Perched just 100 metres from the beach, Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel opened in May 2026 as the Sunshine Coast's first full-service internationally branded hotel in nearly four decades.
Mooloolaba is having a moment. Between the Pavilion's rooftop archways above the Esplanade and now the opening of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel, the Sunshine Coast's most familiar beach town is quietly becoming one of the more interesting places to watch in Australian hospitality. Not because it's chasing trends; more like it's finally getting the design attention it probably deserved all along.
Avani Mooloolaba opened in May 2026 as the first full-service internationally branded new-build hotel the region has seen in nearly four decades. Twelve storeys, 180 rooms, a rooftop pool oriented toward Point Cartwright, and an interior language led by Queensland-based Studio Raso that draws on warm oak timber, travertine stone and tactile textiles.
The brief from Studio Raso director Taryn Raso was specific: feel connected to the Sunshine Coast, not just installed on it. The result moves through the building from lobby to rooftop with a consistency that's harder to achieve than it looks.
For the pool deck and outdoor terrace, Studio Raso specified our Soleil commercial umbrella in Pumpkin, paired with Directors Chairs in Al Mare Marine.
The Soleil is our made-to-order commercial parasol: fixed pole, fibreglass ribs, built for daily hospitality use. Pumpkin is a warm, bold stripe that holds its own in direct sun and doesn't apologise for it. Against the travertine tones and natural timber of the building, it reads as a considered decision rather than a contrast for contrast's sake. The Directors Chairs in Al Mare Sabbia sit alongside it easily; that sandy, woven stripe doing what good supporting pieces do, anchoring without competing.
- Taryn Raso, Studio Raso Interior Design
That last line is the one that stays with us. A shade structure becoming a signature element. That's the brief, every time.
Getting outdoor specification right in a commercial setting is genuinely demanding. The exposure is different, the use is heavier, and the product needs to hold its character across seasons. When a designer of Studio Raso's calibre specifies Basil Bangs for a project of this scale, it means the brief was taken seriously, and so was the solution.
Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel is open now. Another good reason to head north.
Interior Design: Studio Raso Interior Design
Photography by Rhiannon Taylor
$0.00
