Ovolo Hotels

Ovolo hotels are known for connecting guests with their location, instilling a unique local identity into their design.

We collaborated with the Hong Kong-based group on a range of distinctive properties in Australia including Ovolo Woolloomooloo, situated on an iconic, 100-year-old wharf in Sydney.

The energetic lifestyle brand completely transformed the iconic Finger Wharf to bring both the wharf and the brand to life, and become a go-to for discerning travellers – and the Instagram set.

With a bold vision for a design that capitalised on the brilliant light, harbour, and cosmopolitan setting, Ovolo has a hotel that embodies everything it stands for – young, energetic, cheeky, accessible and effortless.

A wind tunnel along the existing property’s vast central spine is now a series of smaller, more welcoming zones. Pavilions – with pockets of sunlight and tree-filled spaces – create a more intimate place that also celebrates the building’s heritage.

We’ve drawn on our expertise in both workplace and hospitality design to make sure this Sydney site has the right mix of technology and amenities so hotel guests can work, rest and play.

Client

Ovolo Hotels

Location

Gadigal, Yuggera, Turrbal and Wurundjeri Country
Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia

Status

Completed

Year

2015

Scale

10,500sqm / 100 rooms

Design team

Matthew Sheargold, Matthew Blain, Sally de Marchi, Susan Standring, Di Ritter, Robbie Peirce, Alicia Freeman

Imagery

Nicole England

Distinct pavilions – with pockets of sunlight and tree-filled spaces – create a more intimate place that celebrates the building’s heritage.

We have never had a design team understand us this well before.”

Ovolo Hotel Client Team
100 refurbished hotel rooms
5/5 star average in 2K+ reviews (Trip Advisor, Nov 2019)
#1 of 199 hotels in Sydney (Trip Advisor, 2019)

Taking cues from its 1920s site, we imagined Ovolo Inchcolm as a contemporary version of Gertrude Stein’s Parisian Salon – a place where ideas, food and wine are flowing all the time.

The hotel’s different spaces work like stories’, with changing themes offering guests new experiences as they move through this captivating Brisbane, Australia destination.

The design makes tongue-in-cheek references to the building’s backstory as a private home and medical offices while also playing up its stunning heritage details, such as the original silky wall panels throughout the hotel.

One of the focal points is the aptly-named Cabinet of Curiosity’ in the foyer. This eclectic mix of books, art and objects captures the essence of the Ovolo brand – quirky, beguiling and fun.

DESIGN TEAM: Shelley Gabriel, Ingrid Bakker, Philip Harper, Natalie Louey, Matt Sheargold, Emily Choo, Florence Paul

IMAGERY: Nicole England

At Ovolo Laneways guests have no doubt they’re in Melbourne given the hotel’s distinctive design takes its inspiration from everything the city’s known for.

Once a block of lacklustre serviced apartments, the hotel is tucked into the city’s labyrinth of laneways. Its position encourages exploration of Melbourne’s street art, hidden bars and restaurants, and the lively theatre precinct.

We seized the theme of discovery for our design, taking guests on a sensory adventure. From the dramatic concierge-style reception, they travel past illuminated custom artwork and brightly coloured doors in dimly-lit corridors before arriving at one of the calming, restorative guestrooms.

IMAGERY: Dianna Snape

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