hotel design
Project
A new hotel opens on Melbourne’s Western edge — with a bar to match
With design by SORA and LiFE, the opening of Mercure Melbourne La Trobe Street introduces a 195-room hotel to the CBD, alongside Foundry Bar and Kitchen — a rooftop-adjacent venue designed to draw both guests and locals.
Project
Anything but standard
Ministry of Design crafts playful interiors for The Standard, Singapore, blending mid-century style with lush tropical luxury.
Project
The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien: A coastal escape shaped by design
Opening in October 2025, The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien brings together ONION, DIN Studio, Studio Lupine and Verena Haller to create a sculptural modernist retreat where art, architecture and coastal culture meet.
Project
This interiors pair are at the cutting edge of Melbourne hospitality
Hayley Mitchell and Samantha Eades are creating some of today’s best restaurants, most exciting cafés and bars, and extraordinary hotels and resorts.
Project
Another swimming pool in the sky at The Singapore EDITION
From its tropical sunken garden to its swimming pool in the sky, The Singapore EDITION’s standout design offers a unique and multilayered experience in the Lion City.
Project
Channelling Chinese phoenix at Shangri-La Nanshan
Dreamily poetic in his approach to any project, Joe Cheng, director of CCD and UN Cultural Ambassador, has adopted the Fenghuang as the thematic touchstone for Shangri-La Nanshan.
Project
The world above and below at idyllic W Maldives
In March 2025, W Maldives reopened its doors in the North Ari Atoll following a comprehensive design transformation led by Miaja Design Group.
Project
Simone Haag decorates Capella Manor in Singapore
The Melbourne-based interior decorator mixes vintage pieces with botanical accents in Capella Singapore’s most exclusive dwellings.
Project
Beehive Hotel is “a responsive approach towards re-interpreting the site’s heritage”
If the Beehive Hotel by Underwood could talk, there would likely be many stories to be told.
NSW
“Cosy, uplifting and full of life”: Bar Julius is the sweet spot in new Sydney precinct
Set within the wider Surry Hills Precinct that includes The EVE Hotel, Bar Julius – designed by SJB – is a sumptuous hospitality venue bursting with colour and materiality.
Project
Luxury and local: The EVE Hotel Sydney opens
Designed by SJB and set within a wider mixed-use precinct on the border of Surry Hills and Redfern, The EVE Hotel is the talk of the town in Sydney.
Project
Studio Lotus and contemporary Kolkata hotel design
Taj Taal Kutir weaves Kolkata’s colonial heritage into its contemporary evolution, painting a hospitality experience deeply rooted in context.
Project
“The hotel that Melbourne needs”
A closer look at Melbourne Place by Kennedy Nolan – a hotel magnetising Australian brands and reflecting a new design experience through a distinctly local focus.
Project
“A turning point for Thai hospitality”
Dusit Thani Bangkok has reopened with a contemporary interpretation of its heritage by André Fu Studio, blending Thai cultural influences with modern design.
Ideas
How public art elevates hotel and hospitality design with TURNER
Public art in hospitality design goes beyond decoration, shaping guest experiences by fostering a sense of place – exemplified by the Nepean Looking Glass at Pullman Sydney Penrith.
Project
A garden paradise
A new hotel conceived by revered Singaporean architecture and design practice WOHA is just the place to stay when visiting the Lion City.
Project
A destination fit for a king
Contemporary meets heritage at the Sawai Man Mahal in Rajasthan, the perfect place to stay for a holiday in this beautiful region of India.
Project
Setting the highest hotel design standards in Singapore
The Standard has opened in Singapore, offering sophisticated hotel and hospitality design amidst lush greenery in a serene pocket of the city.
Project
Hotel on water
The Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at Hangzhou Centre, designed by Avalon Collective, officially opened 1st September, 2024.
Articles
From wanderlust to design wonderland: Ovolo hotels celebrate the joy of travel
In the world of wanderlust, accommodation is a part of the journey – and it must transcend the ordinary. The Ovolo Group does precisely that, transforming the quintessential concept of a hotel into an immersive gateway to daring urban exploration.
Project
A townplace for a bustling city
TOWNPLACE WEST KOWLOON is certainly the place to stay in Hong Kong. With refined aesthetics and functionality at its core, this is a hospitality destination that caters to the individual and does it with effortless style and panache.
