Ovolo Nishi, Canberra

The New Acton precinct is Canberra’s new cultural hub, the place where business and culture travelers, art lovers, students, and locals mingle. Ovolo Nishi is a uniquely Australian hotel that stands out in this distinctive destination.

Designed by Australian architectural firm Fender Katsalidis, in close collaboration with Japan’s Suppose Design Office, the hotel represents a concept of a sustainable “vertical village” with facilities such as cinema, independent book, and pop-up stores, music, and local cafés and bars.

Urban geometry

Ovolo Nishi has been founded on the principles of sustainability, community, and diversity, driven by the intention of creating beautiful, sustainable apartments for a house-obsessed Australian market.

The hotel is located on three levels of the Nishi residential building and is constructed from recycled timber and off-form concrete, forming an interlocking geometrical structure.

An exquisite grand stair, handcrafted from re-used and salvaged timbers, leads visitors to a hotel foyer more reminiscent of a living room than a lobby.

Its public spaces are fashioned from humble materials, while bespoke furniture, art, and collected objects the 68 rooms and 31 apartments of the hotel.

Dazzling interiors

A passion for restored 20th-century furnishings, collected objects, and limited-run pieces drove the art direction for the interiors.

The designers of the hotel featured raw materiality in earthen clay-rendered walls, natural fiber wallpapers and bespoke joinery made from reclaimed oak.

The design encourages diverse and intimate social uses day and night. The hotel bar and lounge, a “main street” for guests, has an obsessively curated food and drink menu.

Main text with contributions from Design Hotels™, modified to fit the format and style.

Check availability for Ovolo Nishi: Booking.com | Ovolo Hotels | Tablet Hotels | Mr And Mrs Smith or see what others think on TripAdvisor.

Main text with contributions from Design Hotels™, modified to fit the format and style. *This review contains affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. 

in our opinion

What we love

• Interiors with a creative twist. More than 50 artists and designers participated in creating the eclectic combination of industrial chic and retro vibe
• It's all in the details: every room has something antique, bespoke, or specially commissioned. It's all in celebration of local artisans who supplied the hotel with objects, crafts and art pieces. The hotel has a library, a pop-up shop, even an art collection.
• The vibe is laid-back, befitting the hotel's cool location in Canberra’s trendy zone, the NewActon precinct, full of hip cafés, shops, and restaurants
• High-tech goodies: the in-room iPad replaces newspapers, hotel guides, and the alarm clock, and the hotel also has a mobile app (iPhone / Android)

What you should know

• The hotel has two room types, very different in mood and lighting. Some face the street and are flooded with natural light. The others are dark—perhaps too dark—and are looking to the internal fern atrium. Make sure to add a note to your booking if you have specific preferences
• Ovolo Nishi is located just 10-minute by car from the Canberra airport, and minutes from the city's shops and cafes
• WiFi is complimentary. Check out (11 am) is flexible, subject to availability. Check-in: 3pm.