The Comet Hotel

OPENED 1936 REBORN 2019

First opening its doors in 1936, the original Comet Hotel was named for the locally built de Havilland Comet DH.88 racing aeroplane, which had been developed specifically for the 1934 England Australia MacRobertson Air Race. Having won this iconic race in a world record time, the Comet aeroplane was a true local hero, and an international legend. It represented the cutting edge of modern technology at time when the world was opening up thanks to international high speed travel. The eponymous hotel was actually designed around the footprint of the aircraft, which gives the building its unusual and iconic shape.

The building’s architectural style, known as Streamline Moderne, represents a late type of the Art Deco architecture and graphic design that emerged in the 1930s as response to the new optimism inspired by technology. The Comet Hotel reflects this concept in homage to the de Havilland Comet.*

*Ref: comethotal.co.uk/history/