BE OUR GUEST

Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation

- SUDESHNA GHOSH

Sydney's inner-city Paddington isn't the first place you think of when it comes to destination dining with overnight accommodation. Typically, one expects a more bucolic setting - somewhere surrounded by rolling pastoral landscapes or a quirky continental village, à la so many of Europe's Michelin-star restaurants.

But Josh and Julie Niland are ready to challenge that thinking.

When the couple announced they were moving Saint Peter up the road to the historic Grand National Hotel site, simultaneously opening a boutique hotel alongside the 40-seat fine-diner, it marked a new era for both the restaurant and its owners.

Running a hotel was never part of their hospitality dream; they planned to outsource the accommodation side of things to another operator. Conversations were had but it soon became apparent if they didn't take control of the experience themselves, carefully curating it to maintain the worldrecognised standard they have set under the Saint Peter banner, they risked tainting the whole brand. Their minds were turned; the Nilands were becoming hoteliers.

"We thought it could be an extraordinary extension of the hospitality from the restaurant," explains Josh. "We will be using the accommodation as a conduit to express what is possible with fish."

"Our motivation for wanting to pursue the idea of offering accommodation in a location like this was the lack of luxury boutique offerings in the city," he continues. "There are a lot of great hotels that are part of chains, but they don't always speak to the zeitgeist of Australia."

And that sense of place promises to be unmistakable at the Grand National Hotel - from the distinctly Paddington views, with glimpses of the harbour below, to the in-room amenities which will showcase Australian makers, and where possible, Australian fish (think toiletries using fish fat and ceramics made with fishbone).