New five-star hotel plan warns Brisbane will be short on luxury stays
By Sean Parnell
Plans have been lodged with Brisbane City Council for a new five-star hotel with a rooftop deck and restaurant, wellness floor and laneway precinct between two busy streets.
To be co-located with the Novotel at South Brisbane, the 16-storey hotel would be opposite the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and offer river and city views.
The proponents have seized on recent planning changes that allow higher density in the Kurilpa precinct, and lingering concerns of a shortage of five-star accommodation for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Plans have been lodged with Brisbane City Council for a new five-star hotel to be colocated with the Novotel at South Brisbane.
The new hotel would have 137 rooms and be operated by the Novotel – the name of the boutique establishment has not been released – and help meet increasing demand from visitors.
“The undersupply of required rooms is expected to experience continual growth to 2033, indicating a strong demand for high-end and luxury hotels to cater for the increasing demand from visitors,” state the documents submitted to council this week.
The new hotel would feature a laneway between Merivale and Cordelia streets.
“The delivery of major developments across the greater CBD area, such as Brisbane Metro, Cross River Rail, Queen’s Wharf, QPAC, Roma Street Live, Woolloongabba redevelopment and Brisbane Olympics 2032, are identified as key drivers for the increase in visitors to Brisbane.”
To support the application, Urban Metrics provided an Economic Needs Assessment that found Brisbane had a shortage of five-star hotel rooms that would not be addressed any time soon.
Even accounting for the new rooms promised in the troubled Queen’s Wharf development, and other hotel projects around the CBD, the consultants estimated Brisbane would still be short 3824 rooms in 2033.
“As the city prepares for events that continue to raise its international profile, such as the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the need for further luxury and modern hotel accommodation to service both growing international and domestic demand is clear,” Urban Metrics concluded.
If approved, the new hotel would be within walking distance of Games events to be held at the convention centre, South Bank, and Suncorp Stadium.
The consultants likened the new hotel to The Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley, which has now secured approval for a second boutique development at Noosa.
The latest development application for a Brisbane hotel comes after council was asked to approve a major expansion of Howard Smith Wharves, including the precinct’s second hotel.
South Bank also has a masterplan of its own, foreshadowing future improvements.
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