The hottest openings of 2026: Hotels, bathhouse and experiences

Every anticipated opening to help plan a year of back-to-back adventures.

Another year, another round of impressive new openings. Spanning five-star stays, boutique escapes, wellness immersions and nature-embracing activity, the most thrilling 2026 unveilings promise to evolve almost every inch of our nation’s landscape. Whether you’re an outdoor adventurer, luxury seeker or just on the hunt for been there-got the tee bragging rights, these upcoming launches are worth getting giddy for.

A new year means a host of fresh openings around the country to get excited about. And 2025 promises to deliver!

Accommodation

InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach

One of the Harbour City’s most iconic beaches welcomes one of the world’s most acclaimed hotel brands. InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach is elevating the Eastern Suburbs’ – well, the city’s – hotel scene to dazzling heights, setting up shop in the former Crown Plaza Sydney over two major phases. While all 198 coastal-inspired guestrooms and suites, plus the Mediterranean eatery Shutters Restaurant & Bar and Rick Stein at Coogee Beach, opened in December 2025, March 2026 will see the unveiling of a leisure deck fitted with an infinity pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a poolside bar, Club InterContinental, the chain’s exclusive lounge, and Èliva, a new wellness brand that’s rolling out across multiple Salters Brothers Hospitality operations.

Ardour Milton Park Bowral

From those smooth operators behind InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach comes an entirely new hotel brand: Ardour Hotels & Estates. Salter Brothers will open Ardour Milton Park Bowral, located in NSW’s Southern Highlands, where a $10 million evolution is transforming Milton Park Country House Hotel & Spa, built in 1910, into a sophisticated country retreat. Think heritage-listed gardens and awe-inspiring European-influenced architecture that wholly embraces rich roots while elegantly waltzing into the now. Èliva will once again dial up the Zen, promising a Herbal Ritual Bar that invites guests to blend custom body scrubs, oils and mud masks. It’s scheduled to open early 2026.

Little National Hotel Adelaide

Love Little National Hotel’s NSW locations? Little National Hotel Adelaide will arrive at the end of 2026 as the brand’s fourth property and offer the same architecturally sound aesthetics beloved in Sydney, Canberra and Newcastle. The South Australian build will climb 21 storeys and feature 238 rooms including two luxury penthouses that are entirely new room types for the brand. Guests will also be treated to a 250-square-metre commercial-grade gym, and a bar and lounge. Arguably one of the best sells? It’s located within walking distance to Adelaide Oval so it’s going to be an ideal choice for event-led travel.

Hannah St Hotel

Melbourne’s Southbank scored much-needed cool points with the January opening of Hannah St Hotel. Location-wise, the new property from hospitality kings The Mulberry Group (their standout eateries include Flinders Lane’s Hazel and Dessous) can’t be beat, but its art-adorned, high-gloss space is bound to intoxicate. Expect 188 guestrooms, a rooftop terrace lounge and bar, a 20-metre lap pool, a communal working space, wellness facilities and more.

RAC Ningaloo Reef Resort

Waking up to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef at Western Australia’s Coral Bay will feel even more special when RAC Ningaloo Reef Resort reopens later this year. A two-year remodel is expanding its 34-unit offering to 90 units, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom configurations. There’s also a sparkly new clubhouse with a restaurant, bar and al fresco dining area, plus a resort pool and spacious grasslands. A December 2025 update from the team noted the project’s projected early-2026 completion but word around town is it’s looking more like mid-year.

Levantine Hill Hotel

Building on a star label in Victoria’s Yarra Valley wine country, Levantine Hill Hotel is set to open early 2026 after delaying its planned mid-2025 launch. The $20 million boutique property, constructed right on its famed manicured grounds, will feature 33 luxurious guestrooms with their own living rooms, private balconies overlooking the vines or surrounding mountains, circular bathtubs, king beds, mini bars naturally decked out in Levantine Hill drops and elegant furnishings. There’s also a restaurant, gym, outdoor exercise track and sculpture track in the works.

Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is getting its first international hotel in four decades, making lazy days by pristine beaches more decadent than ever. Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel will capitalise on one of the region’s most popular coastal towns, offering 180 guestrooms and suites situated 100 metres from golden sand. There’s also a rooftop pool, restaurant and bar on the way, plus the global chain’s renowned AvaniKids kids’ club and wellness facilities are also on the agenda. Doors are scheduled to open in April.

QT Parramatta

Cementing the thriving suburb as one of Sydney’s emerging tourism hubs, QT Parramatta will drive its signature exuberance into the heart of town. Set to open at the end of 2026, the hotel is being built in the new 8 Phillip Street tower and will boast rooftop dining, multiple wellness spaces and an infinity pool overlooking the city. While the building scales up to 65 storeys, the hotel itself will occupy its ground floor to level 18.

