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Our time Down Under was almost up. We needed to position ourselves in Brisbane for our return flight, which departed around 10 AM. We could have taken a very early shuttle from Mooloolaba directly to the airport but since I had a Marriott free night certificate available, we decided to visit the city on our last day. The hotel doesn't have any rooms with three beds but we figured for one night we could handle it. However, when we got up to our room we realized the beds weren't quite as large as Queen beds and there was really no way we could all be comfortable in this bedding configuration. Fortunately C also had a free night certificate so the front desk was able to apply that to a king room across the hall. Free is always great! To be clear, we get these free night certificates after paying the annual fee on our Marriott credit cards. But as long as the room is selling for more than $95 you're getting a deal when you use the certificate.
The hotel's footprint is not large but it has about 25 floors so it can handle a large number of guests. While this photo is of the front of the building, the entrance here is only for a quick pickup or drop-off. If you need to park, the garage and valet service are available at the back of the hotel and down one level.
Lobby Area
The lobby has a great throw-back feel. Marble(ish) floors, leather chairs, dark wood - they all feel like an old movie from the 1930s to me. I really liked it. The front desk was directly ahead upon entering the building.
To the left was a seating area that felt like a gentleman's library.
On the right was seating affiliated with the bar and leading into the restaurant.
Guest Rooms
We were assigned rooms on the 16th floor. The floor plan is not extensive and there are only a very few rooms on either side of the floor's elevator lobby.
Both the king and double rooms had similar layouts with only a few differences. Both had a surprisingly long entrance hall with the bathroom on one side and the wardrobe on the other before the room opened up to the bed(s) and desk area.
The beds in the double room were larger than US double beds but not quite as large as Queen beds.
The king room had a (duh) king bed and a chaise longue against the wall.
Both room types had a desk across form the bed and chest with a couple of drawers as well as the mini-fridge behind one of the cabinet doors. I liked that there were easy-to-reach electrical outlets above the desk.
We were provided with a welcome amenity of some fresh fruit and a bottle of wine.
The bathroom was surprisingly large. It was long but fairly narrow.
The toiletries were by Thann and were OK.
There were three doors on the wardrobe. Two opened up to the hanging area and some shelves, the other had a few drawers and the safe.
Beside the wardrobe was this bench/luggage rack.
We thought we had a decent view of the river when we checked in.
When we returned from dinner though, we enjoyed the view a lot more.
Gym and Pool
The gym and pool are both located on the second floor along with the spa. They both continue the throwback feel of the lobby but with modern touches. Enter the pool area through these double doors.
The pool itself is under the guest rooms on the floor above, which keeps it in the shade. As it gets very warm in Brisbane in the summer, this is a great way to enjoy the pool without baking. At the right edge you can see a wall and the hot tub area, which is out in the sun.
The saunas are in the same area. They were very small and I don't see how more than two people could use one of them at the same time.
The gym has several french doors opening on to the balcony. The day I was there they were all open and some sort of class on bicycle repair/maintenance was going on. The room is a bit of an L shape and on the right wall are these weights and the fit balls.
On the left side is this universal-type machine.
Down the long leg of the L are the cardio machines.
Final Thoughts
The hotel's only a few blocks away from a pedestrian mall area though it is uphill to get there. Downtown Brisbane is fairly hilly so if mobility is an issue this might not be where you want to stay. In that mall area there are several restaurants and, of course, there are some in the hotel as well. From a tourist perspective this may not be the best place to stay simply due to location. The staff was excellent and we have no complaints about the property.
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