Discover design at these five Mercure hotels in the Pacific

Thoughtful hotel design should evoke a reaction, lay the foundation for relaxation and serve a functional purpose. At Mercure, we think interior design is about more than creating appealing rooms and guest spaces. If design is applied more strategically – we believe it has the ability to influence your entire experience.  

Our intention is to create immersive experiences for our guests through forward-thinking design concepts and collaborations with local designers. Over the last couple of years, we’ve taken a more integrated approach to design. Instead of offering single-use spaces we now offer communal spaces. This shift in design makes our hotels more appealing to local residents. Which transforms our public spaces into bustling hubs of activity where guests and locals can socialise. For us it’s about getting the balance right.  

Come and discover the unique aspects of design at five of our Mercure hotels in Australia and New Zealand. Our aim has been to bring their individual identities to life while incorporating comfort, technology, and ease of living into each design. 

Located in the centre of Doncaster, a leafy neighbourhood east of Melbourne, Mercure Melbourne Doncaster is a new build hotel that opened in March 2022. Designed by KREAT Studios, the hotel features 183 contemporary styled guest rooms and suites along with six fully equipped function spaces. Expansive outdoor terraces offer stunning views of Melbourne City and the Yarra Ranges.

 The location of the hotel has strong historical ties to Melbourne’s first electric powered trams, dating back to 1889. The hotel site was originally the first tram tower, and the streamlined design includes many tramway elements, effectively tapping into Doncaster’s past. The reception area’s red counters, gold accents and wood panelling is influenced by 19th-century railway furnishings. The industrial ceiling was inspired by vintage ceilings found in tramway stations.  

The design successfully blends a warm colour palette with versatile furnishings and textiles to create a design that is both space-efficient and elegant with a welcoming and comfortable ambiance. 

Guestroom furnishings emphasise the curving forms and long horizontal lines used in the design of tram locomotives. Interior design elements such as the brass metal table, wall lamps and full height mirrors give an impression of sleekness and modernity. The custom-designed, navy blue lounge chair has a matching ottoman and attached table. The table has a dual function as a side table and bedside table. The custom-made broadloom carpet is reminiscent of the old Victoria tram map.  

The hotel's design incorporates regenerative energy sources to aid sustainable and environmentally friendly operation management. Sensor lights have been installed in shared areas and sensor air conditioning has been installed in all the guest rooms. This significantly reduces energy consumption and wastage. By scanning a QR code, you can also place food orders digitally, which significantly reduces the need for paper menus, laundry forms and order sheets. This decrease in paper use contributes to eco-sustainability. Reusable water bottles also eliminate the need for single-use plastic. 

The design of the Chido Chido Bar and Cantina facilitates a sense of community. The bright, Mexican restaurant is brought to life with communal tables, tile accents and mustard-hued banquet seating. An open plan kitchen sits at the heart of the cantina. Opposite, at the entrance, an inviting bar with sleek counter seating and perfectly round white, hanging pendent lights offers a relaxed place to enjoy frozen margaritas.  Floor to ceiling windows emphasise the sweeping panoramas of Melbourne’s CBD and the Yarra Valley from Chido Chido’s third floor location, while two spacious terraces offer a scenic spot to enjoy pre and post drinks. 

The brand new, three story contemporary Mercure Pakenham is located in Melbourne's south-east Pakenham race club precinct. Sitting on just over 3,500 sqm of land, the hotel, which adjoins the Cardinia Club, enlivens the dynamic Pakenham and Cardinia Shire neighbourhood. Adding elegant, minimalistic guestrooms, a modern lounge and cafe area and streamlined meeting space to the up-and-coming suburb. Whether you are staying for business or are in Pakenham to enjoy one of the late-night races, it’s a great stopover.  

The interiors are spacious, and no unnecessary ornamentation detracts from the pared-back design. The uncluttered design approach is evident by the linear lines and muted colour scheme. The use of a consistent and neutral palette with overlapping materials unite the lobby, lounge, and café.  

You will feel a sense of space in all of the sixty four rooms and suites. The neutral décor offers a comforting blend of modernity, natural materials and extra conveniences like a rain shower, dedicated workstation with high speed WiFi, and a smart television. The Suites have a fully equipped kitchenette which offers you the added convenience of being able to self-cater.  

Did you know you can sleep in the belly of a crocodile in Australia’s Northern Territory? Here you will find one of the world's most distinctive hotels, Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel. The hotel, named after and uniquely shaped like a crocodile, opened in 1988 in Kakadu National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage site and home for over 60,000 years to the Aboriginal Australian people. The Kakadu terrain encompasses forests, woodlands, and wetlands as well as a 300-mile-long sandstone escarpment that marks the edge of the Arnhem Land Plateau. The park also holds a valuable collection of Aboriginal rock art, dating back to prehistoric times. Wildlife ranges from saltwater crocodiles to flatback turtles.  

