The Calile Hotel

A recent report from the Australian Hotels Association says the industry is shifting to localism, individualism, art, and sustainability. The trend is being played out from North to South, with innovative, world-class designs popping up everywhere from Perth to Brisbane. The latter, Australia’s third largest city, is the focus of edgy modernism and arty boutique heritage transformations. Take Woods Bagot’s latest, the 103-room Ovolo The Valley in the city’s vibey northeastern cultural precinct, Fortitude Valley. The $55 million makeover of the former Emporium Hotel combined locally commissioned modern artworks with velvet lounges in ’70s-inflected colors, topped with a rooftop pool. Joining the Ovolo is the W Brisbane, a vibrant addition to the city with a design led by Australian firm Nic Graham & Associates. Major mixed-use hubs are also coming to fruition, including Queen’s Wharf Development, predicted to reshape the city with five hotels, three residential towers, and a new pedestrian bridge in 2022, as well as entertainment hub Howard Smith Wharves, which will welcome the Fantauzzo in March, the latest Art Series Hotel with a design from Sydney and Melbourne-based firm SJB.

The Calile Hotel > Among the slew of new hotels entering Brisbane’s hotel scene is the Calile. Designed by local architects Richards & Spence, the urban resort embraces the area’s balmy blue sky climate in the curvy white brick- and concrete-clad hotel that Ingrid Richards and Adrian Spence describe as “gentle brutalism,” with its exposed rippled Reckli concrete precast and recessed poolside balconies. The duo put their stamp on the hip James Street retail and residential strip by emphasizing the framed entry arches, a motif that appears throughout the property. Travertine walls and floors in the lobby, floating pink marble vanity sinks, and arched mirrors lend a bespoke feel to the 175 rooms and public spaces, culminating in the lobby bar’s rose-pink marble wraparound bar. “Twelve architectural staircases, including one that gracefully winds its way from the lobby to the pool, add to the feel of breezy spaces and wide walkways,” says Spence, while “thousands of Claypave breezeblocks in the lobby and corridors are used for natural ventilation in hot weather, reinforcing Brisbane’s sense of place.” Yet the epicenter of the $100 million hotel is the 88-foot-long pool, set in Turkish travertine and surrounded by cabanas and palm trees.

Ovolo Inchcolm > Last May, Hong Kong-based Ovolo Group refreshed another property in Brisbane, the 50-room, art-filled Ovolo Inchcolm, a collaboration between Hassell Studio’s Sydney office, Ovolo Hotel’s art curator Lisa Fehily, and stylist Anna Roberts. To mirror the neo-Georgian 1929 white façade, interiors boast classically furnished Socialite suites, plush Art Deco décor, and the “cabinet of curiosities” in the foyer, a cheeky visual reference to the heritage-listed building’s past as a surgeon’s consulting room. “Every time a guest returns to the hotel, it is a journey of discovery,” notes studio associate and interior designer Shelley Gabriel. The intimate Salon de Co. restaurant is warmly lit with dark walls and parquetry floors that lead to full-height shelves brimming with artifacts. Artist and Academy Award-nominated set decorator Kerrie Brown created a custom floral wallpaper for the space, as well as headboards in the updated guestrooms. “Each room is unique with a distinct personality, with touches such as custom lighting and avant-garde artwork,” Gabriel explains. Yet, the hotel is driven by its past. At the heart of the property is the original elevator, which was shipped from New York in 1928 by the Otis Elevator Company. Restored with a new motor, it’s “one of the hotel’s distinguishing highlights, working as a direct nod to its heritage,” she adds.

Ovolo Inchcolm