The Sydney New Year’s Eve hotel suite that costs $500k

While most spectators will watch the fireworks from 50 free public viewing points dotted around the harbour, the most luxurious way to see the show is from a private hotel suite.

There are plenty of premium options but the Park Hyatt’s Sydney suite is believed to be the most expensive. It boasts nearly 360-degree views of Sydney Harbour and city skyline, a private outdoor terrace, a gas fireplace, two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, an eight-seater dining room and a private butler.

The suite located on the harbour’s edge in The Rocks costs $68,000 per night. But, it requires a minimum booking of seven nights over December 31 so the total cost to book the suite for New Year’s Eve is $476,000.

The hotel’s other specialty Cove Suite has a six-night minimum stay at $8000 per night, or $48,000 for the full duration over New Year’s Eve. The hotel has 11 other specialty suites and standard rooms with harbour views.

The presidential villa at Crown Towers in Barangaroo is another premier suite with views of the whole harbour. It costs $38,888 to book for a two-night minimum stay to bring in the new year.

It has a panoramic view of Sydney Harbour and two levels of floor-to-ceiling windows. The 800-square-metre suite includes a private open-air infinity pool, a fitness room with an infrared sauna, a kitchen, bar, pool table, media room, office and a butler’s quarters for the room’s private butler, as well as two king-size bedrooms.

The villa, which the hotel describes as the “pinnacle of opulence”, is rumoured to be where pop superstar Taylor Swift stayed when she performed four shows of her Eras Tour in February 2024.

Among the other most luxurious rooms that will guarantee you a full view of the fireworks spectacle is at The Sebel Quay West Suites, where you could book a deluxe two-king-bedroom harbour view apartment for a minimum of four nights at a total of $17,732.

To stay at the Shangri-La in a room with unobstructed views of Sydney Harbour, it’s a minimum 10-night stay at an average of $1682 per night or a total of $16,860. At the Four Seasons, a deluxe full harbour view room can be booked with a minimum three-night stay for $15,300.

If you’re happy to pay a bit less and squish up in one corner of a room to see the show, a booking at the Marriott with a partial view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge costs $3799.

Fireworks will light up the sky from four CBD locations in Melbourne: Docklands, Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens and the Kings Domain. The most expensive hotel to watch the display from is the Crown Tower’s Melbourne presidential suite, which has a minimum two-night booking for a total of $33,398.

The Park Hyatt, 1 Hotel and The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne are other luxurious hotels with views of the Docklands and the city, at an average of $4000 for four nights over New Year’s Eve.

In Brisbane, The Calile Hotel is regarded as the city’s premier accommodation but does not have unobstructed views of South Bank, where the fireworks will be held. Other luxurious hotels include the Emporium Hotel South Bank, where the top suite with river views will cost $9557 on New Year’s Eve. The W Brisbane’s room with a full river view costs $1938 for a two-night minimum stay.

Hobart NYE hotels close to capacity

Co-star-owned hotel data agency STR shows Sydney’s occupancy rate was at 89.3 per cent for New Year’s Eve compared to 62 per cent in Melbourne, 59 per cent in Brisbane, 68 per cent in Perth, 67 per cent in Adelaide, 76 per cent in Gold Coast, 40 per cent in Darwin and 32 per cent in Canberra.

But Sydney is not the most booked-out place on the last day of the year, according to the data from December 8. Hobart’s occupancy rate is 91.7 per cent due to the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race finishing in the Tasmanian capital.