The Bonobo by Raes

The Bonobo by Raes opened in late June 2026 at 116 Jonson Street, taking the owners of Raes on Wategos off the Byron Bay headland and onto the town's main street. Richards and Spence organised the brick-and-concrete building around a planted courtyard, with 33 hotel rooms, 41 residences, a rooftop pool and bar, an all-day lobby bar and the RESET recovery space.

The place

The hotel occupies 116 Jonson Street, on Byron Bay's main commercial street rather than on the water — a deliberate move inland from Raes on Wategos, the group's clifftop original. Ballina airport is about 35 minutes away by road, Gold Coast airport about 55 minutes.

The concept

The Bonobo is the second Byron Bay property from the family behind Raes on Wategos, and its first away from the beachfront. Brisbane practice Richards and Spence designed it around an internal courtyard: the whole building is organised on that void, which pulls light and planting into a site otherwise hemmed in by a busy shopping street. The material palette is concrete and warm-toned brick, relaxed and semi-utilitarian rather than resort-luxe. Studio Manifold layered the interiors of the common areas, rooftop and pool over that soft-brutalist frame, taking cues from Brazilian modernism and mixing custom pieces with vintage finds so the rooms read as collected rather than specified; Birdy Catalano Interiors furnished the residences. The split between the two is unusual for the town — 33 hotel rooms and 41 residences of one to four bedrooms, several with full kitchens, laundries, private balconies, plunge pools or rooftop terraces, some connectable to an adjoining hotel room on a dual key. Every unit comes with a secure underground parking space, and apartments in the building are also sold outright.

Dining & wellness

The Lobby Bar runs from midday until late as the hotel's open front door, serving seasonal plates, local wine and familiar classics to residents and locals alike; in-room dining covers breakfast through to a late dinner between 7am and 9pm. All guests have access to the rooftop pool and bar, with rooftop residences opening directly onto it. Wellness is handled by RESET, an in-house space for sauna, steam and recovery treatments that opened for bookings — to guests and outside visitors — in August 2026.