Hotel Review: QT Newcastle

The QT Newcastle is a stunning hotel in the heart of the Newcastle CBD. With a lunar theme and colours echoing Newcastle's history, the QT Newcastle has taken a historical building and made it into a contemporary hotel. Come along for this detailed review that shows what our deluxe king room was like as well as the restaurant Jana breakfast and dinner and dog friendly details.

Counting the moons is something that we get into the habit of when staying at the QT Newcastle. Once you notice the lunar theme to this hotel, it's hard not to see the moon's orb reflected in many different ways, tucked into a corner or as a giant simulacrum in the middle of a room.

The Location

It's a sunny, warm Friday afternoon when Mr NQN and I meet Laura at the QT hotel on Hunter Street in Newcastle. The hotel opened mid 2022 and takes up space from the former David Jones department store. It calls itself "Joyfully maximalist" with bright colours, plush textured furnishings and Australian artworks lining the walls. The 115 year old heritage building is located in busy Hunter Mall in Newcastle's East End. The location is close to the beach and waterfront and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance.

The Design

QT hotels are always quirky with a luxe boutique vibe. This QT hotel has an other worldly quality - that's because the moon is the design narrative of the hotel from the eye catching entrance with a gigantic moon suspended from the ceiling. The celestial body was chosen as the regeneration of the moon cycle coincides with the regeneration of an old building. The hotel's restaurant Jana is named after the Ancient Roman goddess of the moon and also sports another giant moon.

Check is in at the lobby right next to Jana. We head upstairs to our room 707, a king deluxe room. Each QT hotel has a different personality that reflects its location and this one is all about Newcastle's coal and steel history with caged metal wardrobes, raw building elements and metal furniture casters in colour blocking all put together by designer Nic Graham.

The Hotel Room

Our deluxe king room 707 is all about seductive lighting and jewel tones alongside Newcastle's city colours of cinnamon brown and emerald green. There is a circular mirror depicting the moon theme as well as an illuminated split moon above the bed. The view is of the Hunter River outside the original arched windows.

The king bed is comfortable with very smooth sheets for a great night's sleep. There are plenty of plugs by the bed as well as a two tier metal bedside table. The room is spacious with plenty of room for the dogs. QT mini bars are always full of tasty drinking options and this one is no exception with an abundance of soft drinks, snacks and ready made cocktails available for purchase. There are also coffee capsules and a machine and T2 tea available. Black robes hang up and if you want slippers, call downstairs for them.

The bathroom has a separate bathtub as well as double sinks and a spacious shower. The bathroom is designed so that you can keep the partition open between the bathroom and the bedroom or slide it shut for privacy. We love the green subway tiles and brushed brass finishings (we have similar at home!).

There are full sized amenities like body lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash by Tom Dixon London in a fresh ginger and vetiver scent. However everything apart from a shower cap will need to be requested or brought from home.

Dog Friendly Details

Guests can bring dogs under 25kg or larger by request. The cleaning fee is $150 and dog beds and bowls are provided to guests. Dogs must be on leash when in public areas and are not allowed in the room unattended or in areas where food is served. The restaurant Jana has outdoor tables where you can sit with them and staff are friendly and bring bowls of water for the dogs. Dogs are not permitted in the rooftop bar.

There are also some snacks available for doggy guests from carrot, peanut butter and cheese snacks as well as dog cologne and dry shampoo. Guests can also order from a well priced dog friendly menu with 3 choices: pasta with meat broth, steak tartare or a yogurt bowl with banana and blueberries for $15 each and available from 2-9pm.

The Hotel Restaurant

Jana is located on the ground floor and is a stunning restaurant as befitting a goddess. Service is absolutely lovely and we enjoy the 10 course Il Banchetto menu for $149 a person. The set menu has a minimum of two people but is good value especially if you want to try the Bone in Rib Eye.

Start with cocktails like the Coconut Bra with Malibu, Coco Lopez and lime or the Neu Jazz Club with Plantation Pineapple, Licor 43, Heering Cherry, Lime and Pineapple.

The house made focaccia is soft and delicious and served with extra virgin oil and a cherry balsamic vinegar. It's great for mopping up all of those delicious sauces.

The croquettes are filled with a porcini mushroom and truffle bechamel style sauce with shaved parmesan on top. These are gloriously good with a soft creamy filling similar to Japanese cream croquettes that aren't easy to find here.

The Monatanara is another tasty snack with puffy, chewy deep fried bread topped with tender black mussel butter with basil mayo and paprika.

The next course features two crudos: a kingfish crudo with green mango salsa, finely diced radish, lemon balsamic reduction, tomato & chili oil that is refreshing and light.

The serving of beef carpaccio is generous with large, thin leaves of beef with parmesan, rocket, house dressing and crunchy toasted macadamias with a fruit glaze that makes this very moreish.

We swap the cacio e pepe for the calamarata pasta, large, thick ring pasta shaped like calamari rings and paired with a tomato, garlic and white wine sauce with plenty of chopped up prawns, mussels and clams. The pasta is perfectly al dente and such a pleasure to eat.

The 600g Manning Valley, grass fed, mbs4 rib eye is served with three mustard: dijon, hot English and seeded mustard as well as a pepper jus on the side. The meat is fantastic with a nice amount of marbling especially for a grass fed beef and I almost wish I had ordered it cooked medium.

Normally the rib eye comes with fries and mixed leaf salad too but the sides that it comes with here are the Potato Caesar Salad made with roast chat potaotes, iceberg, anchovy dressing, parmesan and croutons and the cauli blossom with fried eschallots and chilli honey.

We also swapped out the tiramisu for the Hazelnut Rocher. This is basically a large version of a Ferrero Rocher filled with milk chocolate mousse coated in a layer of milk chocolate with hazelnut praline. And despite only having room for a taste of it, the dessert vanishes quickly. "This is another moon!" I exclaim.

The Hotel Breakfast

Breakfast is downstairs at Jana and goes from 6:30-10:30am but late risers also have a reduced menu from 10:30-11:30am with items like bacon and egg roll and ham and cheese croissant. For hotel guests they can pick one main choice, a coffee or tea, a juice and a choice of fruit plate or mini pastries. We loved the truffle miso mushrooms, chilli scrambled eggs with crispy bacon and the smashed avocado is fantastic and the quality is a step above a typical hotel breakfast buffet.

The Hotel Rooftop Bar

At the opposite end of the building is the rooftop bar, Newcastle's first when it was built in 2022. The best time to make your way to the 9th floor is just before sunset. There are half a dozen signature cocktails from a Strawberry Gin Smash, Mexican Martini, Mango Pancake (our favourite) and The Yeti. It's very popular there so get there early to nab a table especially on a Friday or Saturday night.

Hotel Parking

Self parking is in the nearby car park accessed through an entrance on King Street. You can come and go as many times as you like but need to retrieve a voucher from reception every time you want to do so. The voucher gives you a 20 minute window to leave.

What I loved:

I loved being able to bring the doggies along and the rooms are gorgeous and very comfortable. The breakfast and dinner at Jana were fantastic. Jana waitstaff were very knowledgable and friendly.

What I wish:

Parking was a bit confusing when we first arrived. We did get a couple of wrong pieces of information from staff.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you ever use the mini bar? How important is a bath in a hotel room for you?

QT Newcastle

185 Hunter St, Newcastle NSW 2300

Phone: (02) 6396 4000

www.qthotels.com/newcastle/