TFE Hotels has revealed the new Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane is on track to open in February 2018.

Located in a restored heritage building at 171 George Street, it will feature 220 apartments and a signature restaurant and bar in the vast ground floor lobby space that celebrates its Art Deco origins.

Typical of the brand, the hotel will provide guests with the comforts of home, offering spacious apartments with their own kitchen, laundry and living room, or studios with kitchenettes, all with full hotel services including 24-hour reception and a fitness centre with excellent gym equipment and a pool.

TFE Hotels CEO Rachel Argaman said the hotel was strategically placed, given that Brisbane has AUD$6 billion worth of tourism projects in the pipeline and international and domestic visitors are estimated to grow over the next decade to 9.3 million, bringing an economic contribution of AUD$7.9 billion.

“The hotel is well-placed to offer guests an enticing blend of history, grandeur, great dining and convenient living close to some of the city’s biggest attractions, as Brisbane continues to rapidly expand and develop,” she said.

“Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane will be an attraction in its own right as the city’s most exciting new hotel with a history. The moment people walk into the foyer, they will fall for its charm and from there, they will have so many moments to explore its history, right into the heart of the city.”

Toga Group is managing a careful and sensitive renovation with TKD Architects, who have beautifully preserved the Art Deco style of the sandstone clad building, which was initially built to accommodate the Queensland Government Savings Bank.

Construction on the Queensland Government Savings Bank began in 1913 but slowed due to material shortages throughout World War I, finally reaching completion nine years later in 1922. The building was considered exceptional from its infancy, particularly the ground floor banking chamber with its immense size, ionic columns, ornate ceiling, detailed cornices and marble finishes. This area will function as the hotel’s entry foyer and restaurant, extending its place in history as a grand public space. From 1925 until 1942, the building’s top floor housed Queensland’s first official radio station, 4QG, and for 70 years, it housed various government departments, before finally being sold as part of the casino development and turned into offices.

The team has maintained the integrity of the building through a respectful restoration process that pays tribute to its history and impressive architecture, which formed the inspiration and influence for internal features and furnishings. From the moment guests step inside they will be struck by the impressive double height decorative ceilings with ornate ceiling roses, and the original timber panelled walls that reflect the opulence of when the building was first constructed more than a century ago.

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management