Waldorf Astoria Sydney

Another entirely new hotel brand to enter Australian waters in late 2026 will be Waldorf Astoria. Owned by Hilton Hotels, the five-star offshoot’s first local venture, Waldorf Astoria Sydney, will open in Circular Quay with some of the planet’s most iconic eyefuls – Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, all in one. 26 floors will house 227 luxurious guestrooms as well as a rooftop bar, a celebrity chef-led restaurant (the big name is yet to be confirmed), and wellness facilities. Eye-watering rates are predicted to match such world-class opulence.

Picnic Island

February will see the relaunch of Tasmania’s Picnic Island , the Apple Isle’s ritzy all-inclusive private island stay located 800 metres offshore from Coles Bay. While plush digs will house up to eight guests, what’s really getting us excited is the menu of activities that’s included. From sustainable oyster harvesting and guided wellness sessions to hiking hidden trails to secluded, untouched beaches, the adventures are going to be endless.

The Monty

A boutique stay on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road will bring a touch of Palm Springs to travellers from March. The Monty , a Pinterest-perfect homage to mid-century modern architecture, is being built within walking distance to Anglesea River and Anglesea Main Beach so it’s coastal enlightenment everywhere you look. Its room count sits at 16, including two accessible fit outs, plus there’s an outdoor swimming pool, a communal lounge, electric vehicle chargers and a Mexican eatery.

The Monarto Safari tents

You can enjoy the wonders of the African savanna, all without leaving Australia at Monarto Safari Park . The luxury accommodation opened with 78 rooms last year, and 2026 will see the  20-tent luxury safari lodge open. These luxury glamping accommodations will offer immersive wildlife views of African animals, including free-roaming herds of rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and hippos.

Crystalbrook Sam, Adelaide

Adelaide’s first Crystalbrook Collection property, Crystalbrook Sam , is set to open late 2026 on Halifax Street. The hotel will feature 196 rooms and suites across 13 floors and a standout restaurant with sweeping views of the CBD and Adelaide Hills. Additionally, a dedicated wellness space with Crystalbrook’s signature Eléme Day Spa will cater for those in need of some pampering, alongside a gym, sauna and swimming pool.

Bathhouses

Else Bathhouse

There’s no stopping our love affair with social bathing and South Melbourne will become the newest region to embrace it come April. Else Bathhouse will offer three levels of serenity, fitted out with thermal baths, saunas, cold plunges, a mud and steam room, rooftop bathing and quiet zones. Even more delicious, it’s arriving with heritage-listed bones as the original 1900s construction once housed wool trading which evolved into a grocery empire. A perfect spot to indulge in both history and health.

Phillip Island Hot Springs

Victoria is (literally) flowing with thermal bathing, especially once Phillip Island Hot Springs is up and running by the end of 2026. Ocean fronting and in proximity to natural geothermal water, initial renders of the build look nothing short of sensational, so we’re glued to its Instagram as work continues through the year. Expect contrast therapy set-ups, wellness spaces, outdoor pools, and eventually a day spa as the opening will be rolled out over three stages. The final stage even promises a 120-room hotel, subject to building approval. Watch this space.

Naia Bathhouse

Yet another Victorian hotspot to put on your radar, Naia Bathhouse will be unveiled in the burgeoning country town of Castlemaine later this year. A local couple have staked their claim on an old miner’s cottage from the 1800s, and they’re in the thick of setting up hot and cold bathing facilities, a sauna, a European-inspired steam room, magnesium waters heated to 38 degrees and body treatments.

Experiences

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk

Bucket list need a refresh? Add the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk from Tasmanian Walking Company to your list, which kicks off in the Northern Territory in April. Stretching 54 kilometres over five nights and four days, the game-changing trail invites the public to explore sacred Indigenous sites in groups of just 14 people at a time. Hikers will learn about Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people (Aṉangu) through storytelling sessions and workshops, while eco camps and a private lodge will provide restful grounds to recharge and do it all again the following day.

Lighting the Sound

Staged in March in Albany, Western Australia, across three weekends, Lighting the Sound is exactly what it sounds like with an added plethora of natural beauty to set an unparalleled coastal scene. The free art exhibition will in fact serve as Australia’s largest outdoor light installation, crafted by FORM Building a State of Creativity, a cultural organisation, and Finnish light artist Kari Kola, to illuminate the sky above the harbour with vibrant kaleidoscopic hues. This experience is so big that organisers claim it will be the largest light installation to have ever hit Earth.

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach , the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road . Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park , which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae , helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream , Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.

The hottest openings of 2026: hotels, bathhouses and experiences