Blue Mountains Blog
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Inside the Carrington's Grand Revival
When you visit The Carrington Hotel, you do more than stay the night or stop in for dinner or a cocktail. When you walk through those doors, you step into another era. Grand chandeliers hang overhead, ornate detailing frames the walls, and every corner hums with stories of dignitaries, travellers and generations of local families marking special occasions.
Since opening in 1883, the Carrington has been central to Katoomba’s identity. With 65 rooms, the Old City Bank Bar, Champagne Charlie’s cocktail lounge, live music venue The Baroque Room and multiple dining spaces, it offers plenty of reasons to linger.
At its heart, it has always been the Grand Dining Room.
“For generations of visitors, the Grand Dining Room has represented more than just a place to dine,” says Michael Brischetto, Director at the Carrington. “It has been the setting for milestone celebrations, elegant dinners, Yulefest traditions, wedding receptions, community events and quiet moments shared over fine food and wine.”
For local diners and visitors alike, dining here is a return to old world hospitality and the romance of a grand historic hotel. And in February 2026, that legacy entered a new chapter as the Grand Dining Room reopened following one of its most careful restorations in decades.
A dining room shaped by stories
After more than a century of service, the room was renewed with a focus on preserving its character while strengthening its future. The works included replacing the carpet, refreshing the walls and ceiling in heritage-aligned tones, repairing structural floor bearers, and carefully refurbishing the Altar, with its carved details reattached and restained.
The hotel operates under a Conservation Management Plan approved by NSW Heritage and Blue Mountains City Council, which guided every detail of the renovation from colours to materials. One of those details was the new carpet, which faithfully follows the design of the original linoleum floor.
“The patterns of the original flooring were not only decorative, they are part of the story of the hotel,” Michael says. “Retaining those details allows guests to experience the space as visitors would have over a century ago, carefully connecting past and present.”
Recreating the design wasn’t easy and required extensive examination of historical photographs, architectural records, and fragments of the original flooring. Designers and manufacturers worked closely to interpret those patterns in modern materials while remaining true to the original colours and motifs.
The people behind the preservation
Many of the tradespeople leading the works have decades-long connections to the hotel. For them, this was more than simply a renovation.
“For many of the team, this responsibility is deeply personal. Our tradesmen, like Dave, Aden, Joe and Andrew, are senior members of the hotel team who understand the building’s structure, materials and character deeply,” explains Michael. “That mindset changes everything. It shifts the focus from what’s quickest or cheapest to what best honours the building’s history.”
The restorations were not just about refreshing the Grand Dining Room, but also about developing new skills and fostering a sense of stewardship among the younger generations working on the project.
“Our younger team members are learning traditional techniques, heritage-sensitive restoration methods, and the philosophy behind working on a heritage-listed building,” says Michael. “That intergenerational exchange reinforces the idea of custodianship and helps make sure that the skills required to maintain the hotel are not lost.”
Since reopening in February 2026, the Grand Dining Room has once again become a centrepiece of the Carrington experience, welcoming guests for elegant dinners, Yulefest celebrations, weddings, high teas and milestone occasions beneath its chandeliers and restored detailing.
Restoration recognised
The restoration has also recently been recognised with the 2026 Heritage Awards People’s Choice Award, an acknowledgement of the immense care, craftsmanship and community support behind the project. For the Carrington team, the recognition reflects not only the physical restoration of the space, but the ongoing commitment to preserving an important part of Blue Mountains history for future generations.
“We are incredibly honoured to receive this award,” says Michael. “It means so much to our team because every detail of the restoration was approached with deep respect for the building’s history. We are very grateful to everyone who voted.”
“The scale of the room, the light, the detailing and the restored finishes, we hope it encourages people to pause for a moment and take it all in,” Michael says. “For returning guests, we hope it feels familiar, like a cherished part of the hotel has been lovingly refreshed. For first-time visitors, we hope it feels timeless, as though they’ve stepped into a place with stories to tell.”
Today, the Grand Dining Room stands not only as a beautifully restored heritage space, but as a living part of Katoomba’s story — one that continues to be shared by locals, visitors and future generations alike.
