West Hotel Sydney is brightening up its guest experience during Vivid, bringing the outside in with a series of colourful and immersive activations.

The Curio Collection by Hilton hotel’s open-air garden atrium and bar, Solander Dining and Bar, has been decked out with a series of kaleidoscopic florals, neon signs and lights, with the eye-catching installations intended to capture the attention of passers-by.

Given the hotel’s close proximity to the Vivid light walk, Hotel Manager Nathan Kengike is already seeing results from the activation.

“Our Vivid activity in Solander has had a really positive impact on walk-ins,” Kengike told HM.

“We’ve not only installed colourful lights onto our hotel façade and in the bar, but we’ve also completely transformed the atrium with colourful flowers and neon lights that sit amongst our real plants, creating the Vivid enchanted forest. It’s designed so that people who are walking by on the street can see it.

“It’s lit up, it’s colourful and there’s a great vibe.”

Being involved in Vivid for the first time as a Hotel Manager, Kengike said he wanted to increase walk-ins and bookings, and create a special experience for guests during the festival.

“We’ve seen some good pickup already off the back of weekend one and look forward to the rest of the Vivid celebrations,” he said.

The activation follows a botanical theme, aligning with the hotel’s nods to Australia’s natural landscape and botanicals throughout. Solander Dining and Bar, for example, references Daniel Solander, a Swedish botanist reported to be the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil.

Throughout the festival, the hotel bar is serving up a series of multi-coloured, Vivid-themed cocktails, from the Enchanted Forest to the Chromatic Cosmos, and a selection of bar bites curated by Head Chef, Joel Robinson.

“With this theme in mind, we’ve created three amazing Vivid cocktails that feature botanical-inspired ingredients,” Kengike said.  

“Throughout Solander there’s also some amazing neon lights which also lean into this theme.”