Seminars and company events
The Carrington Hotel takes half-day and full-day conferences, board meetings, business breakfasts and networking cocktails, with five private rooms that range from a six-seat breakout room to a Ballroom for 80 at banquet, plus 65 heritage rooms and suites for delegates. The hotel stands on Katoomba Street in Katoomba, the main town of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.
Meeting packages come in half-day and full-day formats and can be adjusted to the brief. Rooms can be set as boardroom, classroom, U-shape, theatre, cabaret, banquet or cocktail, and the hotel lists AV equipment in its event spaces. Each event is handled by a dedicated coordinator. For team building, the hotel works with local partners for canyoning, rock climbing and abseiling, guided stargazing, and bike hire with guided rides.
Weddings and receptions
Couples can hold ceremonies and receptions across the hotel. The wedding gallery shows the garden, the Library, the stained glass hall, the verandah and the Grand Dining Room. Packages are set out in a brochure supplied by the events team, and the coordinators help with planning and theming. The hotel also hosts birthdays, engagement parties, anniversaries and memorial gatherings.
Rooms and capacities
The Ballroom is a bright room with a small stage, opening onto an enclosed verandah and the outdoor Piazza. It seats up to 80 for a banquet without a dancefloor, or 60 with one. The Grand Dining Room, with vaulted ceilings, columns, crystal chandeliers and a built-in dancefloor, takes groups of 80 guests or more, and the Colonnade next to it adds space. Because it runs as an à la carte restaurant from Wednesday to Saturday evenings, it is bookable outside those services. The Library, panelled in wood with an open fireplace, suits private dinners, cocktails and small meetings. The Chifley Room is a boardroom for up to 10 with French doors to the verandah, and the Sir Henry Parkes Room is a breakout space for 6 with a desk and a computer.
Accommodation
The hotel has 65 heritage rooms and suites, and room blocks can be included in a conference or wedding enquiry.
Catering
Menus are written for each event, from working lunches to multi-course dinners, using local produce. The site also includes Old City Bank, Champagne Charlie's, Carrington Cellars and Deli, and Katoomba Brewing Co., set in the former power station.
History and setting
The hotel opened on August 15, 1883 as the Great Western Hotel, designed by John Kirkpatrick, and took the name of Governor Lord Carrington a few years later. Its stained glass front and Art Nouveau verandah date from a 1913 remodel. Closed in 1982, it was restored in the 1990s and is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. The gardens, laid out by Paul Sorensen, keep their original pines.
Getting there
Katoomba station, on the Blue Mountains line from Sydney, is a short walk from the hotel. Sydney Airport is the nearest major airport.
