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Two luxe Melbourne lodgings were just named among the best city hotels in Australia for 2025

The Travel and Leisure Luxury Awards have been announced – and some local legends made the cut

Winnie Stubbs
Leah Glynn
Written by
Winnie Stubbs
Contributor:
Leah Glynn
An infinity swimming pool with huge windows overlooking Melbourne.
Photograph: Christopher Cypert | The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne
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One of our fave things to do is play tourist in our own city – and a cheeky staycation is a great way to do that. After all, Melbourne is home to a suite of fabulous hotels, ranging from swanky luxury lodgings to quirky boutique spots with plenty of personality.

And now, two of the city's top hotels have been honoured in Travel and Leisure's Luxury Awards, which recognises Australia's best hotels, pools and spas. Both the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne and the W Melbourne have landed on the list of Australia's best city hotels for 2025, coming in at second and sixth, respectively.

If you've stayed at either of these hotels, you'll know they have dreamy sky-high pools, world-class drinking and dining options (hello, Atria and Curious), excellent service and beautiful rooms you'll wish you could move into. But it was Sydney's Capella that took out the top spot, with Travel and Leisure saying "this regal hotel has upped the luxury factor in Sydney’s heart". 

That's not the only category the Ritz-Carlton starred in though – the bougie hotel also got a mention on the best hotel spas list (coming in second, with Crown's spa landing at seventh), while general manager Rachel Harman was named among the country's best. 

Other local hotels to score a shout out include the InterContinental Sorrento and Jackalope, both located on the Mornington Peninsula, which took out seventh and eighth spots on the list of Australia's best country hotels and lodges for 2025.

You can read the full list of award-winning hotels over here.

These are the top ten city hotels in Australia for 2025:

  1. Capella, Sydney
  2. The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne
  3. Park Hyatt Sydney
  4. The Tasman Hobart, Tasmania
  5. Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay
  6. W Melbourne
  7. Shangri-La Sydney
  8. Pier One Sydney Harbour
  9. COMO The Treasury, Perth
  10. W Brisbane

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