Luxury hotels in Brisbane city for the perfect year-round getaway spot

Located on Brisbane’s iconic Queen Street Mall, the Hilton Brisbane is everything you’d expect from the hotel brand that once dominated the luxury accommodation scene. All rooms come standard with walk-in showers, lounge areas and views of the Brisbane city.

Those looking to experience the best the Hilton Brisbane has to offer should book one of the suites, which come with separate sleep, work and relaxation zones. These giant rooms boast hydra baths as standard while granting guests access to the exclusive Executive Lounge. Here, guests can enjoy complimentary breakfasts, refreshments, canapes and evening drinks.

Downstairs, the Hilton’s restaurant, Vintaged Bar and Grill plate up breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a focus on produce from local farms. The menu concentrates on meats—namely choice cuts of steak, cooked to your liking. Those who prefer to eat meat-free will be pleased to know there is a dedicated vegan menu, with items like grilled miso eggplant and truffled white polenta on the menu. In the midst of the restaurant, is the glass-walled ‘Wine-Room’, home to a collection of over 1000 wine varieties.

The Hilton Brisbane is also well known for its high tea offering, which is served daily to rave reviews. The three-tier high tea consists of delicacies like mango, coconut and basil verrine, macarons and smoked salmon pinwheels.

All guests should take the elevators up to the Hilton’s rooftop in order to enjoy the heated swimming pool and views of the Brisbane CBD. Rooftop pool not luxurious enough? That’s ok, have a game of rooftop tennis instead.

Few people might know that the luxury Sofitel hotel chain was actually born in Paris during the 1960’s. These French origins can now be seen in Sofitel hotels all around the world, including Brisbane’s.

The French design and service of the Sofitel Brisbane go together to create “art de vivre” – the art of living, in French style. Rooms have been decorated in charcoal colours, paired with neutral tones. Contemporary works of art hang on the walls, next to views of the Brisbane CBD.

On the 28th floor sits the Opera Suite, the crème de la crème of the Sofitel Brisbane. This suite has been decorated with marble, velvet and silk, creating the feel of a chic Parisian apartment. The suite features a grand bedroom, living room, electronic blackout blinds, a surround-sound system and an oversized ensuite—home to an oval stone spa bath, rain showers and Hermes toiletries.

Sofitel Brisbane is home to two award-winning restaurants, Thyme² Restaurant and Privé249. Although Thyme² is a buffet restaurant, it’s no Sizzler’s. Thyme² specialises in freshly sourced seafood—think oysters, King prawns and Moreton Bay Bugs, along with gourmet salads and cured meats. Most importantly, perhaps, there’s a dessert buffet, with selections such as espresso martini mousse, pressed watermelon and a chocolate fountain.

Next door, Privé249 takes the dining experience up a notch, with a seasonal a la carte dinner menu. An impressive number of proteins are served up next to inventive sides, and a well-curated wine list.

Sitting on the CBD’s northern bank of the Brisbane River, W Brisbane marks a positive shift in luxury accommodation in the city. The hotel’s interior design is far from your standard 1970’s-esque, mission brown palette. Instead, geometric patterns in bright, eye-catching colours line the walls, with designers fulfilling the brief of ‘river dreaming’—an ode to W Brisbane’s location.

At W Brisbane, each room comes with its very own cocktail station as standard. Extra luxury points are awarded for the gold cocktail shakers. Rooms are also fitted out with flat-screen TVs (with access to Netflix), surround sound systems and Nespresso machines. Customise your sleep with the W pillow menu.

If you’re interested in what the most luxurious (and expensive) room at W Brisbane consists of, then read on. The ‘Extreme WOW Suite’ is a whopping 200-square-metres, with a full kitchen, dining room seating up to nine people, and bar seating up to five guests. Amenities like dual rain showers, a matte black bathtub and GHD hair styling products take the bathroom to the next level.

One of Sydney’s most successful local restaurants, Three Blue Ducks, have made the move up to Brisbane to take over the W Brisbane kitchen. Diners can expect many Three Blue Ducks classics, along with some new additions—spanner crab scramble with green mango, coal roasted lamb and corn fritters. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served overlooking the Brisbane River.

Wet Deck—the poolside bar—is open daily, exclusively to guests of W Brisbane. The bar brings resort style vibes to the Brisbane CBD, all with some of the best views (and drinks) in the city.

The Marriott Brisbane offers old-school luxury in the heart of the Brisbane CBD. This is apparent as soon as you enter the classically designed lobby, which has been completed with a marble finish. Although five-star hotel restaurants tend to lean towards the pricier side, this is not the case with the Marriott Brisbane.

If you’re after a room with one of the best views of Brisbane, be sure to book a suite on one of the top floors of the 28-storey building. The views in these rooms swing between the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and the Brisbane River.

Suites are spacious, and the most luxurious room is the 28th-floor Presidential Suite. This room comes complete with both lounge and dining areas in addition to the bedroom. Guests of the Presidential Suite are also granted access to the Executive Lounge on level 26. Here, guests enjoy complimentary breakfast buffets, hors d’oeuvres and desserts (access to this lounge can also be granted with an executive upgrade when booking).

The hotel restaurant, Motion Bar and Grill is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine from the ‘wine wall’ (which is exactly as it sounds). Sit back and take in some people-watching in the CBD’s northern district. Dining highlights include the crispy pork belly, Szechuan spatchcock and high tea (available on weekends).

If you’re looking for luxury accommodation in close proximity of Suncorp Stadium, then look no further than Gambaro. While many of Brisbane’s luxury hotels are home to 100+ rooms, Gambaro is one of the few luxury boutique offerings. Services like free WiFi, pillow menus and beds made exclusively for the hotel are what sets this hotel apart from others.

Even the Gambaro’s mid-range rooms fall into the ‘luxury’ category. Four Gambaro Suites have been individually designed and decorated – check out which one is ideal for you before booking. Our pick is the Corner Suite. This features two balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of Suncorp Stadium and the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Just as Gambaro’s rooms are luxurious, so are its restaurants. The two in-house restaurants, Gambaro Seafood Restaurant and Black Hide Steakhouse are both well revered within the Brisbane dining scene. Once you’ve eaten, head next door to MG bar for a post dinner drink.

The Brisbane Pullman offers both four- and five-star hotel rooms, in a bid to appeal to leisure and business travellers. The result of this is a number of different rooms and features that aim to make a stay at the Pullman convenient and luxurious all at once.

Like the Marriott Brisbane, the more expensive rooms at the Pullman Brisbane come with access to the hotel’s executive lounge. Admission to this lounge means complimentary buffet breakfasts, evening canapes and drinks, as well as the use of the private boardroom and business facilities.

Here, the most luxurious suite is the (aptly named) Prince George Suite. This suite boasts separate lounge, dining and bedroom areas, all overlooking the Brisbane skyline. The room has been decorated in whites, blacks and greys, with the occasional splash of red for emphasis.

Guests should enjoy at least one nightcap at the Pullman’s rooftop bar, Sixteen Antlers. The cocktail menu here is worth a mention, with the Choc Sour and Pineapple Express being standouts.