After decades spent toiling in the shadow of Melbourne and Sydney, Brisbane is finally getting due recognition as a premium travel destination — and for good reason.
Boasting a lush subtropical climate, 250 days of sunshine per year (on average), and a quality of life that puts it in the Top 20 most livable cities worldwide, you could argue there’s never been a better time to visit the River City than now.
Happily, that also gives you an opportunity to sample the best hotels Brisbane has to offer. As ever, we’ve compiled a shortlist of the 9 which have gotten our stamp of approval: whether you’re traveling up to Queensland for business, pleasure, or perhaps a little bit of both.
RELATED: The 10 Best Hotels In Melbourne For 2024
Check Into These Hotels On Your Next Trip To Brisbane
The Calile, Fortitude Valley (Best Overall)
Contact: (07) 3607 5888
Pricing:Â Starting $455 per night (approx.)
The singular embodiment of how far Brisbane’s luxury hospitality scene has come over the past decade, The Calile gets BH‘s enthusiastic nod of approval — as our ‘Best Overall’ hotel in Brisbane.
Indeed, if the inscrutable globetrotting experts at ‘World’s 50 Best’ are to believed, The Calile isn’t just one of the best hotels in the country: it’s a beacon of “relaxed, barefoot Australian luxury” abroad — a compliment that the renowned travel guide substantiated in 2023, when they named this property No. 12 globally.
Suffice to say, all of the criteria luxury travellers look for in a world-leading hotel are here in large supply: from the array of dining options on James Street, to the huddle of charming fashion retail and range of wellness treatments at on-site Kailo spa.
Through all of this, guests will experience (and we use that word quite intentionally) a retro-modern aesthetic, masterminded by local architects Richards & Spence, that has become the blueprint for new urban resorts throughout Oceania.
Between the use of expertly calibrated pastel shades (across public spaces and the hotel’s 175 rooms) and cheeky nods to Brisbane’s surprising heritage of Brutalist architecture, there’s an inimitable look here that encourages you to take slow down and luxuriate in your surroundings. Ideally? Poolside.
Emporium Hotel, South Bank
Contact: (07) 3556 3333
Pricing:Â Starting $469 per night (approx.)
Set in the heart of the South Bank cultural precinct, it’d be fair to describe Emporium Hotel as a Brisbane-based “institution”. Having been open for the best part of a decade, this independently owned boutique operation is renowned for its eclectically designed lobby and pampering service.
The hotel’s setting also place it within striking distance of Brisbane’s numerous cultural landmarks: such as the Gallery of Modern Art and Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
For a long time (read: until the arrival of The Calile in 2018) the hotel was touted by Brisbanites as having the best rooftop pool in the city: with riverfront views and a direct vantage looking toward the CBD.
Inside the property’s 143 guest spaces, the amenities have remained impressively current: including iPad control terminals and Molton Brown toiletries. For discerning sleepers, a range of different orthopedic pillows are available on request.
Hotel X, Fortitude Valley
Contact: (07) 3519 1000
Pricing:Â Starting $370 per night (approx.)
Part of IHG Group’s portfolio of loudly fashionable ‘Vignette’ properties, Hotel X injects a splash of avant-garde style into the Fortitude Valley — Brisbane’s de facto bar and clubbing suburb.
Perched on Brunswick Street in a location that is equal parts urban grit and gentrification, it’s a fantastic home base for guests who want to explore the Valley’s charming mixture of restaurants, fashion boutiques, and nightlife.
Rooms represent a solid value for Brisvegas. Starting at just shy of $400, they feature AirPlay and Chromecast-enabled TVs, toiletries by Balmain, and a splashy aesthetic tied together by metallic surfaces and lots of purple.
Yet another property in possession of a rooftop pool, Hotel X’s big drawcard for locals is located next door: a panoramic rooftop venue called Iris, where craft cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired dining merge against a backdrop of the Brisbane skyline.
W Brisbane (Best Family)
Contact: (07) 3556 8888
Pricing:Â Starting $499 per night (approx.)
Offering impressive riverfront views and direct over-bridge access to South Bank, The W is handily the most upscale Marriott-branded hotel travellers can check into when visiting Brisbane.
Embodying the brand’s global reputation for dynamism and fun, the hotel’s standout attraction is the WET Deck: a hybrid pool-bar-lounge area where guests are encouraged to take a dip, enjoy innovative cocktails (from a menu designed by legendary barman Matt Wiley) and relax.
In the guestrooms, a striking contemporary aesthetic dominated: with kaleidoscopic applications of colour and cheeky references to Australia’s bounty of flora & fauna. If you’re in town with a big group in tow — for a corporate do or wedding perhaps? — the hotel’s aptly titled ‘Extreme WOW’ Suite has all your needs covered.
