31 October 2023
12 mins Read
There are new hotels popping up all across Australia, but we’ve found the very best so you know where to book your next holiday. Put these new and noteworthy hotels on your radar for 2023.
Melbourne’s hip co-living accommodation caters to the next generation of travellers keen to combine work, rest and play during their stay.
‘lyf’, a ‘co-living hotel’ in the backstreets of Collingwood, Melbourne is a buzzy place made for travellers who take their work with them wherever they are in the world. If you’re cool with a small, utilitarian room because you spend most of your time out and about, this place is for you.
This new breed of hotel is a bang-for-your-buck base ideal for digital nomads wanting to work hard and play harder in one of Melbourne’s most happening ’hoods.
lyf is a new way to stay. (Image: The Ascott Limited)
Beresford Luxury Suites and Villas offers travelling oenophiles and hopheads lovely new design-focused lodgings located on approximately 25 hectares in South Australia’s McLaren Vale.
In addition to the sprawling Beresford Estate vineyards all around, the $10 million development includes The Vale Taphouse, a microbrewery with its own restaurant.
Lush it up in a Grand Reserve Suite, which has indoor and outdoor living spaces as well as its own bathhouse. It’s no surprise these luxury digs claimed the title of Best New Accommodation in the 2023 Best of Wine Tourism Awards.
Stay in the McLaren Vale wine region at Beresford.
The number of Into the Wild properties continues to expand one teeny-tiny home at a time with around 50 off-grid escapes on offer around the country.
In addition to secluded cabins that sleep two, such as Heidi in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and the brand new Percival on Bruny Island, the sustainable, self-contained accommodation model has extended to include eco-friendly family cabins that accommodate up to six guests.
Go off-grid with Into the Wild.
Greyleigh offers the ultimate grand, glam farm-stay experience two hours south of Sydney and just five minutes from the coastal town of Kiama.
Established as a working dairy farm in the 1800s, the charming country-meets-coast homestead has been converted into a guesthouse with six stylish rooms, a farmhouse kitchen and carefully curated indoor and outdoor spaces filled with contemporary and vintage treasures.
Outside, chickens and cows roam the countryside. It’s a taste of the good life.
Greyleigh offers the ultimate grand, glam farm-stay experience.
Mooraback Cabin, in NSW’s Werrikimbe National Park near Walcha, has flung open its doors to guests for the very first time.
The rustic wilderness cabin, which was built as a base for National Parks & Wildlife Service staff in the mid-1970s, sleeps six people in two bedrooms.
Watch kangaroos and wallabies grazing on the grounds, spot platypi in a nearby pool and listen for lyrebirds on the property, which has World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest on its doorstep.
Mooraback Cabin is the perfect place to immerse yourself in nature. (Image: David Waugh/DPE)
Hotel Morris is the latest zeitgeisty building in Sydney to get a zhuzhing. The iconic property is a stunning example of the inter-war palazzo style favoured by notable architect Virgil Dante Cizzio.
In addition to the careful restoration of the 1930s facade, each of the 82 Art Deco-style guest rooms has been redesigned with bespoke furniture, bold brass detailing and stone finishes.
The landmark InterContinental Sydney has recently revealed its $120 million transformation.
Design firm Woods Bagot has respected the bones of the original Treasury Building of 1851 and softened the opulent interiors with a sumptuous palette of greens and blues, custom lighting and marble and brass finishes.
And for the first time, the Aster bar overlooking the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge is open to the public.
The landmark InterContinental Sydney has reopened after its $120 million transformation.
Trial out your tree change at the refurbished Deluxe Mount Sturgeon One Bedroom Cottages at the Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld.
The new, lavishly serviced cottages and grand six-bedroom Mt Sturgeon Homestead are set within the 91-hectare Mt Sturgeon Biodiversity Reserve.
The location of the cottages is coveted due to its proximity to the hotel’s multi-award-winning food and wine offering.
QT Newcastle gives back to the community by virtue of the fact it’s housed in the iconic 113-year-old former David Jones building, which Novocastrians have a high degree of ownership over. As well as respecting the elegant bones of the building, the luxury hotel has widened the lens to include a contemporary modern Australian bar and grill (Jana) and sky-high izakaya-style bar (Rooftop at QT) that celebrate NSW producers. The hotel uses refillable Kevin Murphy dispensers in its bathrooms, offers free bike hire and features upcycled materials throughout.
