Hobart—Australia’s second oldest city—is now home to the 152-room Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel by Marriott. Located in former government offices on the waterfront-nudging Parliament Square, the hotel sits behind a classical 1840s façade. “The Georgian and Art Deco architecture wraps new elements, including a contemporary glass wing,” says Sydney-based designer Joseph Pang. “Original floorboards and doors, four-poster beds, and fireplaces conjure a historic nostalgia, while the modern interpretation of Art Deco style is defined by black and chrome accents with modern timber furniture showcasing renowned Tasmanian woodcraft.”

The W Sydney, designed by London-based firm Bowler James Brindley, is slated to open in Q2 of 2023. Situated within the striking new HASSELL-designed Ribbon development in Darling Harbour, the forthcoming hotel will feature 585 guestrooms and suites, a spa with five treatment rooms, and three F&B outlets.

The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne will enhance the Melbourne Docklands and city skyline from Cottee Parker’s dazzling 81-floor West Side Palace. “The juxtaposition of Melbourne’s grand boulevards and laneways is a strong influence,” says Rowena Hockin, curatorial director at locally based BAR Studio, which is handling the interiors. “Given level 80 is where the lobby is with a double-height volume, it’s about framing those views and contrasting rawness versus refinement in the interiors.”

Designed with the digital nomad in mind, the 123-room Ovolo South Yarra in Melbourne is a kaleidoscope of color thanks to works by the likes of French pop street artist Jisbar. In a concrete building by Woods Bagot, “a ’70s disco groove spins within its walls,” says cofounder Rachel Luchetti of Sydney-based Luchetti Krelle. Furnishings like arched headboards, paintings of David Bowie and Freddie Mercury in the lobby, and other Pop Art elements help to achieve the retro glamour aesthetic of the property.

For the recently opened 257-room Ace Hotel Sydney in Surry Hills, local firms Flack Studio and Fiona Lynch Office (behind the rooftop restaurant and bar Kiln), alongside the in-house team at Atelier Ace, set out to preserve the space’s energy as an old brickworks. Flack Studio’s design is an homage to Australia, with an ochre-red marble staircase echoing the desert palette that reappears in the burnt orange and tan sunken lounge on the ground floor, itself reminiscent of the easygoing design found in the Australian suburbs in the 1970s.

A trio of 170-year-old redwoods inspired the name of the luxury Sequoia lodge perched high over a valley in South Australia’s famous Adelaide Hills wine region. The vision of hotelier David Horbelt and crafted by New South Wales designer Georgie Shepherd, Sequoia is the sister property to Mount Lofty House and is carved into the escarpment on Mount Lofty Estate. The 14 open-plan suites flaunt Australian materials and a palette inspired by the location, while sustainability remains top of mind with the addition of concrete walls and thermal windows.

Fusing heritage-listed Art Deco architecture with a modern Australian feel, the February launch of the Kimpton Margot Sydney pays tribute to the women of influence who shaped the country’s art scene in the 1930s. “The seamless blend of art, design, and architecture makes guests feel like they’re moving around someone’s living room,’’ says Grace Lei Guo, director of Sydney-based Stack Studio. Some 600 individually curated paintings, prints, sculptures, and artifacts adorn the nine-story, 172-room hotel, from large-format photographs in the corridors to a Bauhaus-leaning geometric installation in the scarlet Scagliola-pillared lobby.

For the transformation of a 1931 heritage-listed building into the Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street, local firm Bates Smart set out to “work closely with the original fabric of the building and graft rather than jolt from one period to the next,” says the firm’s director Jeffery Copolov. From the classical sandstone porte-cochère, enhanced with a reflective screen of bronzed metal and gold glass, “the design references the glamour and luxury of the 1930s, the golden age of travel, and the Art Deco movement,” he says.

IHG’s Vignette Collection debut, Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley, is located in Brisbane’s vibey inner-city district Fortitude Valley. In line with the city’s BrisVegas moniker, a playfulness starts with the white geometric façade, lit up like a Rubik’s Cube by an interactive lighting system. “We deliberately kept the exterior simple but sculptural, which allowed for the color splashes within, including the purple in the corridors and carpets,” says Sandra Browne, director of design at Brisbane firm Cottee Parker Architects. The bold look in the 146 guestrooms is the work of Sydney interior architect Blainey North.

Designed by local firm DBI Design, the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa in Surfers Paradise marks the Australian debut for the luxury brand. The resort channels the natural beauty and laidback mood of coastal Queensland across both its public spaces and 223 guestrooms and suites. With six F&B venues onsite, guests have plenty to choose from, including Japanese eatery Misono, all-day restaurant Citrique, and the Chapter & Verse lounge.