Crystalbrook Vincent, Brisbane
Contact: 1300 002 050
Pricing:Â Starting $254 per night (approx.)
Tucked away beneath Brisbane’s iconic Story bridge, and in the thick of the Howard Smith Wharves entertainment precinct, Crystalbrook Vincent is a fantastic option — for business travellers and holidaymakers alike.
Even half a decade after opening, this property cuts a distinctive figure in the Brisbane hotels scene. Spacious rooms, smart tech, and a consistent eco-luxe aesthetic have won it plenty of fans.
Not to mention: the presence throughout the property of 500 custom prints by Melbourne-based artist Vincent Fantauzzo (who is also the inspiration behind the hotel’s original name).
Granted, the rooftop pool isn’t the most palatial example you’ll find in Queensland’s capital; yet few, if any, come here to work on their 50m butterfly. Instead, uninterrupted views of the Brisbane River and Kangaroo Point are the star draw: best enjoyed from one of the pool’s sunbeds with a cocktail from Fiume in hand.
Ovolo The Valley, Fortitude Valley
Contact:Â (07) 3253 6999Â
Pricing:Â Starting $254 per night
Yet another boutique operation in the thick of the Fortitude Valley, this Brisbane-based outpost of Ovolo Hotels embraces the brand’s knack for eclectic aesthetics and a stay that is full of quirky cultural flavour.
Aside from the usual range of signature Ovolo amenities (the self-service laundry room is much more useful than it sounds), the property boasts a trio of great dining experiences: including an award-winning vegetarian restaurant and ground-floor cocktail den.
Pro tip: guests who book via the hotel’s own reservations portal can enjoy up to 15% off the best available rate, plus flexible cancellations, and a complimentary ‘Apero Hour’ beverage. Not too shabby.
The Westin, Brisbane
Contact:Â (07) 3557 8888
Pricing:Â Starting $609 per night
If you’re in Brisbane largely for the purposes of work, yet are still eager to embrace Queensland-inspired resort living, The Westin is a hotel that’s able to offer the best of both worlds.
A longstanding favourite of guests who prefer the steel and concrete of the Brisbane CBD, the hotel’s rooms & suites feature a minimal style and tonal palette in keeping with The Westin’s well-established brand DNA.
The property’s resort-y persona is most apparent in Settimo, its Amalfi-leaning signature Italian restaurant; and an outdoor pool that is furnished — at time of writing — with Brisbane’s only swim-up bar.
As you’d expect, Marriott Bonvoy members with the requisite level of status are also able to access a dedicated ‘Westin Club’ on the third floor, which serves happy hour drinks and breakfast.
The Star Grand, Brisbane
Contact:Â (07) 3306 8885
Pricing:Â Starting $488 per night
Following news that the historic Treasury Hotel will be sold to Griffith University (who subsequently plan to redevelop the site as an urban campus by 2027), the hotel simply known as ‘The Star’ will become the eponymous gaming company’s premiere lodging in Brisbane.
Much like its Sydney-based sibling, the property is a no-brainer for those guests who wish to be as close to the onsite casino as possible. That said, The Star’s prime positioning, at the centre of the billion-dollar Queen’s Wharf development, have demanded a completely from-scratch build that is unprecedented for Brisbane.
With 340 guestrooms and round-the-clock reception, one imagines The Star Grand will become a go-to for commercial highfliers in subsequent years. And if you’re in town on vacay? An array of pools, shopping and multiple eateries on the ‘Leisure Deck’ — The Star’s rooftop platform, elevated 100m above ground — await.
Hyatt Regency, Brisbane (Best Value)
Contact:Â (07) 5647 1234
Pricing:Â Starting $205 per night
If you’re after the quintessential Hyatt experience — efficient, consistent, and well-situated — then Hyatt Regency Brisbane ought to be on your radar.
The eponymous group’s middle-tier brand takes the form, in Brisbane, of a discreet city hotel. Located off of the iconic Queen Street Mall, there are 292 rooms & suites to choose from: decorated in signature Regency style with muted colours, tactile woods, and a few pops of well-placed Australiana.
What the property lacks in scale or eyepopping design chops, it makes up for on the value front.
For roughly a third what you’ll pay at the equivalent hotel in Sydney, expect a convenient location, two very compelling signature restaurants and even a rooftop pool that overlooks one of the CBD’s busiest promenades.
Enjoyed this shortlist of our favourite Brisbane hotels? If so, consider checking out some of our other city-centric guides from all around the globe:
