Collection by TFE Hotels builds momentum with major accolades
SYDNEY: Collection by TFE Hotels is building momentum across Australia and New Zealand, with its independent hotels earning major global and local recognition for design, service, and sense of place.
As TFE’s Global Marketing Officer, Katia Giurtalis explains, Collection by TFE Hotels is a carefully curated portfolio of independent hotels, each distinguished by exceptional design, thoughtful service, and an authentic connection to place.
The Collection brings together distinctive hotels including The Calile in Brisbane, The Hotel Britomart in Auckland, The EVE Hotel in Sydney and Melbourne's newly opened Hannah St Hotel, enabling TFE Hotels to build relationships with like-minded guests around the world.
“We firmly believe in the opportunity for strong, independently branded luxury boutique hotels in Australia and New Zealand, and Collection hotels are unabashedly one of one. Independently owned and connected to their communities, they provide guests with a genuine sense of place,” she said.
Three Collection hotels – The EVE, The Calile and The Hotel Britomart - have now received One MICHELIN Key ratings for the second consecutive year. The Calile Hotel has also been named No. 83 in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026 extended 51–100 list, making it the only hotel in the Oceania region to have been named every year since the award’s inception.
In Melbourne, Hannah St Hotel was recently named Premium Luxury Lifestyle Hotel of the Year at the Victorian Accommodation Awards.
Legacy Hotels with a Sense of Place
With the opening of the independently owned brand, The Calile, in October 2018, TFE Hotels and owners Calile Malouf Investments (CMI) set new benchmarks in Brisbane hospitality. This year, The Calile has been globally recognised by The World’s 50 Best Hotels for the fourth consecutive year. With the opening of Auckland’s The Hotel Britomart some three years after The Calile, TFE Hotels, and our owners, Cooper and Company, knew they were helping shape a new kind of luxury experience that was resonating with guests.
With that knowledge, Giurtalis says, came a responsibility to seek out like-minded owners looking to build legacy hotels and carve their own path. The EVE Hotel Sydney, which opened in February last year, takes a design-forward approach that reflects Sydney's distinct culture. Its bespoke amenities carefully considered interiors and mindfulness create the feeling of staying in the home of an impossibly stylish friend.
Rather than looking abroad for inspiration, TOGA Group, and the SJB team, led by Adam Haddow, drew from the Australian landscape and the experiences that make Sydney unique. Beyond the exceptional local craftsmanship, and firmly aligned with the Collection's ethos, The EVE Hotel has brought together three Sydney brands in their first hotel partnerships: the F&B team behind The Apollo, Cho Cho San and Olympus, sit alongside Saardé and Ikkari. Each brings something distinct, from Ikkari's sleep rituals and Saardé's custom amenities to Jonathan Barthelmess' neighbourhood-led approach to hospitality.
Together with The EVE's makers, SJB, Bates Smart, 360 Degrees, David Stein, and George Livissianis, they have created a stay that feels unmistakably Sydney.
In Melbourne, TFE Hotels has partnered with developer Time & Place, Hickory, and MaxCap to launch the bespoke Hannah St Hotel. Sitting between the CBD, the Yarra River, South Melbourne and the Arts Precinct, the hotel slipped into Southbank's social scene in late 2025, featuring a design-forward bar, European bistro, and rooftop terrace. Like each Collection property, Hannah St is deeply connected to its destination, with Melbourne-based design office Flack Studio creating interiors that reflect a distinctly local aesthetic and a seamless relationship with the surrounding streetscape.
Just 10 months after opening, Hannah St Hotel has earned its first MICHELIN Guide listing in the Melbourne Hotels selection, highlighting the property's early impact on the city's hotel landscape. Wellness is equally considered, with a 20m lap pool, expansive gym and a dedicated Work Club featuring soundproof podcast studios, all readily accessible to guests.
According to Katia Giurtalis, Collection showcases TFE Hotels at its best, combining deep operational expertise with strong owner partnerships to deliver some of the region's most distinctive hotel experiences. Along the way, the portfolio has quietly amassed a growing collection of industry accolades.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jodi Clark - TFE Hotels (Director of Communications) - +61 499 900 658 / [email protected]
More about Collection by TFE Hotels
Collection by TFE Hotels is a curated collection of exceptional, independent hotels and brands united by a commitment to exquisite design, unmatched service, and meticulous attention to detail. Collection operates throughout Australia and New Zealand. Our portfolio consists of carefully selected properties, each offering distinct, memorable experiences deeply connected to their locale. https://collectionbytfehotels.com/
More about MICHELIN Guide
The MICHELIN Guide began in 1900 as a marketing initiative by French tyre manufacturer Michelin. The company published a free guide for motorists that included maps, travel advice, fuel stations, mechanics, and places to eat and stay, encouraging people to take longer journeys and buy more tyres. More than 125 years later, the Guide has evolved into one of the world's most influential hospitality benchmarks, with MICHELIN Keys representing the hotel equivalent of the famous MICHELIN Stars.