The Grand National Hotel

The Grand National had been part of Paddington life since the late 19th century when building owner George Penklis approached Josh and Julie Niland about giving the old neighbourhood pub another chapter. What emerged in January 2025 is much more ambitious than a restaurant with a few bedrooms upstairs. Saint Peter—Niland’s internationally celebrated restaurant and laboratory for whole-fish cooking—now occupies the heart of the building, while 14 individually detailed rooms turn dinner into an immersive stay. It feels less like a conventional hotel than an invitation into the Nilands’ world.

Victorian Bones, Australian Palette

Studio Aquilo, led by Belinda Chippendale and Dimity Chitty, has retained the character of the heritage building without allowing it to become nostalgic. Eucalyptus greens, earthy browns, brass, marble, stone, and richly textured surfaces bring warmth to the old Victorian architecture. In the restaurant, a skeletal fish-bone pendant by local studio Lost Profile hangs overhead, while a bespoke oyster-shell vessel by JN Custom Metal holds wine and champagne. Ribbed tiles suggest fish scales. Dried seaweed hangs in the open kitchen. Even the ceramics by Claudia Lau and Sam Gordon incorporate discarded fish bones into their clay. Here, sustainability becomes design language.

Fourteen Rooms, No Formula

Seven rooms occupy each of the hotel’s two accommodation floors, and the irregularities of the historic building mean no two are quite identical. Studio Aquilo combines king-size beds, velvet headboards, marble, stone, brass, freestanding baths, and expressive wallpapers by names including Catherine Martin, Cole & Son, and Fornasetti. Art curated by Tim Olsen of Olsen Gallery includes works by Australian artists such as Ken Done and Michael Cusack. The result is layered rather than minimal, with the intimacy of a highly considered private residence. And because there are only 14 rooms, details can become genuinely personal.

The Saint Peter Philosophy, Upstairs

Niland’s celebrated approach to using the whole fish doesn’t stop when you leave the dining room. Waste from the restaurant is transformed into unexpected objects and amenities, including fish-fat soap created with The Soapstress and the fish-bone ceramics found throughout the property. The minibar is complimentary, Aesop products sit in the bathrooms, and welcome treats might include a Yellowfin Tuna fermented rice cake with caviar alongside a native-inflected soda. At turndown, handmade chocolates arrive with a personally signed note from Josh Niland. Nothing feels generic.

Saint Peter

For many guests, the reason for coming is downstairs. Josh Niland has radically challenged conventional ideas about how fish should be sourced, butchered, aged, cooked, and consumed. At the Grand National, Saint Peter has grown into a 40-seat dining room, 30-seat bar, and private dining room while retaining the obsessive approach that made the original restaurant famous. The tasting menu might begin with exceptional Australian oysters and explore fish from fin to scale; the bar loosens the format with dishes such as Niland’s now-famous yellowfin tuna cheeseburger. Hotel guests also receive priority access to reservations.

Breakfast Worth Staying For

Then comes the advantage even Saint Peter’s dinner guests cannot book. Breakfast is exclusively for hotel residents and is prepared by the Saint Peter kitchen as a three-course experience in its own right. Marron scrambled eggs arrive on foie sourdough with the freshwater crayfish presented almost in its entirety, its head filled with hollandaise. Seasonal fruit becomes another carefully composed dish rather than a hotel buffet afterthought. It makes staying overnight part of the restaurant experience rather than merely somewhere to sleep after dinner.

Why It Works

The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter is hospitality conceived as one continuous idea. Studio Aquilo’s richly layered interiors, Australian art and craftsmanship, the intimacy of only 14 rooms, and Josh Niland’s extraordinary approach to seafood all speak the same language. From fish-bone ceramics to breakfast the following morning, nothing feels disconnected or incidental. This isn’t a restaurant that happens to have rooms upstairs. It’s the complete Saint Peter experience—and one of Sydney’s most original new places to stay.