Australia's best new hotel openings in 2022
It would appear hotels have found their groove again. Here, we round up the ones that are worth the hype.
It appears after two years of enforced home stays, a hot new trend has emerged. Within the past year, an influx of new hotel openings have cropped up around the country, reviving a dormant desire to check into a glamorous hotel and be waited on hand and foot.
The past 12 months also signalled the grand entrance of a number of the world’s most esteemed hospitality brands onto Australia’s hotel scene, bringing with them a new tier of luxury Australians are willing and waiting to experience.
From flowing cocktails at The Langham Gold Coast’s Coral Moon bar, to spotting celebrity chefs in the Kimpton Margot’s lobby, five-star service is only the beginning at these new hotels.
Below, we round up the ones that have lived up to the hype.
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VIC
AC by Marriott Melbourne Southbank
This 40-storey tower delivers spectacular city panoramas and flavours of Spain and is one of Melbourne’s newest hotel offerings. The Southbank property is the first AC hotel in the Marriott portfolio to open in Australia and has 205 rooms and suites for guests to choose from. With sweeping views of the Yarra River to the CBD, the hotel’s amenities include a heated infinity pool, gym and Spanish-Mediterranean inspired Sorolla restaurant from chef Ryan Flaherty.
Rooms start at $248 per night.
InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula
The Victorian town of Sorrento unveiled the InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula in August, ushering in a new era of luxury for the seaside village. The property is the new centrepiece of The Continental, and boasts a host of restaurants, bars, a wellness centre including a spa and a world-class hotel. With 108 rooms to choose from, guests can select from one-and-two-bedroom suites in the restored 1875 limestone building, rooms located in the newly built wing with private outdoor terraces or one of the penthouses. A guest-only pool is the ideal destination for lounging, and acclaimed Melbourne chef Scott Pickett’s seafood diner is the perfect stop to dine.
Prices can be found on the InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula’s website.
TAS
The Tasman
The Tasman, straddling Hobart’s CBD and the waterfront, is the first Marriott Luxury Collection hotel in Australia, which opened late 2021. Consisting of three wings designed with three eras in mind – modern, art deco and Georgian – each room features something unique. From palatial suites, presidential pads, and balcony rooms with working fireplaces or blackwood timber bathtubs, the hotel is a treasure trove of surprises. Its in-house restaurant Peppina is a celebration of all the best of Tasmania’s produce, but the Deco lounge with heavily booked high-tea offering is a must-try.
Deluxe king guest rooms from $400 a night.
NSW
Ace Hotel Sydney
In Surry Hills in inner-city Sydney the US’ hippest hotel has launched its first southern-hemisphere location where its confluence of art, food and architecture has been thoughtfully replicated. With the interior designed by Melbourne‘s Flack Studio, 257 rooms, a restaurant, Kiln, on the 18th floor, and in-house wine program curated by Newtown liquor merchants P & V, Ace Hotel’s Sydney outpost is as impossibly cool as its international counterparts.
Rooms from $349 a night.
QT Newcastle
QT Newcastle is the seventh hotel in Australia for the expanding brand known for its quirky design and has made its home in the 113-year-old former Scotts Limited and David Jones building on Hunter Mall. With a sleek and contemporary interior, guests of the QT Newcastle will enjoy floor to ceiling windows in every room offering panoramic views of the Harbour, the city’s Christ Church Cathedral and the Pacific Ocean. With 104 guest rooms, each drawing on the natural elements of earth, water and light, a series of function areas, both private or public, a rooftop bar and in-house restaurant Jana, the QT Newcastle breathes new life into the city’s revitalised East End precinct.
Rooms from $299 per night.
Osborn House
This plush hotel at Bundanoon in the NSW Southern Highlands is a design-driven luxury hotel disguised as an old-country manor. The 22-room retreat includes seven freestanding cabins below the main house that have been fitted out with wood-fire stocked fireplaces, stargazing skylights and bathtubs on their private decks. Guest quarters in the main house are just as desirable with four-poster beds, marble and mahogany, and a variety of vintage pieces. The kitchen is headed by Segundo Farrell and Luz Gimenez who are specialists in South American cuisine.
