Oh what a night: Brisbane's most luxurious hotel rooms
KATHERINE FEENEY
Looking for a night at the height of Australian hotel luxury without the hassle of chartering the private jet?
Don't fret. Brisbane has you covered but don't think you'll save much coin. A night in the city's best room is comparative to the top suites in the country.
With rates starting from $4000 per night, the Stamford Suite at the Stamford Plaza Hotel is Brisbane's most expensive space and shares price parity with the Royal Suites at Sydney's Sheraton On The Park and the Sofitel Melbourne.
Not bad for a city less than half the size of its southern cousins, though even this premium pales in comparison to one night spent in the "invitation only" Georgian Manor Villa at Melbourne's Crown Towers, which comes in at a cool $27,500 a night.
But how far does four grand go when it comes to luxury living?
Well, it gives you a room literally fit for a queen, with Queen Elizabeth II famously shunning traditional lodgings at Government House for a stay at the Stamford suite during her visit to Brisbane in the 1970s.
Featuring a private foyer, butler's quarters and grand piano the top floor suite has sweeping river views and opulent furnishings updated through the Stamford's recent $10 million makeover.
Of course if this suite offers little more luxury than you'd bargained for the Presidential Suite at the Marriott offers high style at just over half the price.
Here around $2500 buys you 131 square metres of turndown service, marble bathroom, separate lounge and dining areas, king-sized bedding and access to complimentary canapes and drinks served in the executive lounge.
Or there are the two levels and spiral staircase of the Opera Suite at the recently refurbished Sofitel available from $885 per night, where guests have ample space in which to entertain the envious.
However, price is not always indicative of quality and a number of relatively new boutique hotels amply answer the burgeoning demand for premium accommodation without the lofty fee.
Brisbane's Emporium Hotel, which opened in June 2007, was announced Best Boutique Hotel at the Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) Awards for Excellence recently, beating fellow finalist Peppers Spicers Peak Lodge.
Touted as the first true luxury boutique hotel in town, the best rooms at the glitzy hotel are the new Corner Suites which, from $495, come with separate sleeping and living areas, kitchenette, king-sized bedroom and furnishings drenched in rock star sex appeal.
And competition among the boutique market is set to heat up as more players come online with the newest contender, the Urban Hotel, housed on the former Terraces on Wickham site and offering $10 million worth of refurbished rooms.
The Urban joins the Portal Hotel, opened in March, and the celebrated Limes Hotel which, since its June 2008 launch, has became the city's first member of the exclusive, international Design Hotels group.
