The global hotel brands making their Aussie debuts in 2025

Imogen EvesonBy Imogen Eveson
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From a new benchmark for luxury on the Gold Coast to a hip neighbourhood haunt in Perth and a sustainable sanctuary taking root in Melbourne, you need to know about these international hotel brands making their Aussie debut.    

Flashback to 2019, and the biggest hotel news in the country was the opening of Ritz-Carlton, Perth, a re-entry into Australia for the luxury brand after 25 years. In the five years since, even a global pandemic couldn’t stop the tide of international hotel brands also making their Aussie debut. Hotel Indigo launched in Adelaide in 2021 and in 2022 and 2023, Ace Hotel, Kimpton and Capella shook up the scene in Sydney.   

Exterior of Ritz Carlton Perth
The launch of the Ritz-Carlton at Elizabeth Quay was one of the buzziest hotel openings in recent times.

Handwritten Collection, which launched globally in 2023, has made its mark in Australia with Hotel Morris Sydney, Wonil Hotel Perth and Hotel Woolstore 1888 Sydney. 

And 2024 saw the Melbourne openings of design-led Le Méridien; StandardX, the first Aussie outpost of the hip Standard Hotel group; and Lanson Place Parliament Gardens, housed in a historic East Melbourne building.  

In a vote of confidence for our world-class cities, there’s plenty more on the horizon too. Here’s what global hotel brands to watch out for when they land in Australia in 2025 (and beyond).  

Mondrian Gold Coast  

Mondrian Hotel in Gold Coast
Mondrian Gold Coast will be the hotel opening of 2025.

We’re calling it – this is going to be the hotel opening of the year. With a slated opening date of early 2025, all eyes will be on Burleigh Heads for the debut of the first Mondrian hotel in Australia.   

A boutique brand from fast-growing lifestyle hospitality company Ennismore, in a joint venture with Accor, Mondrian is known for its architectural and forward-thinking properties that sit at the cultural heart of destinations around the world from Miami to Ibiza.   

Mondrian Gold Coast is designed by leading Australian architects Fraser & Partners and will deliver a new level of luxury hospitality to one of the country’s favourite beach destinations. Unfolding over 24 storeys, it will also be a flagship for the brand with 208 design-led rooms and suites that drink in views of the Pacific Ocean.  

The sleek design – which includes two- and three-bedroom Beach Houses and the spectacular Sky House crowning the hotel – comes courtesy of award-winning Studio Carter and takes its cues from sugar-white sands and a pandanus-spiked coastline.   

And we can expect the food and beverage offering to be on point too, with restaurant and bar concepts that promise to harness the region’s local produce and vibe with the Burleigh social scene.  

1 Hotel Melbourne  

exterior view of 1 Hotel Melbourne
Fans of the hotel’s legacy will marvel at the 18-storey property located in the heart of Melbourne.

One of the world’s most sustainable luxury hotel brands, 1 Hotels is making its Australian debut in Melbourne in 2025. Set to open in May, 1 Hotel Melbourne will tread a light footprint on the banks of the Yarra River. Its 277 guest rooms, 114 residences and multiple dining options are all underscored by a sustainable, biophilic design that connects guests back to nature.   

A highlight of a stay here will be the brand’s curated Happenings programs, which will invite guests to get to know Melbourne through a 1 Hotels lens focused on art, nature and wellbeing.  

Its low-density location in the revitalised North Wharf Precinct is a deliberate choice, as is its position on the CBD free tram line; 1 Hotels around the world encourage guests to walk or take public transport to explore the places they’re located in.   

Launched in 2015, 1 Hotels is a mission-driven luxury lifestyle hotel brand that has grown its portfolio outside of its native North America to encompass properties in the UK, Denmark, Greece, France, China and now Australia. Each stay is inspired by its natural environment and rooted in the local community.   

25hours Hotel The Olympia  

25 hours hotel in Paddington
25hours’ shiny new gem reinterprets the building’s cinema history.

25hours Hotel The Olympia is set to open in June 2025. It will be Australia’s first 25hours Hotel and bolsters Sydney’s blooming boutique hotel scene.  

Also part of the Ennismore stable, 25hours Hotels pride themselves on their individualism and, from Berlin to Florence, are shaped by the art, culture and gastronomy of their surrounds. The new Paddington property is no exception, billing itself as a place for cinema lovers where the aesthetic pays tribute to the building’s origins as a picture theatre.  

Expect 109 guest rooms, including three concept suites, each with bespoke artwork by Sydney artist Kubi Vasak. There will be four standout wining and dining venues too, including Monica, a rooftop bar to add to your list of places to go for sky-high libations.   

Hyde Perth   

Hyde Bodrum lobby area
Hyde recently made its Turkish debut with the opening of Hyde Bodrum.

From Bodrum to Johannesburg, Hyde’s global properties are rooted in music culture.  And the bohemian Ennismore brand is landing in Perth in late 2025 – a city that has birthed some of Australia’s greatest bands, from The Triffids to Tame Impala.   