The 250-metre long, 30-metre wide crocodile design is one of the quirkiest and playful hotel designs in the world. The entrance is at the crocodile’s mouth and the lobby, gift shop, gallery and Escarpment restaurant are set within its powerful jaws. The head contains hidden ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, which glow red at night, illuminating the faux-crocodile eyes.  

Guestrooms run along the length of the crocodile’s belly and are arranged around a central atrium and swimming pool. Within the tail section there are some suites. Open-air parking is provided in four circular lots, which represent crocodile eggs when viewed from the air.  

The hotel’s eighties architecture is fanciful. It caused a stir in the design world and attracted global interest and ignited tourism to the region when it opened. It still vividly captures the imagination. Invoking provocative mental images of Australia’s dramatic landscapes, distinct wildlife, and poignant indigenous stories. The design was not entirely unusual for the architecture of the period. From the early eighties to the mid-nineties worldwide, hotel design was tactile and reactionary. Full of interesting shapes, colours, and visual connections. This was the start of storytelling in hospitality – architects and designers created visual narratives to enhance guest engagement.  

In western Sydney, at the base of the Blue Mountains you will find Mercure Penrith. It offers a convenient retreat right next door to Panthers World of Entertainment and is within walking distance of Westfield Penrith shopping centre. The hotel is a convenient and affordable choice for Panther rugby fans, concert goers and business travellers. 

The hotel is designed for travellers who seek the warmth of home with the consistency and amenities of a hotel. The design team, under the creative direction of Mostaghim and Associates and Bespoke Interior Solutions, strove to combine style with functionality. To achieve a home-away-from home feeling, the guest rooms include smart televisions, easy chairs for relaxing, extra-long beds and ambient lighting to suit different areas. Warm lighting in bedrooms and backlit mirrors in the bathrooms. 

To fulfill the needs of business travellers hotel amenities and services focus on optimal sleep and productivity. Rooms feature spacious desks, envelope laptop tables and plentiful USB ports. The lobby bar and outdoor pool with barbecue area acts as a well designed communal space.

Queenstown is set amidst the mountains of the South Island in New Zealand. Mercure Queenstown Resort is surrounded by rolling hills overlooking the pure blue waters of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Mountain range. 

Specialist New Zealand design firm, Space Studio’s interior design vision was heavily influenced by the charcoal grey colour with blue undertones of the Remarkables and the golden tussock grasses of the Southland region.

You can choose your natural setting – garden or lake view rooms and suites. Thoughtfully designed to take advantage of the natural surrounds and extraordinary views. The rooms feature cool, clean lines and contemporary furnishings. Charcoal accents, headboards, cushions, and throws add a dark tone to the mostly white interiors. The bright bathrooms feature walk-in showers, large hand basins and LED mirror lighting.

The South Eatery Restaurant offers wrap-around, floor to ceiling uninterrupted views of the lake and surrounding craggy mountains. It’s an idyllic place to see sunset. The lounge has a feature fireplace and various comfortable seating areas. A warm palette of grey, charcoal, cream and golden yellow is brought to life in the artwork, furnishings, upholstery, and rugs. Artwork and photographs of the local area are displayed throughout the hotel.  

At its core hotel design is about understanding and meeting your needs. And having the amenities, technology, and practical services, that matter to you most. 

Genuine materials, great craftmanship, natural elements and custom-made furnishings are just a few of the new design trends that will enhance your experience. A blend of style and comfort is best served through the choice of furniture. But choosing the perfect furniture for our hotels isn't like shopping for a couch for your living room. An art form if you will, as furnishings need to be comfortable, timeless, durable, hardy, and easy-to-clean. 

We will continue to embrace innovative trends in interior design in order to create purposeful and customisable spaces. The interior design at Mercure Melbourne Doncaster strikes an excellent balance between form and function. And the sustainable design elements, like the energy-efficient sensor technology, help to minimise the hotels environmental impact. 

Design should enhance the surrounding scenery and not detract from its beauty. The simplicity of the design at Mercure Queenstown Resort offers you front-row seats to two of the world’s most beautiful vistas made famous by the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Lake Wakatipu was featured in The Fellowship of the Ring for scenes in Lothlorien, the ancient forest of Middle Earth. The Remarkables Mountain range was the backdrop for Lake Town in The Two Towers and The Return of the King. 

Storytelling in design like at Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel offers us a way to create a captivating narrative that transforms a hotel into a living entity. 

Our aim is to unlock the maximum possible efficiencies of a space so that we positively enhance your experience.  Our hotel designs are noted for being thoughtful and original and the architecture and interior design works in tandem with the natural surroundings. Come and explore the unique designs of Mercure hotels in the Pacific.