I will be the first person to admit that I've never really gotten into astrology. Not because I don't believe in it, but rather, I've never really had the opportunity to learn more about it. Of course, I've plugged my information into an astrology birth chart calculator and occasionally read my weekly horoscope, but I haven't done a ton of research to learn what each part of my chart is supposed to tell me. I'm a firm believer in trying everything once, so when I had the chance to stay at The Ultimo astrology hotel in Sydney, Australia, I jumped at it.
The concept of an astrology hotel was very intriguing to me: I wondered how much information they could feasibly discern from my star chart, and how exactly the customization process would work.
The Ultimo personalizes your stay based on your star sign, so upon booking, I provided my time, date, and place of birth. With this information, the hotel's in-house astrologer, Pia Lehmann, drew up my chart in preparation for my stay. I also requested a short reading with her.
I walked into the hotel with zero expectations, but left extremely relaxed, a little more enlightened, and thoroughly impressed. Here's what the experience was like.
No crystal balls were involved, I promise. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I would feel about the reading. Part of me anticipated some hokeyness and uncomfortable discussions about my spirituality, but I did my best to walk in with an open mind.
Normally, the hotel offers the readings with Pia in person, but because she was going to be out of town during my stay, we scheduled a FaceTime call during the week prior.
Pia led by asking me what my views on astrology were, and I told her candidly that I wasn't entirely sure how I felt. She responded by saying that my reluctance was normal, and reassured me that the reading was purely meant to inform me about her interpretation of my chart. She also noted that she didn't know anything about me besides the fact that I'm a writer visiting Sydney for the first time, and that anything we talked about would purely be a result of her looking through my chart.
Pia started the reading by telling me things that most Geminis know about Geminis — we're generally outgoing people who love to talk, but we can be indecisive and get bored easily. But then she got into the nitty-gritty parts of my chart and my mind was seriously blown.
After mentioning some terms that I didn't entirely understand (my "Moon is in Leo" and I have "lots of air in my chart"), she listed off some intimate personality qualities that sounded scarily accurate.
Things started getting a little more intense when Pia asked me if I had ever wanted to sing. (I'm a singer and went to a music school for college.) Her exact phrasing was, "Your Venus is in Taurus, and it's showing me that you have a very strong throat. Have you ever considered singing?" She continued, "Your Moon in Leo tells me that you'd be a natural performer, too."
Even though I was impressed, the skeptic in me told me that Pia could have Googled me and found my music online, but what came next proved that she didn't.
She continued by asking if I was going to be taking on something new in my home life relatively soon. When I asked what she meant, she clarified that it could mean a big move or shift in responsibility at home. I informed her that I'm moving to L.A. in the middle of September, which very few people know (and can't be Googled).
I'm fairly positive I greeted her with my jaw dropped and a few moments of silence as I processed the fact that she was able to ask me that question without knowing anything about me besides my time, date, and place of birth.
She concluded by saying, "I don’t want to be a fortune teller. I want to help people when they have problems, because then I can explain to them where their problems came from. There is a reason why you’re here, there is a purpose for everyone."
Needless to say, Pia turned my world upside down and I started getting super pumped to visit The Ultimo.
Upon arriving at the hotel, my friend and I were greeted with separate welcome packets. (Our star signs are different, so they made sure that we both had our own personalized experiences.) The receptionist offered us cups of custom tea blends from cult-favorite Aussie tea brand T2 that corresponded with our respective signs, and explained what was inside each of our folders.
The first card had a cute graphic of our constellations with a short overview of characteristics of our star signs. The back of that card went into details about likes and dislikes, and offered suggestions of places to eat and drink, as well as things to do, based on activities our star signs usually enjoy. We also received a detailed packet that broke down the health and wellness portions of our star charts.
We were both immediately impressed with how welcome and attended to we felt, and thought that the welcome packets were a really cute touch.
I was pretty surprised that the hotel didn't scream "We talk about astrology stuff here" in its decor. The hotel has a beautiful mix of old (exposed brick) and new (very simple-but-chic artwork and a monochromatic color scheme). Plus, the hotel features lots of windows, and the abundance of natural light made us feel at home right away.
I realized that the astrology aspect of the hotel was meant to be used as a tool for the staff to personalize each guest's stay a little better. They didn't play it up or make it cheesy, but rather it allowed us to pick and choose which parts of the feature we wanted to take advantage of.
If you get the chance to stay at The Ultimo, I say definitely go for it, regardless of whether or not you know anything about astrology. (I actually think that the experience is better if you walk in kind of uninformed, because then you can soak up every part of it.)
I strongly suggest you have a reading done with Pia. I found mine to be super informative, and it was interesting hearing someone tell me bits and pieces about my qualities (similar to a personality test). The welcome packet is a wonderful touch, and the hotel itself is beautiful. All in all, it's an astrological experience I know I'll never forget.