The 120-guest room property will be located in the heart of the CBD on Pier Street, complete with a destination restaurant and bar, and a buzzing cafe that opens out to a tropics-inspired outdoor pool. Dedicated entertainment spaces will come to life with a curated music program in keeping with Hyde’s festival vibe.   

The Hoxton  

The Hoxton Hotel in Melbourne
The British hotel chain is known for its thoughtfully designed spaces, and its Melbourne development will be no exception.

The Hoxton’s series of hotels grounded in culture and community originated in London’s trendy Shoreditch neighbourhood in 2006.   

Slated for a 2027 opening, Ennismore has announced the signing of The Hoxton in Melbourne’s historic Cremorne suburb, today a melting pot for creativity and innovation. 

Imogen Eveson
Imogen Eveson is Australian Traveller’s Print Editor. She was named Editor of the Year at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and in 2023, was awarded the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) Australia’s Media Award. Before joining Australian Traveller Media as sub-editor in 2017, Imogen wrote for publications including Broadsheet, Russh and SilverKris. She launched her career in London, where she graduated with a BA Hons degree in fashion communication from world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins. She is the author/designer of The Wapping Project on Paper, published by Black Dog Publishing in 2014. Growing up in Glastonbury, home to the largest music and performing arts festival in the world, instilled in Imogen a passion for cultural cross-pollination that finds perfect expression today in shaping Australia’s leading travel titles. Imogen regularly appears as a guest on radio travel segments, including ABC National Nightlife, and is invited to attend global travel expos such as IMM, ILTM, Further East and We Are Africa.
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How a $1 deal saved Bendigo’s historic tramways

    Megan ArkinstallBy Megan Arkinstall
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    The passionate community that saved Bendigo Tramways has kept the story of this city alive for generations.

    It was an absolute steal: a fleet of 23 trams for just $1. But such a fortunate purchase didn’t happen easily. It was 1972 when the Bendigo Trust handed over a single buck for the city’s historic collection of battery, steam and electric trams, which had transported locals since 1890.

    inside the historic Bendigo Tram
    Bendigo Tramways is a historic transport line turned tourist service. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    The city’s tram network had been declared defunct since 1970 due to post-war shortages in materials to upkeep the trams and declining passenger numbers as motor vehicles were increasing. However, determined locals would not hear of their beloved trams being sold off around the world.

    The Bendigo Trust was enlisted to preserve this heritage, by converting the trams into a tourist service. The Victorian government approved a trial, however news spread that the Australian Electric Tramways Museum in Adelaide had acquired one of the streetcars for its collection.

    a tram heading to Quarry Hill in 1957
    A tram on its way to Quarry Hill in 1957. (Image: Bendigo Heritage)

    An impassioned group rallied together to make this physically impossible. Breaking into the tram sheds, they welded iron pipes to the rails, removed carbon brushes from the motors, and formed a blockade at the depot. The community response was extraordinary, and a $1 deal was sealed.

    A new chapter for the city’s fleet

    the old Tramways Depot and Workshop
    The old Tramways Depot and Workshop is one of the stops on the hop-on, hop-off service. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Today, Bendigo Tramways welcomes some 40,000 passengers annually, operating as a hop-on, hop-off touring service aboard the restored trams. Fifteen of the now 45-strong fleet are dubbed ‘Talking Trams’ because of the taped commentary that is played along the route. The trams loop between Central Deborah Gold Mine and the Bendigo Joss House Temple, which has been a place of Chinese worship since 1871, via other sites including the old Tramways Depot and Workshop.

    a Gold Mine Bendigo Tram
    The fleet comprises 45 trams that have been restored. (Image: Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn)

    Keeping things interesting, throughout the year visitors can step aboard different themed trams. Tram No. 302 becomes the Yarn Bomb Tram, decorated both inside and out with colourful crochet by an anonymous group of locals.

    During the festive season, Tram No. 15 operates as a tinsel-festooned Santa Tram, and the big man himself hides out somewhere along the route for excited children to find. And on selected dates, the adults-only Groove Tram runs nighttime tours of the city, accompanied by local musicians playing live tunes and a pop-up bar.

    the historic post office turned visitor centre in Bendigo
    Visitors can hop on and off to see the city’s sites such as the historic post office turned visitor centre. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    As well as preserving the city’s history, however, the continuation of the tram service has kept the skills of tram building and craftsmanship alive in a practical sense. Bendigo’s Heritage Rail Workshop is world-renowned for restoring heritage trams and repurposing vehicles in creative ways.

    Locally, for example, Tram No. 918 was transformed into the Dja Dja Wurrung Tram with original Aboriginal artworks by emerging artist Natasha Carter, with special commentary and music that shares the stories and traditions of Bendigo’s first people. You can’t put a price on preserving history. Nonetheless, it was a dollar very well spent.