The Westin Sydney

Located in the heart of the central business district and on the doorstep of the city's best shopping, restaurants and attractions, the award winning Westin Sydney is a perfect base for all that Sydney has to offer. The Westin showcases a breathtaking mix of old world grandeur and contemporary facilities.

The Westin Sydney Hotel is an award winning, five star hotel set in the heart of Sydney's central business district. The Westin Sydney event spaces include the Grand Ballroom, which boats one of the finest sound, lighting, rigging, and video systems available in Australia. This space can seat up to 1,000 for a gala dinner or 1,400 for a conference in theatre style. Part of the redevelopment of Sydney's historic General Post Office on Martin Place, this luxurious hotel is surrounded by Sydney's most exclusive designer shopping, best restaurants, theatres and nightlife, and is close to attractions like Darling Harbour, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The historic General Post Office building houses beautiful Heritage Rooms, and the Tower rooms have spectacular views of the city. The Presidential suite is an impressive high security room located on the top floor (level 31) of the hotel with floor to ceiling glass walls that wrap around the suite, a separate individual study, kitchen, guest bathroom and a spacious, relaxing circular lounge area for entertaining.

The Westin Sydney event spaces have some of the most comprehensive banquet and catering facilities in the city, including two magnificent ballrooms and eight meeting rooms with natural light. The hotel also features wireless connectivity in all public areas and a 24 hour business centre. Famously it also has the longest escalator in any hotel in the southern hemisphere as well as one of the most sophisticated sound, lighting, and video systems currently available.

When the GPO building was finished in 1891 the three-storey sandstone tower culminating in the belfry was immediately adopted as a symbol of Sydney. The clock which weighs 25 tonnes was built in England by the Shropshire firm of J. B. Joyce and Company. On the 16th September, at two minutes to noon, the Countess of Jersey, wife of the Governor, set in motion the chimes to strike the hours. The clock mechanism was wound every seven days and was connected electrically with the Sydney Observatory for hourly time checks.

At five tonnes and with a mouth diameter of two metres, the hour bell in the GPO tower is second only in size in Australia to the bell of the Canberra carillon set in Lake Burley Griffin. All of the five Sydney bells were cast in England and were the largest shipped from there to another country. This stanza from Tennyson's In Memoriam is inscribed on the bells: 'Ring out the false, ring in the true, Ring out the feud of rich and poor; Ring in redress to all mankind, Ring out false pride in place and blood, Ring in the common love of good.'