Verdict on hotel at the centre of Queensland’s most contentious site

Two storms were brewing when my plane landed in Brisbane in early March: a cyclone called Alfred, and one swirling over the future of the new Star Grand Brisbane hotel. The day I checked in, the ASX had automatically suspended trading on The Star Entertainment Group Ltd after the company failed to lodge financial results.

It seemed like the climax of an epic multi-year saga for the besieged company, which has been floundering in controversy, construction woes and allegations of corruption for the past few years.

So it was terrible timing for The Star to have a travel journalist arrive to review the hotel.

But beyond the headlines and billion-dollar budget blowouts, it was worth asking the question: what is it really like to stay in the centrepiece hotel of one of the most contentious developments in Queensland’s history as it teeters on the edge of closure?

As it turns out, it was slightly surreal – because the hotel, at least what I was able to review of it, was quite good.

Like Brisbane, The Star Grand brims with potential. It just isn’t fully realised yet.

The hotel opened in Brisbane at the end of August 2024, as part of a “phased” opening for the $3.6 billion, 12-hectare Queens Wharf precinct. My first glimpse of the structure was from the Riverside Expressway – possibly the greatest planning crime against any city in the world (and an eyesore desperately in need of remedy).

The hotel complex occupies floors 8-17 of two crescent-shaped towers set against the river’s edge, joined at the top by a 250m-long Sky Deck that also connects to an empty, taller residential tower. Architecturally, it’s a bold design, with its Star Wars Galaxy Black glass facade; if you’re feeling unkind, you could compare it to a giant air fryer.

When we arrive, natural light pours through a 21-metre glass oculus in the centre of the complex; the foyer has a palette of muted golds, bronzes and metallic colours, offset by a line of subtropical green, carefully selected larger artworks and smaller sculptural pieces. It’s surprisingly tasteful: what could appear gaudy instead offers quiet elegance.

When I check in, I ask the concierge what they think is the best thing about the hotel.

“The floor-to-ceiling windows,” he says, not hesitating. And he’s not wrong.

My River King room is on the 16th floor and when I enter, the drapery theatrically opens, revealing a spectacular view over the river to the sun setting behind Mount Coot-tha. Below, two ferries cross the river, and the city lights begin to put on a show. The room is oversized with high ceilings, adding to the drama.

From the fixtures to the amenities and oversized white bathroom, no expense has been spared: there’s a king bed, Nespresso machine, 55-inch QLED flat screen television, complimentary mini-bar and Calacatta Viola marble benchtops. In the bathroom, Karl Lagerfeld bathroom products, a Vidal Sassoon hair dryer, and crucially, an ample provision of hooks. There’s not much I can fault in the room: it is elegant, comfortable and spacious.

More than 50 new dining and beverage venues are planned for the Queens Wharf precinct; around a dozen are open, including Japanese fine dining restaurant Sokyo and much-loved Brisbane institution Fat Noodle. My small party started with cocktails at Pompette: a French brasserie-inspired restaurant on the fourth floor, before dinner at Dark Shepherd.

Afterwards, I headed up to the Sky Deck. Open to the public, it’s meant to be one of the hero features of the hotel. Facing the river, it includes a novelty glass-bottom section suspended over the motorway below. I’m not bothered by the height, but I am slightly put off by mottled cobwebs hanging underneath.

The Sky Deck faces the river, but internally also looks down on the 7th-floor leisure deck, a huge space occupied by Isoletto Pool Club, pools, steam room, sauna and gym– but I can’t access the floor to check it out. While I bear this cross quite well, others in my party bemoan not having access to a gym. As it turns out, the pool area doesn’t open until weeks after my stay– seven months after the hotel debuted.

It was one of the many small tells that all was not well with the hotel. The other was during breakfast. A guilty pleasure of hotel stays for me is the buffet breakfast, but The Star Grand doesn’t have one.

I’m handed a menu instead, and while my eggs benny is perfectly respectable, and my almond latte passes the Sydney coffee-snob test; it’s just not what I anticipated for a 340-room hotel with a capacity for more than 700 overnight guests.

Was there ever a buffet? I ask my server.

“I think so,” they reply, clearing my plate. “Maybe when it opened?”

Outside, the city is battening down the hatches. My planned trip to Brisbane’s outer islands is abandoned, and while my flights home are being rebooked, I explore the city.

Driving around, Brisbane’s rapid expansion is impossible to miss: the city is set to host the Olympics in 2032, and population growth is accelerating. An evening visit to the revitalised Howard Smith Wharves district shows just how good the city can be when a new development gets it right.

However, the shambolic state of the domestic airport (under renovation), the sheer volume of hole-in-the-ground construction sites and horrible traffic are a tell-tale sign of Brisbane’s growing pains as it struggles to shape-shift into something more than a second-tier city.

Those who live here argue that there are advantages to the city not being set in its ways.

“Brisbane doesn’t come with the cultural baggage of Sydney or Melbourne,” says art curator Reuben Keehan, as we walk through GOMA’s flagship exhibition, the 11th Triennial of Asia Pacific Contemporary Art.

He believes Brisbane’s contemporary artists have space to do something new. The Star Grand showed up to the party with the chequebook out, commissioning dozens of works from local artists. Renowned Brisbane artist Lindy Lee AO’s ethereal Being Swallowed by the Milky Way sits in the George Street entrance; in the foyer, the blue hues in artist Felecia Aroney’s enormous canvas balance the heavy gold palette. Both are beautiful and part of an art trail in the Queen’s Wharf precinct.

But let’s face it: the casino is the breadwinner of The Star Brisbane operation. For me, a quick lap around the level-five gaming floor was enough. The harsh lighting stung my eyes as I passed trilling slot machines and a mostly empty sports bar. The more lively tables attracted a small crowd; off to one side, an open doorway led to a poker room filled with two tables of stern-faced men who didn’t seem to be having much fun. I lose my bearings and get lost trying to find the exit.

I check out of the hotel early on Wednesday before the storm hits.

In the weeks after my stay, it seemed a Hail Mary had come through for The Star Entertainment Group, in the form of a new corporate deal. Trading resumed on the ASX, and it appeared more than 9000 jobs would be saved. But in the past few days, reports have circulated that the deal The Star Group was brokering is off the table.

It is a shame, because overall, my stay at The Star Grand, while odd, was enjoyable. The service was as it should be for a hotel of this calibre: genuine, personalised and personable. The room was exceptional: not just well designed, but thoughtful in execution.

The Star Grand Brisbane has the potential to be a great hotel if they get around to finishing it. Likewise, Brisbane has the potential to be a great city – if they finish transforming it. For now, visitors heading north will have to wait and see – both for the city and its most contentious new landmark.

The details

Fly
Virgin Australia operates up to 15 return flights to Brisbane from Melbourne, and 18 from Sydney daily. The Virgin Australia app automatically tracks luggage and sends notifications when your luggage is loaded and unloaded; it’s the first airline to offer this service in Australia. See virginaustralia.com

Stay
City King rooms at The Star Grand Brisbane from $387 a night. See star.com.au

The writer stayed as a guest of the Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) and Virgin Australia.