The new wave of luxury hotels sweeping Australia

Australia’s newest luxury hotels have traded formality for design, neighbourhood and the way people actually want to stay

Entrances don’t get more glamorous than this. Arriving at Melbourne’s tallest hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, you pass through not one but two jaw-dropping lobbies. Stroll in from the street and you find yourself in a light-drenched ground-floor space that provides a case study in how just a handful of design elements can pack a punch – especially when those elements are a curved brass staircase, a streamlined chandelier and a tranquil pool of water. Express elevators zip you up to the sky lobby on the 80th floor, which offers extraordinary bird’s-eye views across the city and out along the coast.

The arrival experience at boutique property The Eve, in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Redfern, is different yet no less memorable. Step through the hotel’s four-metre-high doors and you pass through a tiled portal into a low-ceilinged lobby looking out onto a secret garden, beyond which a cloistered corridor leads towards the rooms. It is an unusual design but a deliberate one, according to the hotel’s general manager, Ben Mellor. “As the ceiling compresses and you move towards the cloisters, it’s a way of shifting your mindset from what may have been a chaotic ride in, to the more serene side of the hotel,” Mellor says. “You can see the way people’s shoulders just drop as they start to relax.”

Both properties are part of a post-pandemic wave of high-end openings showcasing a fresh Australian approach to luxury – including pace-setters such as Capella Sydney and 25hours Hotel The Olympia in nearby Paddington; Sequoia Lodge in the Adelaide Hills; and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Perth – all emphasising design, sense of place, and the importance of doing things differently.

A long-awaited wave

It’s been a long time since Australia saw such an influx of landmark properties. Sydney in particular suffered through a long dry spell: the 2017 launch of the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour marked the first new international luxury hotel since the 2000 Olympics. The last time we saw such an accommodation boom was around 20 years ago, when Australia finally embraced the luxury lodge phenomenon. Qualia Hamilton Island launched in 2007, rapidly followed by Kangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge in 2008, Emirates Wolgan Valley in the Blue Mountains in 2009 and Tasmania’s Saffire Freycinet in 2010.

Initially targeting overseas guests, those remote lodges showcased the country’s most spectacular landscapes. This time around, the energy is concentrated in and around our capital cities – and instead of prioritising white-glove service, hoteliers are creating character-filled retreats that embrace the neighbourhood, appealing to well-travelled locals as much as international visitors.

At 25hours Hotel The Olympia, where rooms are styled in two different ways – the bold Renegade look or the softer Dreamer – the check-in is modelled after a video store in a nod to the building’s former incarnation as a cinema. Guests can even borrow VHS tapes to play in their room. Back at The Eve, guests sunning themselves by the rooftop pool can partake in a wellness ritual including a tonic from local company Ikkari. “Guests love to learn about the tonics, the natural ingredients they are made of, and the fact that they are local,” Mellor says.

Luxury steps outside the lobby

Connecting guests with the local community is a priority, reflecting a global trend driven by Millennials and Gen Z who want to feel part of the scene. “It is about location – what they can do, touch, feel, and see,” says Rachael Harman, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne. Some properties take it further, curating experiences that showcase the surrounding area. At Sequoia Lodge, that includes nature-focused activities such as guided walks and evening stargazing.

Back in Sydney, guests at the downtown oasis of calm that is Capella Sydney can sign up for bespoke experiences as part of the ‘Capella Curates’ program, including an architect-led tour of the Sydney Opera House and an Indigenous experience hosted by a local Elder. “We invite guests to engage deeply with Sydney’s spirit, uncover its hidden stories, and leave with a genuine sense of connection,” says Anthony Metcalfe, hotel manager at Capella.

In the age of Uber, a hotel’s location is far less important than it once was. Who would have guessed we would see a luxury hotel in Redfern, long known more for its grit than glamour? Even The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne’s Lonsdale Street site would have been considered too far from the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street just a few years ago – a change that reflects both the growth in Australians choosing staycations, and the fact that more international visitors are on their second, third or fourth trip to the country.

Instead of prioritising white-glove service, hoteliers are creating character-filled retreats that embrace the neighbourhood and appeal to well-travelled locals as much as international visitors.

Eating like a local

What is non-negotiable is having great food as part of the offering. Around the world, stuffy hotel restaurants have been replaced with buzzy diners beloved by locals – and Australia is no exception, with both Olympus and Lottie at The Eve, and Atria at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, all scoring hats in the latest Australian Good Food Guide.

Today’s hotels may offer a very different take on luxe, but one time-honoured principle has not changed: nothing beats stellar service. Among the many things to savour at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne – the high-rise pool-with-a-view, the exceptional spa – one of my favourite memories is check-in. When confirming my departure date, the manager asks if I’d like a late check-out. I would, I say, mentioning my flight doesn’t leave until late afternoon. When I ask if 2.30pm might be possible, he smiles. “Let’s make it 3pm,” he suggests. Now that is true luxury.