Born again: 10 of the most amazing reinvented places in travel

Traveller Awards: Reinvention

Everything old is new again, from heritage icons transformed into luxury stays to a tsunami-lashed railway rebirthed as the ultimate scenic journey. Read on for our Traveller Awards 2024 winners in the Reinvention category.

Capella Sydney

Capella’s first Sydney outpost sets a new benchmark for luxury hotel with staggering attention to detail.

While the majority of Sydney Harbour-ringed five-star hotels are devoted almost entirely to the views without, the new 192-room, $300 million Capella Sydney, by contrast, is much more devoted to the vistas within. Built inside the treasured, and now fully restored, early 20th-century sandstone NSW Department of Education building, the discerning Singapore-based Capella Hotels and Resorts group filled its project with local and overseas artworks, including those by Indigenous artist Judy Watson, cleverly set inside the original brass-framed entrance directory boards. Sure, there are harbour glimpses from certain suites, but it’s the staggering attention to detail inside that’s delivered a new and overdue benchmark for what for a Sydney five-star can and should be. See capellahotels.com

Raffles London at The OWO

Penthouse residence, Raffles London at the OWO.

Winston Churchill, Lawrence of Arabia and Ian Fleming all strolled the storied corridors of the Old War Office on Whitehall, so there were many anxious eyes watching as the historic building was transformed into a luxury hotel. Thankfully, Raffles London at The OWO’s elegant renovation has preserved key features including the wonderful marble staircase and the four kilometres of mosaic-lined corridors that messengers cycled along during World War II. Can’t afford one of the grand suites, jaw-dropping in both layout and price? Head to The Guards Bar opposite the Horse Guards on Whitehall to enjoy a London Sling cocktail. See raffles.com/London

Delta Air Lines at LAX

Views of the modernised satellite T3 gates.Credit: Chris Rank/Delta

Delta has thrown billions of dollars into becoming LA’s most popular passenger airline – an effort that’s most noticeable when you’re passing through LAX. In 2017, the airline made the radical move of shifting operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to 2 and 3. While Terminal 2 continues to be modernised, Terminal 3 is now the very model of a modern airline terminal, with an airside corridor allowing passengers direct access to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, new seating with handy charging outlets, a raft of on-point eateries and, sprawling between terminals, the luxe Sky Club lounge with an outdoor deck. See delta.com

Southern Ocean Lodge, South Australia

The rebuilt Southern Ocean Lodge’s magnificent vistas.

Australia’s most-loved luxury resort was obliterated in the 2020 fires that swept Kangaroo Island. Happily, it has rebuilt in the style of the award-winning original, with many wonderful improvements, such as suites angled for better views of the spectacular limestone coastline and a new spa with a terrace overlooking the regenerated bush. Eco lodge pioneers the Baillies have taken this opportunity to make every aspect of the business truly sustainable. The kitchen works with small-scale producers and sources locally wherever possible, with most wines and spirits from South Australia. The lodge also boasts the best welcome snack ever: home baked lamingtons. See southernoceanlodge.com.au

Sanriku Railway, Rias Line

Sanriku Railway skirts the Iwate Prefecture’s scenic coastline.Credit: Alamy

Tunnels were deluged, aqueducts swamped and tracks twisted when the 2011 tsunami slammed into the railway line on Japan’s coastline in the Iwate Prefecture. Today, bright diesel railway cars ply the 163 kilometre, privately owned route between Kuji and Ofunato in the Tohoku region. The shoreline it traces has been similarly rejuvenated: lush foliage cloaks cliff-sides, paddies flourish in the dells. Reminders both sorrowful and triumphant are present: scallop shells adorn a memorial at the reconstructed Koishihama Station; a photograph in the carriage recalls the train’s first post-tsunami journey along this once-buckled line. See japan-guide.com/e/e5026.html

The Tasman, Hobart

History and modernity collide for the first Luxury Collection hotel in Australia.Credit: Adam Gibson

Not so long ago, what is now a five-star hotel in the heart of the Tasmanian capital was just a couple of run-down buildings and some big ideas. Marriott has done an admirable job turning an old hospital built in 1847 and a neighbouring art deco building into The Tasman, the first Luxury Collection hotel in Australia. With the addition of a new, third building, the design team has seamlessly fused history and modernity, giving each section of the hotel its own character, while joining them as a whole. Add in a sandstone-and-leather cocktail bar, and an Italian restaurant as popular with locals as visitors, and you have a true success story. See marriott.com

Battersea Power Station, London

A London icon, reinvented.

After decades of neglect and numerous aborted rejuvenation attempts, Battersea Power Station is finally enjoying a new lease of life. Over the last 10 years, a Malaysian consortium has rebuilt the old station, filling it with residences, offices and more than 250 shops and restaurants. There’s a new 2.4-hectare Thames-side public park, several stylish apartment blocks designed by notable architects and a fashionable pedestrianised shopping precinct – all accessible by a shiny new underground station. See batterseapowerstation.co.uk

Sommerro House, Oslo

The oppoulent Deluxe Room at Sommero House.

The former headquarters of an electricity company may not sound like the most salubrious setting for a five-star hotel, but thanks to a meticulous five-year renovation, this 1930s neoclassical landmark in the upmarket suburb of Frogner has been transformed into a fanfare of art deco glamour – filled with terrazzo floors, wrought iron staircases and acres of burnished walnut. As well as 231 beautifully appointed rooms, there are seven restaurants and bars, a private cinema, a library, the city’s first rooftop pool and a subterranean spa and wellness area so large they give you a map. See sommerrohouse.com

Pearl, San Antonio

The historic Pearl comes alive on weekends with a farmers market.Credit: Getty Images

Once home to Texas’s largest brewery, Pearl is a sprawling nine-hectare site three kilometres from downtown San Antonio that has been transformed into a mix of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Families will appreciate the large, picnic-friendly lawn, historians will want to check out the storied Hotel Emma and foodies can choose between award-winning eateries such as Peruvian-Asian fusion restaurant Botika and the inhouse eatery at the Culinary Institute of America. Throw in a weekend farmers’ market, a riverside amphitheatre and more than a dozen boutiques and y’all gonna need multiple visits. See atpearl.com

The Observatory Hotel, Christchurch

Restored to its former glory, the Observatory Hotel.

Occupying the former classrooms and observatory tower of the University of Canterbury, this site opened in 2022. All 33 rooms are unique, with different colour schemes, layouts and works by emerging local artists (often for sale). Facilities include a gym and an atmospheric drawing room, in which afternoon tea and early evening drinks and snacks are served. Step outside and you’re in the heart of the Arts Centre, a Hogwarts-worthy cluster of handsome gothic revival stone buildings and manicured quadrangles that house an eclectic array of restaurants, museums, galleries and boutiques. See observatoryhotel.co.nz

Traveller Awards contributors: Kate Armstrong, John Borthwick, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Julietta Jameson, Trudi Jenkins, Brian Johnston, Ute Junker, Katrina Lobley, Catherine Marshall, Rob McFarland, Justin Meneguzzi, Craig Platt, Jane Reddy, Jane Richards, Tim Richards, Craig Tansley, Lee Tulloch, Kerry van der Jagt, Penny Watson, Sue Williams