Brisbane pubs urged to build hotel rooms to solve 2032 Games accommodation crisis
More than 70 suburban pubs have been asked to undergo major renovations to include hotel rooms to ease Brisbane’s critical accommodation crunch ahead of 2032.
Large suburban pubs should undergo major renovations to include hotel rooms to ease Brisbane’s critical accommodation crunch ahead of the 2032 Games according to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.
The call from the Lord Mayor comes as Brisbane City Council found more than 70 pubs across the city - all on sites of 2000sqm or more - were prime to be redeveloped.
Council believes redeveloping just 20 suburban pubs could add more than 1600 new room to Brisbane’s hotel supply.
Pubs on the list include the Normanby, Breakfast Creek, Regatta, Caxton and Story Bridge hotels and Brewdog Brewery.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council analysis from earlier this year found the hotel shortfall in Brisbane could be as high as 30,000 by the time the Games roll around, with a total of 76,000 rooms needed.
The new Brisbane City Council suburban pubs strategy will be open for public consultation until February 28 next year and council will also consider planning changes to help expedite any venue’s development plans.
According to a recent Queensland Tourism Industry Council report, south east Queensland has 46,000 hotel rooms with inventory expected to grow to just 51,000 by 2030.
That is still less than half of what Los Angeles (120,000) and Paris (133,000) has now.
The Glen Hotel in Eight Mile Plains has five function rooms and 43 four-and-a-half-star hotel rooms that were built ahead of the G20 Summit in 2014.
Owner Cathy Fitzgibbons said with occupancy running between 70 and 80 per cent on average, the venue was preparing to submit plans to council to redevelop to have up to 120 hotel rooms and two more function spaces open by 2028.
“We’re underway with plans at the moment to invest about $30 million plus by the time we’re finished,” she said.
“The Olympics is obviously a catalyst for it.
“With the city growing, it’s a great moment to give us confidence in dreaming bigger, with the announcement from the council that they will be supporting and fast tracking applications.”
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the pub plan was “back to the future”.
“There was a time when suburban pubs across Brisbane had rooms upstairs and we want to bring that back,” he said.
“It’s a simple idea that will help provide more places for families and friends to stay, right near the people they love.
“It will provide more reasons for people to get out and enjoy their own suburb, and deliver more local jobs.”
He said he wanted the strategy to help encourage more accommodation while ensuring houses were available on the long-term rental market.
Property Council Executive Director Jess Caire said with Brisbane’s growing major events calendar, the need for hotel investment had never been more urgent.
“Our research shows a 90 per cent drop in new hotel rooms over the past five years, a staggering drop but reflective of the market challenges,” she said.
“If we want to capitalise on the increased tourism spend our economy is seeing, continue to address project feasibility must be front and centre.
“Every lever, from planning reform to tax incentives needs to be examined to unlock investment and accelerate delivery.”
Council’s Labor opposition leader Jared Cassidy said: “It’s good to see Council finally try to give Brisbane’s pubs and motels a fair shot against Airbnb - a multinational behemoth operating largely unchecked for a decade,” he said.
QITC CEO Natassia Wheeler said Brisbane’s accommodation shortfall was one of the most pressing constraints on the state’s visitor economy.
“For several years, QTIC has highlighted the need for diversified accommodation models and smarter planning levers to support sustainable growth ahead of 2032 and beyond,” she said.
“The Suburban Pub Stays Strategy is a constructive step in that direction.
“It creates opportunities for suburban operators to invest with confidence, revitalise under-utilised sites and deliver the rooms our city urgently needs.”
Suburban Futures director Ross Elliott said more pub hotel rooms would ease the pressure on the need for large 5-star hotels in the inner city.
“Many suburban pubs have not changed in many years, yet they can occupy large sites capable of providing more local accommodation and function spaces, and can meet some of the Olympics accommodation challenge in the process,” he said.
“Many are also well located in or near commercial areas and transport – because they have been there since the early days of Brisbane’s growth.
“But this is not just an Olympics opportunity – it is a genuine long term legacy opportunity to provide better local facilities in the suburbs where most of us live and work.”
Mr Elliot said the likely smaller scale of pub developments could be delivered by Tier 3 builders – a market less constrained compared to larger builders engaging with major projects like Games’ venues.
Queensland Hotels Association CEO Bernie Hogan said more suburban rooms would allow guests to stay closer to where they needed to be.
“Whether it is for regular work travel, visiting friends or attending an event – pubs are conveniently placed across our city and we look forward to seeing these city assets add more opportunity and jobs in the hospitality sector,” he said.
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