The rise and revival of the retro motel in Australia
Once the haunt of backpackers and workers, the humble motel is back on the radar of holidaymakers … and for good reason.
Refurbished accommodations featuring exposed brick, colourful appliances, and Moroccan tiling are bringing retro whimsy to previously little-loved motels.
Motel Molly, in Mollymook on the NSW South Coast, is a prime example of the retro contemporary accommodation style becoming increasingly popular with holidaymakers.
Bought by developer Knox Group during the tail end of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the property underwent a complete makeover at the hands of interior design and architecture practice Richards Stanisich.
In June 2025, Motel Molly was acquired by Andrew Kennedy.
Kennedy had been searching for a property like Motel Molly for several years, drawn to its charming aesthetic and beachside location, just 50 metres down the road.
Kennedy explains that several factors set refurbished older buildings like Motel Molly apart.
“I think the way things are built now compared to how they were built, there’s a lot of benefits in refitting the old buildings, because the size of the rooms here, for instance, you wouldn’t get rooms built this size; you wouldn’t be able to do it, it wouldn’t be feasible,” he explains.
Most of the rooms at Motel Molly, Kennedy says, are 40 square metres or bigger.
It’s not just the generous rooms that attracted Kennedy, either.
He’s a fan of smaller, independently run accommodation, and he believes it’s part of what appeals to Motel Molly’s clientele, too.
Accommodation run by smaller groups, he says, is “able to give the guests a much better experience than a large hotel chain can”.
While Motel Molly currently only offers accommodation, Kennedy’s vision includes on-site food and drinks, providing guests with plentiful opportunities to relax.
“I just want everyone to be around the pool and have kids playing, and parents having a good time and sitting down having light snacks and cocktails,” Kennedy says.
Further south, on the Mornington Peninsula in the surfing hamlet of Flinders, sits Motel Flinders, another refurbished motel that brings retro vibes to visitors from near and far.
Bought by Zig Inge Group in 2011, it operated in its original state for close to a decade before a 12-month-long renovation saw it reopen in January 2025 as a retro-inspired getaway.
James Redman and Richard Janko are investment directors at Zig Inge Group.
Redman explains that the inspiration for the transformation came when the group realised the existing structure needed to be either knocked down or drastically refurbished to continue serving holidaymakers in Flinders.
“We could see this trend of really cool motel refurbishments that was occurring on the Queensland coast and the NSW coast, and then isolated pockets of Victoria as well,” Redman explains. “And thought, wow, this is perfect for that. It’s got the bones for it.
“We then worked with Studio Tate to design this refurbishment and landed on a really exciting design that still maintained the eighties heritage of the property, but also enhanced it to 2025 requirements and amenity standards that people expect,” Redman says.
Janko emphasises that the refurbishment had to suit the Flinders area.
The Zig Inge Group team, he says, were keen to ensure Motel Flinders leaned into the atmosphere of the town.
“It’s farm coastal, rugged, great food, great wine,” he says. “We’re not just trying to transplant something that doesn’t actually suit the area.”
The refurbishment has been well received.
Guests are greeted at a reception area that instantly sets the tone for the motel’s seamless blend of eighties aesthetic and contemporary appeal, complete with a terrazzo benchtop and abstract stacked sculptures.
“From what we’re seeing, people are loving the experience of it; being in something that’s been recently refurbished, modernised, but kept the character of driving in and parking out the front of your room,” says Janko.
“We’ve retained a lot of the – at least on the interiors and exteriors – the original features and updated it.”
There’s certainly no shortage of motels for savvy investors to purchase, with over 220 properties available for sale right now.
But is renovating a motel worth it? Redman’s parting words are encouraging.
“So long as [investors] properly execute on a meaningful renovation and identify what their target markets should be, then they should expect higher revenue,” he says. “That’s what we’ve found.”
