Shaping a nation: the 100-year history of Hyatt Hotel Canberra

For a century, the grand dame of Canberra hotels has been accommodating guests and dignitaries in style and bearing witness to stays, stories and celebrations.

Located in the heart of the capital and nestled beside the cultural and refined National Triangle, Hyatt Hotel Canberra – a Park Hyatt Hotel has been the social and political axis of Canberra, and the nation, for a century. Accommodating guests and dignitaries in style, it’s also been the epitome of grandeur since the 1920s.

Hyatt Hotel Canberra is celebrating 100 years.

In the beginning

Starting life as Hostel No. 1 on the lonely plains of an emerging city, it opened in 1924 as the capital’s first lodging and the principal official residence of the Commonwealth. Accommodating members of parliament, ministers, international dignitaries and high-ranking officials, it needed to exude a matching elegance, and it didn’t disappoint.

With jarrah floorboards, soaring hand-pressed ceilings and soft carpets to sink into, it was a grand affair. Designed by Commonwealth architect John Smith Murdoch, with a nod to the beauty of the Beaux-Arts movement, the hotel featured a series of pavilions in two wings radiating from garden courtyards and linked by verandahs. Its garden setting gives a country estate feel, in keeping with the garden city concept of American architect Walter Burley Griffin.

The hotel has always exuded elegance.

The Dining Room, with high ceilings and elegant architecture, quickly cemented itself as the preferred place for Australia’s luminaries to gather. Meanwhile, the then-billiard room is said to have been a favourite of former prime minister Billy Hughes, who was known to challenge guests to a game.

A new lease on life

After a short period when it was used for government offices, the hotel was resurrected to its five-star glory in 1988 under the Park Hyatt brand, the flagship luxury tier of Hyatt Hotels globally and the first in Australia.

The architects delivered with instructions to restore the 1924 structure to meet Park Hyatt’s modern luxury standards while maintaining its heritage-listed guidelines. The existing building was restored to its original intent, with period-appropriate lamps, custom Taipei sofas, cast-iron tables and delicate china specifically created for the hotel.

Stripped back to its original features, verandahs were restored and gardens reconstructed from original plans and sketches. A four-storey central spine was added, complementing the 1920s architecture and adding 220 beautifully appointed rooms, including a grand ballroom to host 500 people. Find our review here.

Gardens were reconstructed from original plans.

If walls could talk

Having lived through the Jazz Age, the Great Depression and the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s, the hotel reverberates with history. Not just through its building but through the stories that abound and characters who’ve passed through, from prime ministers to modern-day A-list Hollywood celebrities.

Despite the lack of alcohol in its early years, the hotel was the centre of Canberra social life hosting the local darlings of the day. That tradition has continued and the hotel remains the place of choice for visiting heads of state, actors, rock stars and royalty. Presidential Suites don’t exist just to sit idle.

Architects delivered, from bathrooms to dining halls.

The Hyatt Hotel Canberra is a place steeped in stories and intrigue: where deals have been done, moves plotted, politicians bailed up and secrets shared, many through the fog of thick cigar smoke or surreptitiously in the shadows. The walls are no doubt saturated with absorbed conversations and whispers that have helped shape the nation.

Inside and out

Original artworks line walls, fresh flowers fill vases and the tinkle of live piano on weekends sets the mood, but it’s the people that define the essence of the hotel. Pianist Stuart Warner is a hotel treasure – having entertained guests for the past 35 years.

The quiet elegance of the Tea Lounge is an enviable spot to catch up with friends and take refreshments under the sparkling oblong chandeliers. High Tea has been served since the 1920s: a three-tiered affair of sweet and savoury treats washed down with your favourite blend of tea and Champagne or sparkling wine (these days, it’s served Thursday to Sunday). For more casual dining, guests can try the Grazing Table buffet, popular with locals.

High Tea has been served since the 1920s.

Relax in the two hectares of manicured gardens or head to the Clubhouse which has a fully-equipped gym and 16-metre heated pool. The galleries of the National Triangle, the allure of Lake Burley Griffin and the buzz of the city are a short stroll away.

Centenary celebrations

As the hotel commemorates 100 years, it’s time to fall in love with hotels again. From a specially created list of cocktails to a glitzy Roaring ’20s party in October remembering the glamour days of old, there’s more than one way to celebrate.

Try the specially curated cocktails.

With a Suite Centenary package, guests can stay in a heritage Diplomatic Suite as dignitaries have done over decades. Separate spacious lounge and dining areas, balconies with garden views and the hotel’s signature opulent marble bathrooms make guests feel like dignitaries, too. The Suite Centenary package includes a fruit platter on arrival, welcome cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, breakfast for two, daily turndown service and valet parking.

A century after opening, the Hyatt Canberra remains a place of timeless elegance and impeccable service, a reminder of what luxury hotels should be.

Stay in style with a heritage Diplomatic Suite.

Visit parkhyattcanberra.com to find out how to join the celebrations.