Opening rates at Osborn House from about $660 a room midweek.
Kimpton Margot Sydney
Hailing from San Francisco, Australia’s first Kimpton Margot screams heritage. From its bronze-framed windows, old porcelain water bubblers, giant minimalist clock and countless slabs of marble, the Deco slash Bauhaus-inspired building is the perfect location for the boutique American brand’s Sydney outpost. At the hands of interior designers Stack Studio, Kimpton Margot Sydney is a super-stylish hotel where both guests and visitors can stop by Wilmot Bar for cocktails or The Pantry at Margo for coffee. At 172 rooms, the hotel offers an indulgent getaway, where guests can also dine at chef Luke Mangan’s Luke’s Kitchen on the ground floor.
Prices start at $339 per night.
The Porter House Hotel MGallery
Sydney’s newly launched Porter House Hotel is hidden away in the city’s CBD in a former tobacco factory that’s been reimagined as a boutique hotel with an emphasis on artwork and design. The heritage-listed property is the little sister to French-headquartered hotel brand Sofitel and houses reception and food and beverage outlets and 122 guest rooms crafted by design firm Candalepas Associates to evoke a touch of art deco mixed with a glam boudoir effect. Located on the lower 10 floors of the building, the hotel also contains a heated outdoor lap pool, fitness centre and outlook deck on the 11th level.
Rooms from $359 a night for two.
QLD
The Langham Gold Coast
The Langham Gold Coast is the first luxe beachfront hotel to appear on the famed seaside strip between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach in more than 30 years. At 339-rooms, which have been fitted out with a modern-coastal palette, The Langham Gold Coast is a fresh take on the hotel group’s signature style and opulence. Seventeen different types of rooms and suites are available to choose from, all of which boast breathtaking ocean views. Dining options include T’ang Court Cantonese restaurant with its Michelin-starred counterparts in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Palm Court for afternoon tea and rooftop bar Coral Moon serving up Asian-inspired cocktails. An emphasis on wellness is also front of focus, with The Langham’s Chuan Spa offering unique treatments for guests, including centuries-old healing techniques of traditional Chinese medicine.
Prices can be found on The Langham Gold Coast’s website.
Crystalbrook Vincent
Formally known as The Fantauzzo Art Series Hotel, the Crystalbrook Vincent in Brisbane has positioned itself as a champion of responsible luxury. With a focus on improving waste-reducing strategies and the hotel’s eco commitment, guests will notice things like plastic water bottles being swapped for glass bottles, recycled wooden disks instead of plastic hotel key cards and planet friendly bathroom toiletries, including toothbrushes made from sugarcane and cornstarch. Much of the furniture found in the guest rooms are up-cycled without diminishing the hotel’s sense of opulence and the in-house restaurant, Mews, is a farm-to-table offering focusing on fresh, locally sourced produce.
Prices start at $244 per night.
NT
Finniss River Lodge
This posh new lodge in the top end is about 90 minutes’ drive southwest from Darwin. Housed in a long-shed-like structure, each suite is spacious and air conditioned sanctuary to start and end the day. To dine, drink and socialise guests can meander down to the communal zone on the rear deck where lounges, a dining hall and bar are located. A pool offers relief to the Territory’s scorching weather and resident chef Travis Crane, formerly of City Winery Restaurant, takes care of the meals. The lodge’s Cows and Canapes experience is also a must-try.
Prices vary with seasons; from $1200 a person a night, twin-share; two night minimum.
SA
Pago Middleton
Pago Middleton is a luxury retreat located on the Fleurieu Peninsula, about one-hour drive south from Adelaide. Residing in the gardens of the historic Middleton Mill, guests will stay in the building’s original stables that have been transformed into four beautifully restored rooms. With the option of booking just one room or reserving the entire retreat for a more secluded getaway, with access to a fully-equipped kitchen, a barbecue area and pool, Pago Middleton is the optimum location for a relaxing holiday.
Prices start at $850 for two nights.
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