Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Australia’s best and brightest hotel openings
by BD Banks
Spend the night in the latest, greatest and most fabulous new stays in the country.
The Australian hotel scene is having a moment, and we are here for it. From beachfront beauties to city slickers, these new hotel openings are turning heads for all the right reasons.
Put these new and noteworthy hotels on your radar for 2025, they’re spots worth packing your bags for ASAP.
Sea Sea Hotel, NSW
Sea Sea Hotel is the place to be in 2025.
Designer George Gorrow and his wife Cisco Tschurtschenthaler have opened the doors of their 1970s-inspired hotel. And it’s looking groovy, baby. Sea Sea Hotel is classic Crescent Head; more akin to a surf club, but with a design edge. The 25-room boutique lifestyle hotel on the NSW Mid North Coast features a pool, outdoor fireplace, sauna and ice baths. There’s also a lounge for live music and an audacious art collection.
Il Delfino, NSW
Il Delfino is one of the jewels of the Northern Rivers. (Image: Elise Hassey)
The razzle-dazzle of Byron Bay feels a long way away at Il Delfino, in Yamba, one of the jewels of the Northern Rivers area of NSW. The new seaside inn was restored by Australian creative Sheree Commerford and will appeal to surfers who can check the swell direction from their stylish suite. Il Delfino sits directly above the Pacific Ocean and, with just four elegant suites and a stand-alone bungalow, has all the feels of an elegant sanctuary.
Adelaide Marriott Hotel, SA
The Adelaide Marriott Hotel has an impressive collection of artworks.
The new Adelaide Marriott Hotel punches 14 storeys into the sky from behind the historic freestone facade of the city’s 150-year-old General Post Office building. The new five-star hotel references South Australian creativity with an impressive collection of artworks that add meaning and magic to each floor of the landmark building. The artworks will be displayed throughout the hotel, which includes 285 guestrooms and two contemporary dining venues.
The Clairfield Hotel, NSW
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An old motel turned luxe boutique stay, The Clairfield Hotel in Mudgee, NSW, has been created with the local landscape in mind. Natural elements, earthy textures and a calming colour palette welcome guests to the 57-room hotel, which is centred around a chic pool with plush day beds. Its restaurant Gigi’s serves Australian cuisine with Italian influences, featuring Mudgee’s exceptional produce, from artisan cheeses to oils. A dedicated wellness centre includes float therapy rooms and saunas, ensuring your stay in this charming wine country is as relaxing as it is indulgent.
Big Yard Farm, NSW
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Big Yard Farm offers guests exclusive access to trout fishing along the Mowamba River, which twists around the property like a piece of sateen. The new farm stay in the NSW Snowy Mountains borders Kosciuszko National Park and is a 40-minute drive from Thredbo, Perisher and Smiggin Holes. Come sundown, guests drift towards the fire pit to listen to the chorus of birdsong and spot kangaroos and wombats. There are also resident platypi that call the 40-hectare farm home. Big Yard Farm sleeps up to six guests.
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, NSW
The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has reopened after a refurb.
Australia’s first international five-star hotel has undergone a $60 million nip and tuck. The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth has hosted prime ministers, royals, movie stars and musicians since opening in 1966. And it seems the luxury hotel will continue to work its charms with its 436 glamorous new guestrooms and multi-venue drinking and dining precinct led by House Made Hospitality.
voco Gosford, NSW
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The sculptural forms of the nearby coastline have inspired the pared-back palette at voco Gosford, due for completion mid-2025. Think aqua blues, earthy ochres, eucalyptus greens and sunny yellows. The first new-build hotel to open on the Central Coast in more than 15 years is vibrant and playful, with six dining venues, conference facilities and a podium pool.
Peninsula Hot Springs Eco Lodges, Vic
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It’s time to hit the snooze button. Victoria’s award-winning Peninsula Hot Springs aims to redefine sleep wellness with its new Eco Lodges. Since its inception in 2002, the brand has evolved from being a luxury base built around geothermal hot springs into Australia’s largest holistic wellbeing and wellness destination.
The Sundays, Hamilton Island, Qld
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Picture yourself soaking up the sunshine on Queensland’s Hamilton Island. Would you prefer to swim, read, or sit by the pool with a cocktail? There’s bound to be an option that tickles your fancy at The Sundays, set to open on the palm-lined shores of Catseye Beach in autumn 2025. The hotel from the team behind luxury resort qualia features 59 rooms drawing on a pared-back palette of coastal influences. The beachside boutique escape will include a waterfront restaurant and views over the Coral Sea.
Rest at BoxGrove, Bathurst, NSW
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Off-grid luxury retreat Rest at BoxGrove is sitting pretty on the family-run farm in Bathurst, in the Central Tablelands of NSW. Each of the six solar-passive eco-studios provides the perfect place to unplug, with mindful activities like reading and walking encouraged. Muted earthy tones, soft linens and wooden accents call for complete calm. As day turns to night, set up by the fire pit with a locally sourced wine. Or dip into the private outdoor tub as cattle on the working farm graze nearby.
Leighton House, Evandale, Tas
Leighton House is the perfect blend of old and new. (Image: Adam Gibson)
Joining the ranks of old-meets-new luxe is Leighton House near Evandale, Tasmania. The grand Georgian home has been reimagined by Hobart architectural firm Core Collective to connect the original part of the home, built in 1840, with an additional contemporary wing. The result is a layered eclecticism that nods to the 120-hectare farm’s history as a horse stud and includes various pockets for entertaining. The property is home to 15 horses, 100 cows, hares, rabbits and chickens. It sleeps two to 12 guests.
Harry’s on Moodemere, Rutherglen, Vic
Harry’s on Moodemere is tucked amid the lush vineyards of Lake Moodemere Estate.
The owners of Harry’s on Moodemere in Victoria’s High Country have infused their winemaking heritage into the property’s every accent. Tucked amid the lush vineyards of Lake Moodemere Estate, the upscale accommodation comprises two vineyard villas (sleeping two and four) featuring master bedrooms with lavish en suites, private heated plunge pools, indoor fireplaces and outdoor fire pits. A large part of the property’s appeal is that you can savour the award-winning wines in situ at the nearby cellar door.
Chimes Spa Retreat, Denmark, WA
Chimes Spa Retreat features a sauna and cold plunge pool.
Chimes Spa Retreat, first established in 1995, was recently revitalised to include amenities that tap into the latest wellness trends. The retreat, which houses 10 guestrooms around a cosy communal lounge, features a traditional Finnish sauna, steam deck, Vichy shower and cold plunge pool. The onsite Day Spa at Chimes has also had a makeover and is now the epitome of whisper-quiet luxury. The serene retreat is perched atop Denmark’s Mt Shadforth and overlooks the rugged grandeur of the south-west WA landscape.
Novotel & ibis Styles Melbourne Airport, Melbourne, Vic
The hotel’s Boccata Restaurant should be on your list.
The dual-branded Novotel & ibis Styles Melbourne Airport is the first new-build internationally branded hotel to open at Melbourne Airport in two decades. The $230 million hotel, just a short schlep with a suitcase from Terminals 3 and 4, boasts interiors by Woods Bagot with 464 guestrooms split between Novotel (248) and ibis Styles (216) within The Hive precinct. Travellers in transit can also dip into a bit of self-care at Higher State, Melbourne’s first airport health and wellbeing club.
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