QT Newcastle is housed in the 113-year-old former David Jones building.
Australia has a new high-end eco-resort, located in the pretty village of Blackheath in NSW’s Blue Mountains. So far Chalets at Blackheath has four chalets dotted around the 6.4-hectare property, each featuring a king-size bed, fireplace and oversized bathrooms fed by rainwater. The eco-resort is located where the Jemby Rinjah Eco Lodge once stood (it was destroyed during the 2019 bushfires) and the new owner, entrepreneur Angela O’Connell, has been busy regenerating the property since acquiring it in 2020. The resort is built around a ‘biophilic’ approach to architecture that aims to connect guests more closely with nature.
Chalets at Blackheath has four chalets dotted around the property.
There are four private campsites at Mirumiru, located at the foot of Mt Mackenzie near Tenterfield in NSW’s New England High Country, including the Mary Ann Bugg tiny bubble tent (must be aged over seven) that you can book alongside the Captain Thunderbolt. By night, you can soak in a vintage outdoor tub before curling up in your designer-appointed Bubbletent to watch the stars rise up through the valley and confetti the night sky.
Watch the stars from your bed. (Image: Sera J Wright)
The newly revitalised Wake Up! Byron Bay is a refreshing offering in the holidaymaking mecca. A stylish hidden gem pitched at a reasonable price point, rooms here cater to all comers, from families to couples to solo travellers, with beachy self-contained cottages, private queen rooms and shared rooms that accommodate four, six, eight or 10 in comfort. Guests are spoilt with complimentary surfboards, SUP and bike hire, daily yoga classes, fitness classes and sunset lighthouse tours, while the sand and surf of Belongil Beach are just 50 metres away.
Wake Up in Byron Bay.
When it comes to end-of-the-earth escapes, SA’s Eyre Peninsula is the perfect location to make you feel removed from the day-to-day of our modern existence. Yambara (meaning ‘away’ or ‘out of sight’ in the local Barngarla language), the area’s newest beachfront tiny abode, indulges in the blissful isolation of the area, with an off-grid focus and views of Sleaford Bay, Whalers Way and Port Lincoln National Park that can only be described as awe-inspiring.
The zero-carbon, sustainably designed, luxuriously appointed cabin (think handmade Moroccan tiles, Bed Threads and I Love Linen linens and eco-friendly Koala mattresses) sits lightly in its surroundings, which includes its own private beach just 100 metres from the generous deck.
Yambara means ‘away’ or ‘out of sight’ in the local Barngarla language.
Accor’s latest Sofitel hotel, the Sofitel Adelaide, is the first new internationally branded five-star hotel to open in Adelaide in 30 years. The sleek property, set to include 251 luxurious guest rooms and suites, nods to the fact the SA capital was once best known as ‘the city of churches’.
Confession: we love the cathedral-like ceilings in the lobby, the red-wine-inspired chandelier and heavenly artworks said to ‘blend the secular with the sacred’. While the guest rooms are designed with a French-colonial-meets-contemporary aesthetic in mind, there’s additional wow factor with the French-inspired restaurant, two bars and a swimming pool.
Accor’s latest Sofitel hotel, the Sofitel Adelaide.
Set for a mid-year opening, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne will dominate the city skyline, standing at a soaring 270 metres tall. Guests will be offered an equally heady experience, entering an express elevator in order to check in at the Sky Lobby on level 80.
The 257 guest rooms and suites, rendered in a muted colour palette and materials inspired by the city, will come with comforts expected of the Ritz-Carlton name and reputation. The guest offering is completed by a restaurant, library bar, all-day dining lounge, and The Ritz-Carlton Spa, with six treatment rooms, spa, sauna and infinity pool.
Relax in the backdrop of Melbourne’s skyline.
The Langham, Gold Coast has 169 rooms and suites (located on the third to 20th floors), with the Jewel Residences by The Langham offering up another 170 serviced apartments from level 22–49. Sitting on the beachfront in Surfers Paradise, the property’s striking exterior resembles quartz crystals, while its interiors will embrace a ‘coast meets city’ vibe with sun-bleached timbers and lots of teal, azure and tan hues.
