Much like the coastal phenomenon it’s named after, the experience at Swell Hotel is characterised by crests and troughs.
The renewed interest in—and ability to—travel over the past few years has seen the rise of the Instagram boutique hotel. While many design-led boutique hotels boast Instagram-friendly aesthetics, the Instagram boutique hotel appears as if crafted for the sole intention of being Instagrammed. No longer do influencers have to scope out a viable corner and determine the right angles; every facet of this sub–genre of hotel has been designed to allow for easy capturing and hashtagging.
You’ll also enjoy:
The Nostalgic Mysa Motel Revives The Quintessential Aussie Beach Holiday
We Put The Polestar 2 To The Test On A 1600km+ Road Trip Along Australia’s East Coast
Elements Of Byron Is An All-Encompassing Haven That Epitomises Barefoot Luxury
Swell Hotel is one such example. The latest addition to Byron Bay’s burgeoning boutique hotel scene—the result of the ever-increasing gentrification of the coastal town—Swell Hotel is the result of a renovation of the former Byron Bay Motor Lodge. Centrally located on Butler Street, it’s a stone’s throw from the centre of the Byron Bay township and the main beach. Despite being situated on a roundabout adjacent to the main thoroughfare in and out of the township, a walled perimeter and adroit landscaping allows Swell Hotel to feel sheltered and tranquil.
Interiors come courtesy of Byron Bay-based interior designer Nyree Mackenzie, who works with the bones of the former motel to craft a space that feels lived in—and eminently photographable. Rich neutral tones reign supreme, with each room utilising a different colour palette, from sand and brown tones to sage and soft pinks.
Now, while there’s nothing wrong with relying on aesthetics to draw guests in, it doesn’t compensate for not addressing the essentials. We spent a couple of nights experiencing the new boutique outpost in Byron Bay and found that while it certainly has potential, it’s still got its training wheels on. Read on for our honest review of Swell Hotel.
The lowdown: Swell Hotel, Byron Bay
The hook; why stay at Swell Hotel?
With a retro-cool vibe defined by immersive interior design punctuated by sepia tones and luxurious materials and clever landscaping in equal measure, the adults-only Swell Hotel manages to craft an oasis of calm seclusion despite its roadside location. A two-minute walk from the town centre of Byron Bay, Swell Hotel puts a boutique spin on the former motel site, creating a buzzy Instagram- and influencer-friendly destination for holiday goers.
Tell us more
Sitting on a busy corner on Butler Street, Swell Hotel is the result of a renovation of the former Byron Bay Motor Lodge, an iconic roadside motel. In keeping with changing times, the once-seedy motel has been transformed into a boutique hotel courtesy of Californian husband-and-wife team Andrew Maltin and DayNa Decker.
The bones of the former motel remain, in the form of the brickwork (albeit bathed in more alluring shades), the drive-through portico, and the low-slung horizontal single file layout of the rooms.
Anchoring the public area is a heavily photographed chocolate brown velvet couch, with coffees able to be ordered at the counter at the front of the lobby-cum-cafe-cum-communal lounge. The lounge spills out into the garden area, which is equipped with whitewashed curvilinear seating.
How to get to Swell Hotel
Swell Hotel is located within the Byron Bay township. The resort is a 30 minute drive from Ballina airport via the Pacific Highway (M1) or a 45 minute drive from Coolangatta airport via the Pacific Highway (M1).
Rooms and suites
The adults only Swell Hotel comprises 16 rooms, including a spacious two-bedroom suite.
Local interior designer Nyree Mackenzie draws upon organic shapes and earthy tones to create a relaxed yet sophisticated space. Bathed in rich earthy hues of brown, sand, sage, and clay, rooms and suites feature velvet headboards, boucle furniture, marble coffee tables, and wooden bedside tables, with luxurious materials working to create textural interest.
All rooms have keyless entry, with a unique code emailed to guests prior to check in.
There are poolside, garden, and hideaway rooms; the former look out into the pool area and can get a little noisy, while the latter are backed by a walled garden with a semi-private sitting space for each room. The hideaway rooms offer a more private experience, with all three styles equipped with a compact lounge area and reading nook.
The suite is the undeniable star of the show, with the two-bedroom residence complete with a private entrance, spacious living room, and dedicated garden terrace area. For the purposes of this review, we were kindly accommodated in this suite. With its generous floorplan, luxurious use of materials, and verdant outdoor space, the suite did indeed deliver relaxed luxury in terms of its overarching design, and was a welcome place to take respite from the buzz of Byron.
