Cliff Turner

Brisbane’s hotel scene is in the midst of a major glow-up. From design-led boutique stays to sprawling luxury resorts, many of the best hotels in Brisbane reflect how quickly the city is evolving ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games. In the coming years, 30 new hotels (3,838 rooms) are set to open (or already have), giving visitors more choice than ever across locations and price points. Today, the best Brisbane hotels deliver a mix of high-end luxury, laidback Aussie vibes and that unmistakable, sun-soaked feeling of summer year-round. Plus, they're gushing with designer décor – from bespoke art at the boutiquey spots to unmatched city, river and mountain views. This ultimate guide to the best hotels in Brisbane has been curated by Time Out Australia's Travel & News Editor, Melissa Woodley, along with our local expert writers, spanning multiple suburbs, styles and budgets. Check out which ones made the cut below. Editors' favourite hotels in Brisbane: ⭐️ Best for views: Emporium Hotel South Bank 🌳 Best for central location: InterContinental Brisbane 😍 Best value for money: The Johnson Brisbane - Art Series ✨ The best things to do in Brisbane⭐️ All the best hotels in Australia Time Out makes a small commission from the affiliate links included in this article. These links have no influence on our editorial content, but they do help us to bring you more recommendations every week. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

After years of demand outstripping supply in the Queensland capital, a bunch of operators have entered the market with either new or freshly refurbished affordable Brisbane hotel properties. It means you can get a crisp, new hotel room for very little coin. As ever, though, timing is everything: book ahead if you want to score a room in one of the best cheap hotels in Brisbane and watch for major events, and big conferences. Busy times make it harder to nab budget accommodation in Brisbane. Fortunately, you'll probably be able to score a room at one of these ace places, if you put in a little forethought. Fancy something a little, well, fancier? Here's our guide to the best hotels in Brisbane.

Slotted neatly into the ground floor of the QT Hotel Gold Coast, Stingray was one of the early success stories in a fragile renaissance that’s happening along the interminable strip of high-rises and coastal suburbs bookended by Southport in the north and the NSW border in the south. QT hotels are known for embracing the quirks of their location and the giddy Gold Coast instalment is no different, tapping into a knowingly kitsch post-war beach vibe, from the crisp, brightly coloured rooms to the jumpsuit uniforms sported by the reception staff. Stingray takes all this and twists it for a nighttime crowd: think white-painted brickwork, floating wooden floorboards and sequences of crisp, patterned tiling. The outskirts of the venue are lined by long leather banquettes: during the day they play host to Man Tea, a package deal of drinks and Mexican-skewed bar eats; at night they’re taken over by young, beautiful but friendly Gold Coast types, with just the right smattering of all-sorts furnished by the hotel above. Stingray has a seasonal cocktail list of exotic drinks flavoured with greenery from a second level herb garden. You might try a Tom Collins built on dill-infused Bombay Sapphire, or a Tiki Punch that peddles lemon myrtle-infused Bacardi. Stingray’s calling card, though, is a ginormous range of tequila. It’s a specialty that suits the beach-bum location, but this isn’t about juicing you up for a midnight run into the surf. Instead, venue manager Jeff Clifford can sit do