Sydney Tower closes doors for $12 million redesign

Economists predicting an austere ride for 2020 take note: Sydney is in the midst of a luxury restaurant fitout splurge not seen since the 2000 Olympics.

The dawn of 2020 has already seen the birth of big-spend fitouts Mimi's, Meu Jardim and Firegrill. Now Short Black hears $12 million is about to be thrown at the city's highest hospitality venue.

Sydney Tower Dining – and its upmarket 360 Bar and Dining – will have its last service on March 1, closing for a six-month reboot.

The redesign will include a new bar, which slides into the top-floor space currently used for events. At 305 metres, it'll clock in as Sydney's highest bar when it opens later this year.

Rod Faucheux from Loop Creative, the design shop that has picked up the brief, says while some areas will be casual, others will be formal and sophisticated but careful not to distract from the star of the show: the view.

"We wanted to design a bar that to international and local guests alike appeared as if it had always been there: a time-capsule of the era."

While there's never a good time to close up for six months, the "old Centrepoint Tower" venue, as many locals still refer to it, is a favourite of inbound tourists, so the slowdown in hospitality trade as a result of COVID-19 has made it a more opportune time to build.

Operator Trippas White has been tipping big bucks into its restaurants of late, including the recently reopened Botanic House and Terrace on the Domain.

Its group managing director, Joseph Murray, knows this time he's playing with a quirky piece of Sydney history.

"Sydney Tower is truly an icon of the Sydney skyline, and holds a treasured place in the hearts of Sydneysiders and many local and international tourists," he says.

They are also on the hunt for the final piece of the puzzle – an executive chef for 360 Dining.