Prestige Brisbane hotel to close next month

Hilton Brisbane is pulling up stumps.

The hotel will close at the end of the month, with a “globally recognised” luxury hotel operator set to take over the CBD building.

It is earmarked for a complete restoration next year as part of the wider Wintergarden complex.

Hilton Brisbane towers over Wintergarden in Queen Street Mall. Credit: Brisbane Times / William Davis

“Hilton Brisbane will cease to operate under the Hilton brand … following the expiration of the lease agreement with the property’s owner,” a company statement said.

“We are working with team members … and we continue to support them through this transition, including working with the owners as they explore potential future employment opportunities at the hotel.”

ISPT – which owns the building – did not say which global hotel chain would take over.

Brisbane Hilton is earmarked for a complete restoration next year as part of the wider Wintergarden complex.Credit: Brisbane Times / William Davis

“[We] are collaboratively working through a transition process,” head of development Tom Waters said.

“The hotel will be closed for a brief period and will reopen under the new operator’s brand name. Excitingly, in 2026 the hotel will undergo a complete refurbishment.”

The modernist structure on Elizabeth Street was designed by architect Harry Seidler and opened in 1987.

The news comes six months after it emerged the site had temporarily stopped taking bookings.

At the time, general manager Chris Partridge told Brisbane Times the Hilton was not closing, and he said no jobs would be lost, citing “routine negotiations” for the pause.

Potential customers were advised in September they could not book due to all rooms being sold out for the foreseeable future.

The ISPT-owned site also incorporates the Wintergarden shopping centre and Brisbane’s historic Regent Theatre.

Construction of a 42-storey office block at 150 Elizabeth Street, on a portion of the ISPT site that is vacant, was announced in 2023, with building due to start this year.

The new office tower will be partially elevated above the Wintergarden car park and will eventually be integrated with the existing rooftop space of the Hilton hotel.

Development of the 129-room Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Spring Hill is underway. It is expected to cost about $50 million.

“We will always be proud of the 39-year history of Hilton Brisbane,” the hotel said.

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