New Four Points by Sheraton hotel opens in Brisbane’s CBD

LOOKING for a place to lay your weary head? There’s a new hotel in Brisbane’s CBD to address a ‘screaming shortage’ of rooms. Check it out.

THE first internationally branded hotel to come to Brisbane in 16 years opened its doors in Mary Street in the city this morning.

The Four Points by Sheraton 4.5-star hotel is already completely booked out next week and has a full contingent of G20 government delegates from around the globe staying in November.

It is the first of a flurry of four and five star hotels expected to open in Brisbane shortly, with seven opening this year and another four opening in 2015.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts, who are behind the 33-storey CBD tower, hinted this morning that more Sheraton hotels would be built in Brisbane in the near future.

The hotel group’s Pacific Region vice-president Sean Hunt said an announcement would be made in the next month.

“We could do with another three to four brands in this city. There’s room for more investment in this city,” he said.

Mr Hunt confirmed the hotel was fully booked for the G20 with “several high level government delegations”, but was keeping quiet on who they were and where they were from.

The official opening of Four Points by Sheraton, the first internationally-branded 4/5 st

The Four Points, targeted at corporate visitors to the city, has 250 “international quality” hotel rooms and 24-hour gym.

A rooftop bar on level 30 is expected to be opened to the public in June, once liquor licensing arrangements are finalised.

“There’s a lot of tired hotel stock in this city, but this will shake it up,” Mr Hunt said.

The view from an upper floor of the newly opened Four Points by Sheraton in Brisbane’s CB

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the city needed at least 300 new hotel rooms to keep growth with the rise in the city’s tourism and business conference markets.

He said the flurry of new hotels, starting with the Four Points by Sheraton, was addressing the long-term shortage of rooms.

“It’s no longer a screaming shortage,” he said.

The kitchen and servery at the Four Points by Sheraton in Brisbane’s CBD. PIC: Tim Marsde

Cr Quirk said it was not easy to believe it had been 16 years since an international hotel opened in Brisbane.

“Hotel developments are not easy to make successful from a financial point of view,” he said.

He said the city was now getting more interest from international hoteliers, including from Hong Kong and Singapore.

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