Expect a selection of eateries including signature Cantonese restaurant, T’ang Court; the lobby lounge and bar, the setting for the brand’s celebrated afternoon tea; and a pool bar and sky terrace bar with uninterrupted ocean views. Chuan Spa offers treatments inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine with a fully equipped fitness centre and outdoor swimming pools.
Sit on the beachfront in Surfers Paradise.
Housed within the grand Art Deco proportions of the former Sydney Water Board building (known officially, yet less glamorously, as the Sydney Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board), the arrival of Kimpton Sydney in early 2022 will inject some eclectic style into the Emerald City’s hotel scene.
The brand is known for its melding of art, pattern, colour and texture to create interiors that are interesting and welcoming, and this latest property will be no exception with 172 rooms and suites filled with art, coffee machines and yoga mats; a selection of eateries, including the Luke Mangan-helmed Luke’s Kitchen; 24-hour fitness centre; and an oh-so-Sydney rooftop swimming pool and bar.
The Kimpton will be known for its melding of art, pattern, colour and texture.
The scene is set the minute you step out of the lift on level 80 and into the soaring lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne. The landmark building is part of the new West Side Place precinct. The luxury hotel has 257 rooms and suites fitted out with custom leather and velvet furniture plus bespoke light fixtures that are as marvellously theatrical as the ground-level entrance on Lonsdale Street. In addition to a spa on level 64 and a radical infinity pool that overlooks the city, there will be signature bar and restaurant experiences led by culinary advisor Mark Best.
The Ritz Carlton Melbourne is full of glitz and glamour.
A new one-of-a-kind retro motel has us feeling all sentimental about road trips. Well, pack your jumpsuit and set your GPS for tranquil Tarwin River in the heart of South Gippsland where the River Drive Motel has been beautifully reimagined. The five-room motel takes its cues from the views with a soft palette of eucalyptus greens, earthy tones and wattle golds.
River Drive Motel offers a good place to stay for the night. (Image: Albert Comper)
Take a deep inhale and assume the savasana pose. The new Travelodge Hotel Hobart has a purpose-built yoga and Pilates studio designed to offer guests the chance to stick to their exercise regime while away from home.
Tuck yourself in the cosy bed. (Image: Alastair Bett)
A recent multimillion-dollar facelift also included a refurbishment of all 131 guestrooms with new Dreamcatcher beds. The TFE Hotel, which overlooks kunanyi/Mt Wellington, has also updated its public spaces in line with its budget-luxe redesign.
Capture scenic views from Travelodge Hotel Hobart. (Image: Alastair Bett)
The Irwin family has given animal lovers something to squawk about with the addition of four new one-bedroom cabins at The Crocodile Hunter Lodge.
Rest up on the comfy cushions at Red Kangaroo Cabins.
A stay at The Red Kangaroo cabins helps guests join the dots between protecting native species and habitat, both of which are legacies of the late Steve Irwin.
Meet Roos at Red Kangaroo Cabins.
The name 202 Elizabeth is a cheeky wink back to this design-led hotel’s tagline: If you know, you know, which refers to its discreet location hidden in plain sight on Elizabeth Street. The six-floor Sydney hotel has 38 so-called quiet suites, a Handpicked Wines tasting room and rooftop terrace with city views. A stay here will propel your new love interest with Lisa Madigan’s evocative styling designed with romance in mind.
You’ll find a floral dream inside the rooms at 202 Elizabeth.
This refurbished hotel recently unveiled its revitalised, retro vibe. The apartment hotel in Chippendale is within walking distance of some of the hip hood’s hottest venues such as Paripe and Blossom Bar. The sanctuary is all white walls, terrazzo tiles, breeze blocks and pops of pink that speak to Palm Springs, but with an innercity edge.
Pastel hues surround the room at Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Chippendale.
It took seven years for Sydney’s heritage-listed Department of Education building to be reimagined into Capella Sydney, the first Australian property for Capella Hotels & Resorts. The hotel has 192 guest rooms and suites as well as landmark restaurant Brasserie 1930, McRae Bar, Auriga Spa, a heated pool and The Living Room, a signature Capella space dedicated to cultural activities. The Edwardian baroque building is steps from Circular Quay.
The century-old State Heritage-listed building has been meticulously restored. (Image: Timothy Kaye)
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