Project
A symphony of the senses at Zumthor’s Thermal Baths in the Swiss Alps
Following Milan Design Week, our editor paid a visit to 7132 Hotel in Vals, Switzerland to experience Peter Zumthor’s famous thermal baths.
Ideas
Comment: Reimagining the Lifestyle Hotel
In this comment piece, James Huntly – founder and creative director of AboundStudio – considers the meaning of really ‘sleeping with the brand.’
Project
The Lyall style – quiet luxury
A hospitality icon in downtown South Yarra has been given an extensive renovation and is now the place to stay, drink and dine for those with an appetite for quiet luxury.
Ideas
Comment: FK on designing hotels for the modern age and redefining their place within communities
Angela Biddle, Principal and interior designer at multi-disciplinary international design firm FK, comments on how hotel design is evolving.
Project
Spice mixture: A hot new restaurant in Auckland
Warren and Mahoney and Technē explore the symbiotic relationship between architecture and nature at a restaurant in Auckland’s bustling waterfront.
News
Te Kaha: From reuse to mixed-use at One Queen Street by Warren and Mahoney
Warren and Mahoney’s mixed-use project in Auckland is approaching full occupancy, with big plans across hospitality, workplace, retail and more.
Project
Nature in the Kuala Lumpur sky at Lloyd’s Inn
Third in the series of boutique hotels under the Lloyd’s Inn brand, Lloyd’s Inn Kuala Lumpur bring the immediacy of nature to the new high-rise hospitality experience in the heart of a bustling city.
Project
Jeffrey Wilkes on refreshing the iconic Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
We spoke with Jeffrey Wilkes of WILKESDESIGN about the John Portman-designed building, which has been infused with touches of local culture and colour.
Project
The art and design of hospitality at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne
Art, design, architecture and hospitality all combine perfectly at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne by BAR Studio and Cottee Parker.
Project
Stylish accommodation refurbishment in the financial heart of Sydney
Landing in the city’s financial district for the first time, The Sebel Sydney Martin Place has had its modern interiors completed by Stack Studio.
Project
Play and respite in Fender Katsalidis’ Art Deco executive suites at The Darling
Overcoming pandemic hurdles to redefine guest experiences amidst Sydney’s bustling entertainment precinct, The Darling has undergone a two-year restoration that melds Art Deco interiors with the necessities of hotel living.
Ideas
W Hotels Vice President on the convergence of hotel, hospitality and luxury design trends
We spoke with George Fleck, Vice President and Global Brand Leader of W Hotels, about the intermingling of hotel and hospitality design trends.
QLD
The road to Brisbane 2032: How is the city’s design landscape evolving ahead of the Olympics?
We spoke to Plus Architecture’s Chrisney Formosa about a string of recent Brisbane projects and what they might tell us about the city’s design evolution.
Project
A sense of place at Shanghai’s Shangri-la Qiantan by Takenouchi Webb
This executive lounge and Chinese restaurant in the Shangri-La Qiantan draws sumptuously from the architecture of Shanghai Shikumen houses.
Project
Breaking out prison at CHADA’s Pentridge hotel conversion
Taking on the extraordinary challenge of turning what was a prison into a hotel and hospitality offering, CHADA has made some elegant moves.
Project
King Henry VIII and a Chinese Cricket Club: Layers of eclectic history in THDP’s London hotel design
In a Grade II-listed building in the heart of London, THDP has recently designed the Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars, complete with multiple hospitality offerings.
Project
“A home away from home and an office away from the office”: Sydney’s $20m hotel refurbishment
Accor and Salter Brothers have collaborated with Dezign to orchestrate a substantial refurbishment of the Novotel Sydney City Centre on York Street.
Project
W Osaka: Tadao Ando’s hometown hotel is a monolith of hidden delights
Ando’s sleek, stark, black box rises above Osaka’s skyline and hides a treasure trove of interiors designed by Concrete.
Project
Andaz Macau is heaven on earth for bleisure travellers
Art, culture and history come together effortlessly at Andaz Macau, redefining luxury hospitality in a city known for its extravagance and theatricality.
