For this second stage of this Australian journey I will stop over in Brisbane and I chose theW hotel because of its location and because if in the past this brand could give us the best or sink into bad taste, the way it reinvents itself and that manifests itself in the hotels opened in recent years pleases me a lot.
You will find at the bottom of the page the summary of the articles related to this trip.
Booking the W Brisbane
I booked a month and a half before my stay on the Marriott website. The price of the standard room was around 400 euros so I paid for my 4 night stay with my points and then used a Suite Night Award to request an upgrade to a Fantastic Suite.
The upgrade will be confirmed a few days before my arrival.
Location of the W Brisbane
The W Brisbane is located in the heart of the city, on the banks of the Brisbane River. It is therefore ideally located to visit the city because all major sites are accessible by walk. This is the area where you will find all the major hotels.
Then the nightlife and restaurants are much more scattered in the city and often in other areas but everything is accessible in maximum 20 minutes by cab or public transport.
Allow 30 minutes by cab to and from the airport.
Arrival at the hotel and check-in
Arriving from the airport, the cab drops me off in front of the hotel.
A bellman immediately takes charge of my suitcase, I enter the hotel and go up to the first floor where the lobby and the reception are located.
The welcome was very cordial, my status in the loyalty program was recognized, the benefits were presented and I was given details of all the hotel’s services. Very professional and efficient.
I then go to my room where my suitcase will be delivered a few minutes later.
On the way I find the codes of W: dark elevators and corridors, electro music of good taste and not too loud.
The Fantastic Suite at the W Brisbane
The room opens onto a very large living room with a desk, a bar and a lounge area.
It is large, bright and decorated with a certain taste. We have seen much worse in the past at W.
There are toilets in the entrance for visitors.
Contrary to a current trend there is a real big besk, very appreciable.
A bar area with all the ingredients and materials you need to pretend to be a bartender.
The minibar is well stocked and includes some premixes.
And finally the lounge area itself, large and bright.
The room is a nice size and also very bright.The bedding, as always at W, will prove to be excellent.
It also has a large TV like the lounge.
It overlooks the bathroom but not in a totally open way as it is more and more the case.
There are two sinks.
A beautiful and large bathtub.
The shower is very, very large and has two heads and two shower heads.
And of course, toilets.
A word of welcome and a small bottle of whiskey await me in the lounge as a welcome gift.
The view is clear and pleasant.
What can I say except that this room is very pleasant and that it will be a real pleasure to stay there.
It is also very beautiful at night.
And, to finish, the traditional video visit.
The facilities at W Brisbane
The W Brisbane has a pool, gym and spa.
The pool is in the purest W style: next to the bar there is an electro atmosphere all day long but I did not find the music too loud. Let’s just say it’s more of an ambiance pool than a place to swim or rest.
In any case the number of deckchairs available is very small which is a problem regarding the size of the hotel.
The gym is small and not particularly well equipped.
Not really pleasant, I will only go once. A real disappointment compared to the Sheraton Grand Sydney.
As for the spa I will not try the treatments, just the hammam/sauna part.
The locker room makes an excellent impression.
The facilities are large, clean and in excellent condition.
The sauna and the hammam:
The bath and jacuzzi (very hot) in the “mixed” area.
Very pleasant.
Bars and restaurants
The W Brisbane has a restaurant and two bars. Let’s start with the restaurant.
Three blue ducks – Dinner service
As soon as I arrived, someone took care of me and seated me at a table.
The setting is pleasant without being great and the music is a little too loud.
The promise of the menu is “fresh, local and authentic”. I let you judge.
Some dishes being in modest quantity because of meant to be shared, I will take 3 dishes.
The scallops.
It’s good, spicy but it’s eaten in one bite. I was right to take two starters.
Oysters.
The oysters are good. As for the sauce, I had my doubts: the combination of oysters and ketchup that I see too often in the US usually makes me scream, but here with this spicy sauce the whole thing was pretty good. But I’m a purist, it will never be as good as a good shallot sauce!
Snapper, turmeric ginger and curry sauce.
Very well cooked, lots of flavor but not spicy enough for my taste. I am still looking for the coconut and the sambal…
In the end, a rather pleasant meal but expensive for what it is and a surrounding too noisy for me.
The Wet Deck – Aperitif
This is the bar next to the pool.
I will only go through it briefly at the aperitif time.
It also has an outdoor terrace.
Good atmosphere, nice. I only had beers so I won’t comment on the cocktails or the food offer.
The Living Room Bar – evening
This is the signature bar of W and we know that at W the bar and its atmosphere are an essential part of the concept.
The setting is pleasant even if the tables are so far apart that you feel like you are having a drink in a long hallway.
The W Brisbane staff
Very pleasant, available and helpful staff.
Check-out
I’ll do it on the mobile app so I don’t have to go through the front desk again. Easy and efficient.
Bottom line
I really liked this W which will be the best hotel of my stay. I didn’t find the flaws of the “old” W’s, i.e. a little too much bling and a few errors of taste, but I have to admit that the suite and the fact that it didn’t cost me anything largely contributed to it.
We find there the W codes but with a good proportion (more discreet music etc) which makes the property less divisive than some of its congeners.
My two regrets: the lack of space at the pool and the gym.
But if I had to go back to Brisbane I think that apart from my desire to test other hotels my reflex will be to return to the W.
Summary of articles on this trip to Australia
