Sea Sea hotel to open in Crescent Head, NSW
Sleepy Crescent Head is set to see an influx of fashionable visitors thanks to the arrival of buzzy hotel Sea Sea.
The laid-back coastal town of Crescent Head on the NSW north coast is about to be shaken awake – in a gentle way. Disrupting the leisurely pace of the seaside hamlet famous for the right-hand wave that peels off Little Nobby headland is the last thing George Gorrow wants to do.
“We’re keeping things very low impact,” explains the fashion designer-turned-hotelier. “We want to honour the place. I’ve been coming here with my family on surf trips since I was a kid, and the relaxed Aussie surf-spot vibe hasn’t really changed to this day.”
But there’s no denying the buzz his most recent endeavour will bring to the atmosphere of “Creso”. Christened Sea Sea, the 24-room boutique hotel is housed in a restored motel; the sprawling one-level property with a 1970s-style brown brick exterior was sitting dormant when Gorrow and his wife Cisco purchased it.
They were on the lookout for a new project in Australia, having spent the past nine years living in the Balinese village of Canggu, where they built and operated the stylish destination restaurant and hotel The Slow.
“I watched that place change so dramatically,” says Gorrow. “It’s getting very built up, almost like Miami. What I think is so beautiful about this spot in Crescent is it’s low-lying. It’s all nestled in with these huge gardens, a great pool, and it’s close to the beach.
“I like the idea of doing something in a nice sleepy town that’s so rich in Australian surf culture, and that hasn’t been, you know, f***ed with or anything like that.”
Before Gorrow became a hotelier, he spent years working in fashion design and as a creative director. He’s best known as co-founder of Ksubi, the cult Australian denim brand that was the height of cool in the early 2000s. He departed in 2012, and since then his creative output has extended to architectural and hospitality concepts, events and even eyewear design – Gorrow collaborated with music producer and member of the Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am on an optical collection, which launched in 2014.
The designer jokes that he’s a “jack of all trades and a master of none”. “I was never great at anything but I was always good at something. I would learn, and then get bored with it, so I’d go try something else that would make me uncomfortable, until I learned how to do that too.”
He says that conceiving, designing and running accommodation is the one thing he doesn’t seem to get restless doing. “I really feel like everything that I’ve done in my life has led up to, or allowed me to jump into, this hotel arena. I’ve been able to use all of those trades. The things I’ve done over the course of my life have all come together to give this hotel what I call a 360-degree experience.”
Sea Sea might take its design cues from the ’70s – Gorrow says they haven’t “messed with the structure much at all”, choosing instead to preserve the motel’s wooden ceiling rafters and brick facade – but the guest experience is decidedly modern. Designed to delight contemporary travellers, it taps into the growing appetite for a truly immersive stay that makes visitors feel like they’re in on a local secret.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about how we could create these great moments for guests; a place where you can have peace and quiet with your family, but you can also connect with like-minded people through events and art programming,” explains Gorrow. He credits the 15 or so years he spent travelling the world for various projects as having honed his interpretation of a next-generation hotel.
“I was thinking about what’s just a cliche and what you actually want in a hotel. At The Slow, we chucked the TVs, we chucked the desks – the things people aren’t really using in hotels any more.” In his opinion, Covid sped up a change that was already in motion. “It used to be about staying in a decent place that was near wherever you needed to be. Now, we want hotels to give us an experience. They’re showcasing something unique about the country, place or culture they’re in.”
At Sea Sea, the “360-degree” experience Gorrow refers to starts with the design concept, which features warm, natural textures and nods to the town’s rich history as a local surf spot via nostalgic decor. Gorrow designed most of the furniture himself, and had it handcrafted in Indonesia by artisans he met during his time living in Bali.
“It feels more residential than commercial,” he comments. “It feels soft and inviting, like you want to live there.”
This immersive quality is also captured in the hotel programming, which applies to the food and drinks concept (developed in collaboration with Sydney natural wine and boutique spirits institution P&V Merchants), in-house radio (curated by Reverberation Radio) and its roster of art and photography displays.
Every six weeks, a new exhibition will be held in a dedicated space called Room 13. Gorrow is particularly passionate about inviting contemporary surf photographers into the space, with zeitgeist-y names such as Woody Gooch and Sebastien J Zanella lined up to exhibit this year. Collaborations with local surfboard shapers, including Eden Saul of Dead Kooks and Neal Purchase, are also in motion.
“I think the combination of the programming and the space is going to make this place unique. And with the photography, we want it to be relevant to the culture, and the community that’s here. You can walk in and purchase a great photograph that’s relatively priced, and that will help you remember your trip here.
“I really want everything to tell a story – a bit like how an old Australian pub with footy jerseys on the wall and trophies on the shelf does. All the different artworks and pieces of furniture, they will take your mind places. That’s what I’m trying to do with this place.”
As for his target audience, Gorrow admits that’s one thing he tends not to overthink. “I think if you build something correctly, curate and program it properly, things will work and like-minded people will come.” More often than not, these travellers will come from outside the local government area, whether they venture south from Byron – which was once just as sleepy as Crescent Head – or fly in from Melbourne, Perth, Sydney or further afield.
Gorrow isn’t alone in his desire to refurb and revive a small-town lodging from a bygone era. Across Australia, crumbling taverns, abandoned mid-century motor inns and seaside roadhouses are being snapped up by creative developers who, like Gorrow, have a connection to the place, and can see its potential as a travel destination. Openings like Motel Molly, which saw an old Mollymook motel undergo a multimillion-dollar facelift, and the Portarlington Grand Hotel, which inhabits a heritage terrace on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, are among a handful of properties luring a new breed of travellers away from cities.
The increased attention begs the question among Crescent Head locals: will the “blow-ins” be met with resistance? Gorrow admits that while the old guard tends to be a little bit more reluctant to change, the younger generation is nothing but excited for the surge of energy and new personalities the opening of Sea Sea will bring.
“This project is going to keep evolving. It will be something and then we will progress it by rotating in new experiences,” says Gorrow. “It’s a very passionate project and it’s for the community just as much as the people who come from outside of town.”
Sea Sea is taking bookings and will open to guests in June 2023.