The Hilton Brisbane will cease to be a Hilton hotel from April 1. The news of the exit from Hilton comes in the form of a message on the Hilton website.
While it does finally bring some closure to what is going on with the hotel, it will leave Brisbane without a Hilton branded hotel.
The announcement comes after what seems to have been lengthy renewal negotiations with the owner of the hotel. Over the last year or so, bookings at the hotel have been put on hold at various times. At one point, you could not book rooms after 30 June 2024. This got pushed out a few months, and then you could make booking to the end of September.
The issue seems to revolve around negotiations on a lease renewal, which were happening during a proposed redevelopment of the site. During that time, Hilton said that negotiations on the lease renewal were ongoing. However, statements from the owner were curiously worded. For example, a statement at the time said
As part of the redevelopment of 150 Elizabeth Street, the iconic Harry Seidler-designed hotel currently known as the Hilton Brisbane is being retained and refurbished
During those negotiations, the ability to book rooms was a bit restricted. Certainly in terms of how far in advance you could book.
At the heart of it all is that redevelopment of the site. As noted in the above quote, there is a larger redevlopment going on around the hotel. That said, the part where the say “currently known as” was a curious turn of phrase. In any case, it seems that Hilton and the owner were unable to come to an agreement. I would hazard a guess that they were unable to agree on the rental costs.
Hilton Alternatives in Brisbane
The downside for Hilton Honors members is the lack of alternatives available in Brisbane. There’s an Ovolo in Fortitude Valley from the SLH partnership, but that’s about it. A Hilton Garden Inn (in Spring Hill) was announced, but that seems to have gone quiet – and a Garden Inn is at something of a different level to the Hilton brand.
What of the Property?
The property has completely stopped taking bookings past the end of March. My thought on this is that while it may reflag in due course, it may close for the duration of the refurbishment. Even then, there have been no hints anywhere as to what it may reflag as – I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Final Words
It’s a bit of a loss for Hilton Honors members, with no real alternative in the CBD. While I imagine some will turn to the Ovolo, others will look at other chains.
