Photo: TFE Hotels

AUSTRALIA: The roaring twenties gave us The Great Gatsby, a dance called the Charleston, bobbed hairstyles, ‘flapper’ fashion and stunning art-deco architecture - and the 1920s-inspired Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane in sunny Queensland is a great example of the latter.  

Housed in the former Queensland Government Savings Bank, this Heritage-listed-building-cum-hotel - with its immense ground floor banking chamber, ionic columns, detailed ceiling and cornices, and marble finishes - was considered exceptional from its infancy. Today, the area functions as the hotel’s entry foyer and restaurant, extending its place in history as an impressive social space. 

Restoring this grand lady was a labour of love and, pleasingly, elements of the building’s original fabric have been retained and incorporated into this new use, include the old bank vaults, the strong rooms (watch your head, they now double as bathrooms), the ground floor banking chamber, and the main staircase, which is an Instagrammer’s dream.

The size and scale of the reception makes a great first impression and, with their laidback Australian hospitality, the Adina team quickly make sure you feel like the hotel is your home-away-from home.  

Once you’ve checked-in, it’s a simple matter to follow the marble checkerboard floors to the elegant lifts.  In the modern accommodation tower, contemporary furnishings complement the resorted ornate ceilings and cornices.  

Each apartment also features a laundry and a kitchen with all the essentials, allowing you to cook delicious meals just like you do at home. While floor-to-ceiling windows in the apartments on the upper levels boast views over the Brisbane River to South Bank.

On the lower levels, the hotel pool is open to the Brisbane sky and is a great spot to escape the bustle of the city, while the adjacent gym ensures you can keep a semblance of your fitness routine on the road.

Nearby, the Frisky Goat staff serve a mean coffee and a delicious brekkie for on the go, whilst Donna Chang’s (Seinfeld fans will get the reference) pumps out delicious modern Chinese cuisine with more than a touch of theatre in a millennial pink dining room. A level below - in what was originally the bank’s savings vaults - the 250-seat Boom Boom Room bar serves up delicious cocktails and bar chat (no 1920s prohibition laws in place here!).

Brisbane has upped its status as one of the best hotel cities in Brisbane… and, in this sea of shiny and modern properties,the Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane, which is due to open in November 2019, will hold its own in both the contemporary and the classic space.

Author's Note: Blog updated post opening with new fab photos. Enjoy!