lookout.
The interior of the hotel has been brought back to life in the spirit and style with which it opened.
Interior designer Peter Reeve and the team at CRD have produced luxurious new and historically inspired interiors which reference the past and fold into the present with absolute luxe.
They have embraced the tradition of bespoke design to interpret the many periods of the hotel’s history, creating a unique range of carpets, paints, wallpapers and furnishings with Australian designers and suppliers based on period influences referencing the austere beauty of the Edwardian, the generosity of the Art Nouveau of the Belle Époque and moments of Art Deco.
Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism chairman Daniel Myles said: “The Hydro Majestic genuinely fits into the `icon’ category.
“From the charismatic character of Mark Foy who transformed the property into the splendid venue we all know to Peter Reeve’s exquisite restoration of today, the Hydro is a unique fixture in the history of Australia’s first tourist destination.
“Everyone has a story to tell about the hotel and I’m sure the tales of romance, life chapter markers and even those yarns that are a little bit mischievous will continue to unfold for a whole new generation of visitors and locals.
“I congratulate the Escarpment Group for restoring one of our original tourist gems to its full glorious state. It was a mammoth task but the result is a spectacular venue the whole region can be proud of.
“The Hydro Majestic gives visitors a most stupendous reason to visit the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and Oberon region besides the magnificent Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area itself.’’
The newly renovated Hydro Majestic Hotel will also boost tourism and employment in the region and help cement the Blue Mountains’ reputation as a glamorous national and international tourist destination.
