Hotel Sebatikel · Exmouth, Western Australia
The Founding
Family.
We're Mon, Phil and Seb — a family who decided that building a luxury desert hotel in Exmouth was either genius or a Carl Jung-inspired midlife crisis. We're still figuring it out.
A love letter to
Palyadi Manu
and a very specific
taste in tequila.
Mon dreams in to-do lists. Phil treats spreadsheets like thrillers. And Seb, our pint-sized CEO, hands out facepalms as quality control for our ideas.
Hotel Sebatikel is our love letter to Palyadi Manu — the North West Cape — and a type of hospitality that makes you pause, lounge, play, and maybe question your life choices. We care about design, sustainability and palomas strong enough to make you question ours.
Somehow, that's enough to make a hotel worth visiting."
We care about how a place feels — connected to the land it sits on, honest about what it is, and designed to last far longer than a trend cycle. Phil handles the grit. Mon handles the polish. Together, they make something neither could alone.
Phil
Smith
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Phil's been running into burning buildings for 21 years as a Senior Firefighter — which is probably why building a resort in the middle of the WA outback doesn't scare him. He's also a WAFL premiership player, once drafted to Hawthorn Football Club, and a multiple-qualifier for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Apparently rest days aren't a thing.
At Hotel Sebatikel, Phil runs the big picture — operations, partnerships, and all the "making it actually happen" parts. He also co-created a luxury outdoor shower and sold over a million dollars' worth worldwide prior to acquisition.
"Mon and I began this journey knowing we were stepping into uncharted territory — designing and building something that hadn't been done in this way before. With fresh eyes and a willingness to admit we didn't have all the answers, we brought together an incredible team. Every consultant we've engaged has been carefully chosen — not just for their expertise, but for their ability to truly understand and connect with the vision and passion behind our project. That shared alignment is evident in the DA, and we couldn't be prouder of what we've created."— Phil Smith, Co-Founder, Hotel Sebatikel
Mon
Palmer
Co-Founder & Creative Director
Mon's been designing things for 17 years — gardens, homes, big shiny mixed-use developments, interiors you want to move into immediately — and getting featured in national media while selling out her first self-published book, Slightly Garden Obsessed III, while she's at it.
She started in landscape design, went on to interiors and architecture, then circled back to plants. In between, she lived in London, worked in travel and figured out how to make everything look effortless.
At Hotel Sebatikel, Mon is in charge of how everything feels — the spaces, the details, the brand, the guest experience, and making sure the place feels connected to the land it sits on.
He gets it
built.
She makes
it worth
visiting.
Phil handles the grit, Mon handles the polish. Both have a knack for turning ideas into things people actually want — from million-dollar outdoor showers to a climate-conscious luxury resort in one of the most remote, beautiful corners of the world.
Their combined skill set — operational precision, creative vision, entrepreneurial track record, and a deep personal attachment to the Ningaloo Coast — is what makes Sebatikel different from every other hospitality project in Australia right now.
Senior Firefighter, WA. High-pressure execution and complex coordination under fire — literally.
Landscape, interiors, architecture. A body of work that bridges residential excellence and boutique hospitality.
Co-founded luxury outdoor shower brand, sold over $1M AUD worldwide before acquisition.
Aggregate construction value across residential, multi-dwelling and mixed-use projects since 2014.
Sebastian
Smith
Child Executive Officer
Runs a tight ship
Between school drop-off and bedtime. Official duties include quality control on Mum & Dad's ideas and keeping the team honest.
Chief Idea Auditor
When Seb isn't masterminding Lego empires, he's ensuring standards are maintained. His facepalm rate is the most reliable performance metric we have.
Also answers to Boss Baby
The name Sebatikel? That's him. We built a hotel around our kid's name. If that doesn't explain who we are as a family, nothing will.
"A place that makes you pause, lounge, play — and maybe question your life choices."
Sandy Bay Nyinggulu · Palyadi Manu, Western AustraliaReef days,
rammed earth &
a lot of sunrises.
Over four years of planning, dreaming, site visits and family moments on the land that will become Hotel Sebatikel.
The official record,
for those who want
the full picture.
Phil Smith brings over two decades of frontline leadership and operational expertise to Hotel Sebatikel. A career Senior Firefighter with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services for 21 years, and trainer and assessor for on-site emergency services at major mining companies in the Pilbara and Goldfields regions, Phil is no stranger to high-pressure environments and complex project coordination.
Beyond his service career and sports marketing studies, he is a decorated athlete — drafted in the 1996 national draft to Hawthorn Football Club, 1999 WAFL premiership player for West Perth and multiple-qualifier for the Ironman World Championships as an age-group competitor.
Phil's ability to lead diverse teams, navigate logistical challenges and foster high-performance culture underpins his role in delivering Hotel Sebatikel. He oversees all aspects of project execution, from stakeholder engagement and commercial partnerships to operational readiness and the resort's long-term strategic direction.
His entrepreneurial drive is proven — alongside Mon, he co-founded a luxury outdoor shower product and e-commerce business, selling over AUD $1 million worth of units worldwide before its acquisition.
Mon Palmer is the creative force behind Hotel Sebatikel, shaping the resort's architectural language, brand identity and guest experience with a commitment to low-impact luxury and deep connection to place. She ensures that every touchpoint — from arrival sequence to landscape immersion — reflects Sebatikel's ethos of restraint, regeneration and reverence for the natural environment.
Since 2014, Mon has led and collaborated on a diverse portfolio of residential, multi-dwelling and mixed-use developments with an estimated aggregate construction value exceeding $100 million. Her expertise spans boutique development strategy, premium residential delivery, landscape architecture and experiential design.
Her work has been featured in national print and digital media for its layered materiality, strong narrative clarity and sensitive response to site. In 2017, she self-published her first design book, Slightly Garden Obsessed III, selling out a 1,500-copy international print run through online platforms and lifestyle retailers nationwide.
Among her notable project credentials is Asana by Omira in Byron Bay, a $12 million development awarded Development of the Year 2023 – Small-Scale Residential at the Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence. She also contributed to Mana Ballina by Omira ($11 million) and Ohana Apartments by Core Developments ($19 million).
Her portfolio includes high-profile private commissions including the Hindmarsh Residence — later acquired by Lleyton and Bec Hewitt — as well as landscape leadership for Kyal and Kara Demmrich's Blue Lagoon Build on the NSW Central Coast.
At Hotel Sebatikel, Mon's role spans architectural and interior direction, regenerative landscape strategy, brand development, guest journey mapping and the curation of conservation and community partnerships.
"Sun-washed, sand-set and built around movement, music and long afternoons by the pool."
— Phil Smith & Mon Palmer · Hotel Sebatikel