Urban Rest Appoints Simon Farr as General Manager for Australia as Growth Accelerates

Urban Rest is proud to announce the internal promotion of Simon Farr to General Manager for Australia to support our next phase of domestic growth. This marks a significant step in strengthening our leadership structure as we scale operations across our current operational regions, and prepare for our entry into new and growing cities. This appointment underscores our continued investment in bringing joy back to the way that everyone travels.

Simon has played a pivotal role at Urban Rest over the past three years, leading our global Guest Experience function with unmatched dedication and vision. His tech-first approach to service design has been a cornerstone of our guest experience strategy, helping to set a new standard in premium corporate accommodation. From seamless digital check-ins to data-informed service enhancements, Simon’s thinking has helped position Urban Rest as a true disruptor in the corporate accommodation space.

Simon joined Urban Rest in 2022 with more than 15 years of experience across boutique and lifestyle hotels. Notably, he was responsible for launching Felix Hotel with 8Hotels, recognised as Sydney’s first boutique airport hotel. His career also includes leadership roles at Citadines Connect with The Ascott Limited, Park8, Pensione Hotel and other CBD-based properties within the 8Hotels group. His track record of driving industry-leading guest satisfaction and revenue performance in the boutique hotel space.

Simon’s deep operational knowledge, coupled with a strong focus on scalable systems and team culture, makes him the perfect fit to lead the next phase of our growth in our home market, Australia.

David Whelan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Urban Rest, said:

“Simon’s appointment to this role reflects the strength of our internal talent pipeline as well as our commitment to long-term leadership development. His strategic thinking and ability to translate vision into execution have been instrumental in our global growth. We are excited to see him step into this next chapter to drive further excellence across our business.”

Urban Rest has added 14 new properties to its network in 2025 alone and continues to more than double its global footprint every year. Australia remains a core growth region, with many major cities seeing sustained and strong demand from corporate and business travellers, driven by a concentration of national and international blue-chip corporations.

Simon’s promotion reinforces Urban Rest’s focus on promoting from within and investing in people who have contributed to the success of the brand. His appointment is both a personal milestone and a reflection of our approach to sustainable, people-led growth.

Urban Rest is a leading provider of premium, flexible accommodation designed for the modern corporate traveller, with over 850 stays in key global cities. A disruptor in the corporate stay space, Urban Rest partners with developers and property owners to deliver boutique, tech-enabled stays across Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. With a global network of over 1,000 blue-chip corporate clients, Urban Rest is reimagining business travel — bringing comfort, consistency and joy back to the way everyone travels for work.