Novotel Surfers Paradise Penthouses

Challenger engaged multi-disciplinary design studio, Dezign, to undertake a full refurbishment of the Novotel Surfers Paradise Penthouses in the top three levels of the hotel. Its first major refurbishment in over 35 years.

The project included a full interior upgrade of the living areas, eight bedrooms and bathrooms, and a total rebuild of the roof terraces and plunge pools, as well as mechanical and fire services upgrades.

“Dezign’s process integrating design, pre-construction, construction and FFE procurement resulted in one of the most seamless projects I have led,” said Adam McKean, Development Manager at Elanor.

The penthouses are a blast from the past; spread over three floors connected by a classic 80s P&O stair; they have a generosity of space not seen in current hotels.

The interiors reflect the nature-based tones of Surfers Paradise; soft white walls accented with blues, green, ochre finishes, and sun-bleached timber flooring. Custom wallpaper capturing dawn over the ocean to dusk over the hinterland feature prominently in the bedrooms and dining space. We overlaid this with highly detailed bespoke joinery and FFE resulting in a calm, contemporary design aesthetic.

Dezign’s pre-construction team worked closely with the design and asset team during the design process on budget, design detailing, procurement of FFE and long lead time items. During construction our site team liaised daily with the hotel to coordinate deliveries and noisy works to minimise guest impact.

Despite the tight programme and working in a live environment, our site and procurement teams did an amazing job to deliver both penthouses to the hotel, leading into their busy Christmas and New Year.

Having recently completed the Novotel Sydney City Centre, the Dezign team was familiar with Novotel’s ‘Hypothesis’ concept, which has an ethos of minimising waste. Sustainability underpins the design. Finishes were chosen with longevity and minimising waste in mind. We used solid timber with bespoke steel bases which facilitates a 2D life for elements which typically end up in landfill.

Leatherette upholstery to the bedheads, wardrobes and wet bars provide a tactile, durable finish to key FFE items and the custom carpets are locally produced, reducing transport emissions, and can be recycled at the end of their life into backing for carpet tiles, eliminating waste.

Read more about it here on HM Magazine

Photography: Pixel Collective