Hobart’s first Hilton hotel opens (somewhat unexpectedly)

While Sydney and Melbourne argued over which city was best, Hobart said, “Hold my beer”, and went on to win “Best City in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific” in 2023 as voted by readers of the US magazine, Travel + Leisure.

That might have been before its famously decadent festival, Dark Mofo, went into its own twilight by announcing a hiatus in 2024 – though it’s just announced its return in 2025. But there’s another development in the Tasmanian capital that signals a new dawn for Tasmanian tourism: the arrival of Hilton Hotels and Resorts.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Hobart on Macquarie Street in the Tasmanian capital’s centre is now open for stays. The nine-storey, 206-room, $65 million development by Singaporean billionaire Koh Wee Meng’s property company, Fragrance Group, was on track to be a Novotel, but a last-minute change of management contract (the property was almost finished and Novotel signage was approved by the council) saw it become Tasmania’s first Hilton-branded hotel instead.

The US-based Hilton brings with it the cachet of being the oldest (in the modern sense) hotel chain company in the world. It’s also the second-largest (behind Marriott) but the fastest-growing and brings with it its 200 million-plus customers annually and a popular loyalty scheme, Hilton Honors.

DoubleTree is, in turn, Hilton’s fastest growing brand. Described as “upscale comfort” for business and leisure travellers alike, guests are welcomed with “a warm DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie” and continues the vibe with locally focused dining and other strong creature comforts.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hobart offers seven room categories, with space therein being up to 33 square metres in the 80 deluxe rooms. All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and feature a rain shower, large television, bluetooth speaker, and work desk.

The hotel has the Leatherwood Restaurant on site – its name a reference to the eponymous, endemic Tassie tree and honey – plus an indoor pool, sauna, gym and two meeting spaces.

See hilton.com