Tay Tay touches down: Where the star is (probably) staying in Sydney
Widespread fascination with the jet-set life of the world’s biggest pop superstar continues apace as Taylor Swift arrives in Sydney for the final leg of her tour Down Under.
With a tweet thanking Melbourne fans “for the memories”, Swift boarded a private rental jet at Melbourne Airport on Monday, landing in Sydney at 1.25pm – her flight VJT993, for the second time in a week, briefly became the most-tracked aircraft on Flightradar24, with about 40,000 viewers.
It’s believed the megastar stayed in Crown Towers’ exclusive presidential suite during her whirlwind Melbourne stint. Now, as Swift prepares to play the first of four Sydney concerts on February 23, all eyes are on the hotel’s equally lavish sister property, Crown Sydney.
Reports that the Shake it Off singer has booked a luxury rental in the eastern suburbs have done little to snuff out rumours of the A-lister bunking down in Crown Sydney’s palatial 820-square-metre Presidential Villa on the 88th floor, given Crown Resorts is the official Eras Tour partner.
Iconic views from the presidential villa pool terrace.
Spread over two levels, the three-bedroom Barangaroo residence costs $38,888 a night, and comes with 24-hour butler service.
With views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the villa’s show-stopping open sun terrace with private heated infinity pool isn’t a bad spot for Taylor to while away the next four days, ahead of her first Sydney show.
The villa is equipped with an office, pool table, media room, kitchen, massage suite, butler’s quarters, fitness room, marble spa bath and baby grand piano.
The top-tier villa costs almost $39,000 a night.
All three bedrooms feature the finest Frette bed linen, en suites with double vanities and separate shower and soaking tubs with televisions, luxury amenities by Salvatore Ferragamo, Dyson hair appliances and the latest in-room technology for temperature, lighting and curtain control.
VIP guests can enjoy exclusive in-villa dining from any of the hotel’s premium restaurants, including Nobu (a known favourite of Swift’s) and three-hatted Oncore by Clare Smyth. The hotel and casino’s level-26, invite-only whisky and cigar lounge, Neat Peat, offers a level of privacy and discretion coveted by those of Taylor’s ilk. It’s not even listed on the hotel’s website.
Neil Fergus, chief executive of leading international security advice firm Intelligent Risks, said hotels of a certain calibre offer security hard to come by in luxury mansion rentals.
“The better hotel properties in Australia, like Crown, are the most secure option for high-profile celebrities because they have a robust and effective security overlay in place – personnel and systems,” said Fergus.
“Private mansions – while occasionally used – require bespoke planning and security resources to be contracted in 24/7.”
Fancy a soak in the marble spa?
However, should Swift go down the Sydney private luxury rental route, she wouldn’t be the first – Justin Bieber and Adele both leased private mansions while on tour Down Under in 2017. Bieber memorably caused a stir among the suburb’s young “Beliebers” while staying in Mosman – the same property Adele would reportedly rent as a decoy while she ensconced herself in a lavish estate in Hunters Hill, according to reports at the time.
Matthew Fleming of high-end property rental agency Contemporary Hotels said it’s not unusual for celebrities to book one property and stay in another.
“We would have the booking in a different name to the celebrity’s... We have also had a couple of instances of a celebrity booking a property but not actually using it,” said Fleming.
For clients of Taylor Swift’s celebrity, a property that doesn’t allow views inside from anywhere else is paramount, which can be a challenge to source in Sydney as homes are “quite built up”.
“They don’t want the paparazzi being able to rent an apartment next door that has views into the pool or garden area. We need to provide a home with absolutely privacy,” said Fleming.
Justin Bieber stayed in a Coronation Ave luxury Mosman rental during his 2017 Sydney tour.
Contemporary Hotels is well versed in the needs of such clients; Fleming has long-standing relationships with tour promoters, managers and concierge travel agents.
“When celebrities stay in cities they want big and beautiful properties, and generally those properties are in the more affluent areas,” said Fleming.
“A lot of the properties we look after are in the eastern suburbs on the waterfront, or towards Bondi Beach or the lower north shore.
“There are a number of properties that can offer the privacy they seek.”
Rentals can soar into the six-figure mark, with some upwards of $200,000 a week, depending on the property and time of year.
“We also have a number of properties that are private listings, that are on application purely for this purpose. Generally, their owners might be high-profile as well – so we try to match up discreet properties with discreet guests; it all happens in the background.”
Swift’s rumoured Melbourne digs, Crown Towers’ sprawling level-43 Presidential Villa penthouse, is described by the hotel as “one of the most decadent and spectacular accommodation spaces in the southern hemisphere”; its features include custom decor, a massage room, bar area, mirrored private gym, lavish art collection and superyacht-inspired master bedroom.
At the time of writing, Crown Sydney still has availability over the final nights of Swift's Eras Tour in Australia, with rooms from $1639 a night.
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