Hotel Review: Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane — Heritage polish for high-functioning travel
- October 6, 2025
-
Some buildings greet you; this one seems to exhale. After a smooth Airport Link arrival and a 12-minute downhill walk from Central Station and you’re in the former Queensland Government Savings Bank, reborn with quiet confidence.
The lobby unfolds as a grand banking chamber, leadlight doors opening to soaring windows, a canopy of ornate plasterwork, polished timber and sandstone accents, and a statement staircase sweeping upward beneath chandeliers that cast a warm, golden wash.
The address that simplifies the day
The location, 171 George Street earns its keep. You’re a short stroll from Queen Street Mall, the river promenade and the cultural pull of South Bank, with trains, buses and CityCat ferries close enough to turn back-to-backs into a workable grid. Self-drivers can roll straight into secure parking with direct access and be upstairs within minutes.
Rooms that behave like apartments (because they are)
Adina Apartment Hotel’s strength is practical space that works. Studios, two and three-bedroom layouts (about 28–88 sqm) give true separation between thinking, sleeping and hosting. My one-bedroom struck the right balance.
A sliding black pocket door divides the bedroom from a living zone that settles into a calm, workable rhythm.
Warm timber floors, an open-plan space with a low green sofa provide for a quiet stretch after a long flight. A proper two-seat dining/work table under a chrome pendant doubles as the right size work space to touch up those last minute briefs. The galley kitchen is sensibly kitted with matching black cabinetry, full-size fridge, cooktop, microwave and dishwasher with clean task lighting so breakfast and late returns run on your schedule.
The bedroom, with its deep-teal channel-tufted headboard, marble-topped bedside and focused reading lamp, feels cocooned and ready for early starts.
The bathroom keeps the monochrome brief: glossy white subway tiles, a black-stone backsplash and a round back-lit mirror over a marble vanity with an inset basin. Fixtures are unfussy and functional, the walk-in shower generous, and full-size Ink & Water amenities neatly wall-mounted. The flattering light from the recessed ceiling and the mirror’s halo makes those pre-dawn departures a touch gentler, and thick, warm towels deliver the right kind of finish. It reads like a small city home that understands business travel; close the door, reset, and get things done without the room ever getting in the way.
Rest, without rituals
There’s a straightforwardness to the wellness set-up that suits real travel rhythms. In a quiet, open-air courtyard, the rectangular lap-friendly pool sits against heritage brick walls and tall sash windows, softly uplit at dusk.
A line of white sling loungers and broad potted palms gives it a calm, club-like feel sheltered from wind and street noise so ten laps or ten minutes with a book both make sense here. The compact gym next door rights the posture after boardroom hours, and if you’d rather move outside, the riverside paths offer an easy jog or unhurried walk before breakfast.
Eat, meet, host without leaving the building
The in-house option is simple and effective. St Marks Road Co. anchors the lobby with excellent coffee and uncomplicated breakfasts, and also perfect for a quick pre-meeting touchpoint or a grab-and-go. Seating is comfortable, power points are handy, Wi-Fi is steady, and you can charge back to your room so expenses stay tidy. For anything more ambitious, you’re a short walk from a deep bench of CBD restaurants easy to book, easier to reach keeping hosting friction-free without leaving your base.
What makes it Bleisure ready?
Adina Apartment Hotel, Brisbane works because it honours the two itineraries every business trip runs on, the official and the personal. And lets them flow into each other without friction.
The official calls for walkability, reliable transit, rooms that double as temporary offices, and a lobby café for quick touchpoints whereas the personal needs a place that behaves like home when the day runs long somewhere to decompress, reset, and be ready for the next day. Here, both those needs meet in small, telling ways. No stagecraft, just considered details that make productivity feel natural and recovery feel easy.
The neighbourhood at arm’s length
If you have a spare hour, the City Botanic Gardens and the galleries over the river keep inspiration close. If you don’t, the building itself can host the meeting, the meal and the nightcap.
Brisbane’s best seasons make a balcony category pay dividends and on game nights or during Riverfire, you’ll be grateful for the easy egress and central perch.
The Verdict
As a business traveller, I value hotels that earn trust rather than chase theatrics. In Brisbane, it’s quite the same, a landmark address that reduces friction, with apartments that let you live not merely stay so that the work week runs on your terms. What keeps me coming back, though, is The Adina touch – the easy, unforced smiles at reception, the quiet “welcome back” that remembers how you take your coffee, the small gestures, a room preference already set that make a business trip feel personal, For New Zealand executives hopping the Tasman, this is a base of operations that also remembers to welcome you home reliably, quietly, and well.
My rating: 4 Stars