Project
Capri by Fraser, Phnom Penh: Create Architecture designs Frasers Hospitality’s maiden property in Cambodia
Singapore-based Create Architecture drew inspiration from the city’s transformation, fusing art and design into the newly opened hotel residence.
Ideas
Plus Architecture comment: What’s next on the Queensland hospitality frontier?
Kate Ockwell, interior design associate at Plus Architecture, comments on the four ideas hoteliers, restaurateurs and their interior designers should be considering when designing their spaces.
Events
Six world-class specialists join forces to create a hotel like no other in the Philippines
This upcoming hotel champions adaptive reuse and seeks to be an example of how the hospitality sector can serve the community at large.
Project
Capella Sydney: The inside tour we’ve all been waiting for
We’ve taken you on the architectural walk-through of Capella Sydney, now Gillian Serisier goes inside this prominent hotel to share the interior story – one of timeless elegance and artful vision.
Project
Indian awakening: A hotel that helps you renew your spirit and relax
At Bodh Gaya in India, SJK Architects has conceived a special place for pilgrims, tourists and locals to enjoy, where hospitality and spirituality coalesce in harmony.
Project
Sculptural vernacular: New Zealand architect Bergendy Cooke in Marrakech
New Zealand architect Bergendy Cooke has worked around the world. Currently based in Barcelona, with a team in New Zealand, her practice recently led a boutique hotel project in Marrakech, the Maison Brummell Majorelle.
Project
BAR Studio reinvigorates a Madrid icon with some opulent luxury
Our very own Gillian Serisier travelled to the Spanish capital for a first-hand experience of this hotel. She reports on the opulence at this Old World icon.
Project
EDG unveils the newly opened Pullman Singapore Orchard
EDG drew inspiration from Orchard Road’s renowned fashion houses to create a design narrative that celebrates the iconic fashion and retail atmosphere of the boulevard.
Project
Hotel at Bodh Gaya is a place to relax and renew the spirit
SJK Architects has conceived a special place for pilgrims, tourists and locals to enjoy, where hospitality and spirituality coalesce in harmony.
Project
Aston Design revamps The Fullerton Hotel Singapore Loft Suites
Inspired by two of Singapore’s iconic flowers, the eight newly renovated Loft Suites combine Singapore’s past and present in an atmosphere of elegance and charm.
Project
Artyzen Singapore presents a fresh interpretation of urban sky villa
ONG&ONG and Nic Graham & Assoc . unveil a hotel experience paying homage to local heritage and tropical landscape in the middle of the bustling Orchard Road district.
Articles
Where the sun goes to set: Shade Factor and Techne reinvent reality at the Village Belle Hotel
Shade Factor develops a unique solution for the large windows which adorn a public bar on the corner of Barkly and Smith street.
Project
Dharmali Kusumadi on the Garrya Nijo Castle Kyoto by Banyan Tree Group
The Senior Vice President of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts shares about the sophisticated design of the Group’s first property in Japan and future plans in the country.
Ideas
Candice Bradley comment: Achieving ‘the feel’
Carr’s newly appointed associate director discusses how to foster the intangible, experiential dimension of hospitality design. It starts with a personal touch and a connection to place.
Project
<strong>Park Hyatt Jakarta takes design cues from the Indonesian rainforests</strong>
In designing the interiors of the new Park Hyatt Jakarta, Conran and Partners looked beyond the cityscape to Indonesia’s broader cultural and natural heritage for inspiration.
Project
<strong>Pan Pacific Orchard is WOHA’s new prototype for high-rise tropical hospitality</strong>
With a design centred across four unique ecosystems dispersed across distinct building strata, Pan Pacific Orchard by WOHA is a new vision of luxury hospitality set in a tropical oasis.
Project
The striking green spine hidden behind minimal facades: Hotel life in New Delhi
A new hotel in India has all the creative design elements under one roof. Justa Nuo by Architecture Discipline is fresh and original, making a statement both night and day in a busy city landscape.
Project
The sweet spot – Studio Lotus balances nature with the man-made
Deep in an Indian forest beside a tranquil lake, the RAAS Chhatrasagar creates its own magic. Designed by Studio Lotus, the property is a perfect place for people who understand that design can both enhance and complement the natural world.
Project
Aesthetically gritty, undeniably hip: The Strand Hotel with George Gorrow
A collaborative design project has delivered an elegantly layered hotel in Sydney. Take a tour with Public Design Group and George Gorrow of Ksubi.
