Down a flight of steps from George Street, beneath the Hilton Sydney, sits one of the most lavish rooms in the country, Marble Bar. We pay it a visit and chat with bartender Aman Karma.
In a city that demolished most of its Victorian past, the survival of Hilton Sydney’s Marble Bar (now 133 years old) is a small miracle – and a testament to what happens when a room is built with genuine ambition.
While the room is testament to craftmanship and a bygone era, today’s opulent bar, live music and DJs five nights a week ensure it is as relevant and modern as it was when first built.
George Adams, the hotelier and lottery magnate who commissioned it in 1893, wanted something that would be noticed around the world. He engaged architect Varney Parkes – son of the ‘father of Federation’ Sir Henry Parkes – to design a bar unlike anything else in the colony.
What Parkes delivered cost £32,000 and drew on 35 varieties of marble from Italy, Belgium and Africa, carved joinery in American walnut, mosaics, stained glass, and decoration described at the time as being “carried out in the fullest and richest style of the fifteenth century Italian Renaissance”.
Artist Julian Ashton spent two years painting 14 works for the room, visiting Adams monthly as he worked. Adams’ verdict, every time was “First rate”.
The bar has survived two demolitions. When Adams’s Pitt Street hotel was razed in 1969 to make way for the original Hilton, every section was numbered, X-rayed, dismantled, documented, crated and stored. It was painstakingly reconstructed within the new building, reopening in 1973.
It survived again when that Hilton was replaced by the current Johnson Pilton Walker-designed building in 2005. In 2025, it had a refresh – new lighting, carpeting and a state-of-the-art sound system – designed to sharpen the live music experience without touching what makes it irreplaceable.
It is into this room, behind the bar, that Aman Karma arrived two months ago. Growing up in Nepal, Karma chose to study hospitality straight out of high school, drawn to an industry built on human connection.
“I’ve always enjoyed helping and having fun with others. That connection is what hospitality is about,” he says. It took six years of working hotels and venues before he found his footing behind the bar.
“That bug never left me. Once I was behind the bar, that was it.”
Before joining the Hilton Sydney, he worked with The Mucho Group at Herbs Taverne, then took on the challenge of setting up a bar from scratch on Sydney’s Northern Beaches – an opportunity, he says, that shaped how he thinks about leadership.
“When you get that opportunity and commit to learning, that’s when you know it is either what you want to do, or you want to stay bartending. Both choices are valid and require commitment, but it has to be a considered decision.”
Karma came to Marble Bar as a deliberate challenge. He explains the unique and to learn the skills needed in a hotel bar setting.
“I took the job here because I want to conquer my apprehension about working in a hotel environment. Guests’ high expectations can be amplified by cultural expectations, frayed nerves, or language barriers and require exceptional interpersonal skills. I want to make myself stronger.”
The Marble Bar’s team is relatively fresh but made up of largely experienced operators just new to the venue. Karma has stepped into an informal leadership role alongside his seniors, overseeing prep and keeping an eye on the floor.
His philosophy is straightforward. “Sometimes you need to find opportunities yourself. Be forward. Be willing to be taught. Don’t be shy to say that you don’t know, that’s often when the most rewarding opportunities come along. Just keep asking questions.”
Marble Bar is open Monday to Saturday from 4pm, with live music Monday to Friday from 7.30pm.