It’s worth noting that due to the orientation of the hotel as well as its walled perimeter, rooms receive very little natural light, particularly in the bathrooms — ‘moody’ at best or motel-like at worst, depending on how you look at it.
When it comes to the finer details, there’s some oversight here. Save for a couple of coat hangers on a short bar (in one out of two of the rooms in the premier suite), guest rooms lack appropriate clothing storage. With no hooks, wardrobes, or drawers, guests are essentially forced to live out of a suitcase.
While there’s a minibar with a short yet robust menu spotlighting some of the best local producers (think Loco Love chocolates and Daily Food Super Bites), there was only a meagre selection of complimentary tea provided and no coffee in sight. Although coffee is available for purchase in the communal lounge area, some form of in-room instant or filter coffee is part and parcel of pretty much any accommodation provider—whether it be hotel, motel, or Airbnb—so it was rather surprising to see this omitted here.
Bathroom products?
Bathroom products are by natural Australian brand Rohr Remedy. Expect to find shampoo, conditioner, and hand and body wash in the shower area, and hand and body wash and body moisturiser by the bathroom sink.
Comfort factor
Beds are plush and comfortable, and the individually controlled air conditioning system allows for good temperature control. The greenery in the outdoor spaces of both the garden rooms and the two-bedroom suite makes for a good respite from the hustle and bustle of the city, and is a welcome dose of natural light.
Food and drink
As mentioned, there’s an in-room mini bar as well as a couple of tea bags provided. At the communal lounge, guests are able to order coffee as well as light snacks, the latter of which are locally sourced from the farmers market. There’s also a converted retro campervan in the garden lounge, serving classic cafe fare.
The Byron Bay township is a two-minute walk from the hotel, and is positively teaming with cafes and restaurants to explore.
Spa and facilities
Since its opening, Swell Hotel has been leaning into the ‘boutique wellness hotel’ angle. The primary wellness offering is an infrared sauna and ice bath, with complimentary 45 minute sessions available for guests.
Positioned on the edge of the property next to the road, the hexagonal hotel pool—restored from the previous motel—has been treated with magnesium, which is designed to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and soothe muscle aches. Shaded sun loungers and cabanas border one side of the pool, however the walled perimeter tends to block out a lot of sunlight.
The service
We’re in Byron Bay, so over-the-top attention and overtly polished service would be unbefitting of the location. However, the service at Swell Hotel was relaxed to the point of apathetic. While we were greeted by staff on arrival and shown our room, the service essentially ended there. Staff clarified that service is solely conducted via text message, with a staff member always watching the phone. However, the following day we requested some tea bags be brought to the room and didn’t receive a response for 45 minutes, by which time we only had 10 minutes left until check out.
While Swell Hotel claims to have “no reception desks, just good old fashioned holidays vibes,” and technically delivers on the former, the staff tend to use the garden table opposite the communal lounge to work on their laptops, somewhat nullifying the ‘holiday vibes’. While I’m all for the laidback Byron approach, the public spaces felt more like they were for the staff than for the guests, with several staff members congregating and chatting there. Combined with the sole use of text messaging for service, walking into the communal spaces felt somewhat uncomfortable — like being back at high school when the cool group would take over the best spot.
Upon check out time, the aforementioned automated keyless entry locked us out at exactly 11am. Despite walking through the communal area prior to leaving, staff did not acknowledge our presence or departure with so much as a ‘goodbye’ or even a wave. But hey, maybe I’m just not cool enough…
Sustainability initiatives
The transformation of the former motel used sustainable materials, with much of the previous structure retained. Energy-efficient systems are currently in place, while the snack and garden cafe menu uses locally and sustainably sourced produce.
AR Verdict
If you’re intending to use your hotel stay to take photos to bolster your Instagram feed or are in search of a cool space to book out for an event, Swell Hotel delivers on the aesthetic front. However, the lack of thoughtful in-room details and the apathetic service lets the boutique hotel down. That said, it’s still early days with Swell Hotel having opened less than a year ago, so there’s certainly potential for improvement.
All in all, it’s an undeniably visually attractive space, but—to borrow a turn of phrase from Gen Z—the vibes were off.
Swell Hotel is open for bookings, with rooms priced from approx. $350 to $750AUD/night.
Address: 11 Butler St, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
Words by T. Angel
Feature image courtesy of Andy Macpherson