Project
Ace Hotel Sydney rises from within the historic Tyne House warehouse
Bates Smart director Guy Lake walks us through the architectural aspects involved in transforming a heritage 1915 brick factory into the Ace Hotel Sydney.
Project
Architecture Discipline: Setting a new standard for hotel life in the city
A new hotel in India has all the creative design elements under one roof. Justa Nuo by Architecture Discipline is fresh and original and makes a statement both night and day in a busy city landscape.
Project
“A multitude of uses contained within one skin”: Elenberg Fraser’s Melbourne Towers
At 380 Lonsdale Street in the Melbourne CBD, two towers are wrapped under one elegant architectural exterior. Meanwhile, a new laneway brings a rich mixture of public and private space to street level.
Project
This hotel is an ode to maximalist bohemian luxury
Designer Rugs joined a team of creatives to transform a heritage Edwardian building into a whimsical paradise.
Project
New life for a colourful heritage: Portarlington Grand Hotel
In a comprehensive redesign, Technē has opened a new chapter for this Bellarine Peninsula institution. Ranging from grand facade to boutique furniture details and everything in between, step inside this reinvigorated hotel.
Project
Kick up your heels at the ultra cool lyf Hotel
Through colour, texture and contrast, Sora Interior Architecture and Design has created a new style of hospitality design in Collingwood, Melbourne that also brings the idea of community to the fore.
Project
Cambodia’s past and present combine at Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh
Contemporary meets colonial in this new Hyatt hotel conceived by SCDA Architects and PIA Interior.
Project
More fun per square inch: Ovolo South Yarra
Though the design was instigated pre-COVID, Luchetti Krelle’s Ovolo South Yarra is the embodiment of a lockdown antithesis. Prepare for a design festival of 60s influences, pop vibes, Palm Springs glamour, Brutalism and beatnik jive.
Project
Urban retreat for the discerning traveller: Marriott Hotel Docklands
Defined by refinement: DKO has completed the new Marriott Hotel at Docklands, Melbourne. Residential in feel, DKO says it will stand the test of time and delight the discerning traveller.
Project
Naoshima Ryokan ROKA is a new destination for art, culture and nature lovers
Okayama-based design firm Nottuo utilised the region’s abundant natural resources to create a sophisticated modern ryokan that integrates traditional Japanese architectural cues.
Project
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon is open for stay
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon is a collaboration between Spanish artist and designer Jamie Hayon and The Standard’s in-house design team.
Project
Flack aces it with Surry Hills’ Ace Hotel
Flack Studio breaks the mould with their nuanced design for the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills. Gillian Serisier gives us her walk-through.
Project
Jumeirah Bali: A modern day water palace that revives a forgotten empire
Jumeirah Bali tells the story of the grand Majapahit empire through water sculptures, symbolic forms and contemporary injections, bridging Bali’s past and present.
Project
The Continental Sorrento is finally here
It’s the hospitality project we’ve all been waiting for! The Continental Sorrento is open for business, and Stephen Crafti takes us on the walk-through.
VIC
Studio Tate shakes up the hotel status quo
With an approachable and design-minded tone, the Holiday Inn elevates the suburban hotel experience to a whole new level.
Project
AIM Architecture’s porcelain hotel masterpiece
With great sensitivity to culture and place, the Taoxichuan Hotel in the Unbound Collection by Hyatt is perfectly formed for guests and travellers.
Project
Pack your bags, it’s time to travel Jaime Hayon-style
Bangkok gets its own Jaime Hayon-designed hotel with The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon.
Project
5 dream destinations with Asian design sensibilities
From Malaysia to Vietnam, these hospitality projects champion their Asian roots and blend cross-cultural elements to great success.
Project
5 luxury destinations with Asian design sensibilities
From Malaysia to Vietnam, these hospitality projects champion their Asian roots and blend cross-cultural elements to great success.
Project
Preview: The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon hotel by Jaime Hayon
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon is open for reservations and will welcome guests in May 2022.
Project
The royal welcome at Hilton Little Queen
This ‘little Queen’ of Hiltons blends the classic with the contemporary to evoke the halcyon days of travel. Here we bring you the Indesign magazine review, by Stephen Crafti.
Ideas
How consumer habits are influencing the blend of physical and digital in design
The designers of physical retail and hospitality experiences are well aware that the digital presence of a project has rapidly grown in importance. With this evolution has come almost an entirely new understanding of how the physical and digital interact.
Project
Architectus and Hecker Guthrie design Australia’s first Hyatt Centric
As the world’s most locked-down city begins once more to welcome the prospect of visitors, Australia’s first Hyatt Centric has opened its doors.
Project
“Neither brash nor ostentatious” – Architectus and Hecker Guthrie design Australia’s first Hyatt Centric
As the world’s most locked-down city begins once more to welcome the prospect of visitors, Australia’s first Hyatt Centric has opened its doors.
Project
4 impressive hybrid hotels in the Indo-Pacific
In an ever-evolving industry, the term hybrid hotel is one that’s becoming increasingly common. We take a look at four of the region’s best to see what they’re offering.
Project
Contextual and personal references shine in The Hari Hong Kong
The Hari hotel brand plants its London roots in the heart of Hong Kong’s bustling district with the handsome interiors designed by Tara Bernerd & Partners.
Ideas
The true value of hotels: Curating culture and connection
As the hospitality industry goes into a tailspin from the pandemic, hoteliers and designers alike are forced to reckon with the true value that hotels can bring to guests – thoughtfully designed experiences unique to the cities they call home.
Project
From a love motel to a neighbourhood ‘street’ hotel
CHAT architects transform a Bangkok love motel into a neighbourhood ‘street’ hotel; and in the process, promote urban activities derived from forgotten traditions and street typologies.
Ideas
Really though, what value do hotels offer guests?
As the hospitality industry goes into a tailspin from the pandemic, hoteliers and designers alike are forced to reckon with the true value that hotels bring to guests.
Project
No longer memories past: Woods Bagot’s Next Hotel Melbourne
Woods Bagot serves up the nostalgia of ‘now’ at Melbourne’s new Next Hotel.
Project
Bates Smart puts the jewel in the Hilton crown
It’s beautiful, hidden away and oh so Melbourne. Hilton Little Queen Street is open for business and is sparkling like a diamond.
Ideas
The need to engage with sustainability in hotel design
Sustainable design can encourage deep engagement with a place and its people. In hotel design, it’s time we saw it as an opportunity to be urgently harnessed. Some architects and designers are doing just that.
Articles
Acrylic Couture puts glass in a whole new light
From Austaron Surfaces comes Acrylic Couture – an all new way of creating beautiful and sleek surfaces for interior projects.
Project
Sala Samui is nothing short of a first(class) resort
Never before has the serenity felt more real than it does right here at Sala Samui Chaweng Roadside Resort in Koh Samui, thanks Thai design duo, Onion.
People
Jean-Michel Gathy on the art and science of designing hotels
The principal designer of Denniston shares about the fundamentals of hotel design, his latest collaboration with Aman and the future of hospitality.
Project
Capsule hotel KINN does hyper futurism with a humanistic touch
Movies like Blade Runner and Gattaca provide the unlikely springboard into this new hotel designed by Hjgher.
Project
Carr creates a scene in Melbourne’s theatre district
Curated by Carr, Lancemore Crossley St Hotel is a boutique hotel centred in the thick of Melbourne’s theatre scene — and with a flair for the dramatic, it fits right in.
Project
Samsen STREET Hotel turns Bangkok’s vices upside down
CHAT architects transform a Bangkok love motel into a neighbourhood ‘street’ hotel, and in the process, promote urban activities derived from forgotten traditions and street typologies.
Ideas
Engaging in sustainability in hotel design
Capable of encouraging deep engagement between people and place, sustainable design is an opportunity that ought to be urgently harnessed in hotel design. Leading the way, some architects and designers are doing just that.
Project
Here’s to the Insta-worthy: where to eat, play and stay
With venues in popular locations boasting high star-ratings these days a dime-a-dozen, there is a new criteria being coveted in the hospitality scene.
Articles
How Can The Hotel Industry Economically Contract And Flex?
Design Inn Symposium is an opportunity for members of the hotel industry to come together, collaborate and gain inspiration on how to navigate a recovery and encourage a more sustainable hotel industry.