Holiday Inn Express Brisbane Central Hotel in Australia

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Updated: January 3, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Wharf Street, Spring Hill.
• Hotel website: ihg.com
• Hotel phone: +61 (0)7 3833 8888
• Check prices for Holiday Inn Express Central

Review of Holiday Inn Express Central Hotel

The trendy Holiday Inn Express offers bright and comfortable rooms and complementary breakfast in a nice neighborhood.

Holiday Inn Express Central – New, chic, functional, convenient, and great value.

Newly built, the modern hotel is very pleasant and unpretentious. There is no pool or other extras often not required; instead, the very competitive rates include a hearty buffet breakfast (almost unheard of at rival hotels). Other welcome extras include ‘office shuttlebus’ services to the city center for those on special package deals. The lobby, with its combined reception/café/lounge, is bright and airy. Almost all rooms are in the ‘standard’ category and compact but cheery, and feature full-length windows and cute sofas. The hotel is within an affluent inner-city suburb packed with terrific cafés and bars, and nearby is a shady park flanked by colonial-era buildings. Also within walking distance are the Central train station, Chinatown, nightlife at Fortitude Valley, and ferries along the river.

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Holiday Inn Express Central – The Location

  • Address: 168 Wharf Street, Spring Hill. The reception is shared with (and looks like) a bar/café, which is initially confusing.
  • Area: Convenient inner-city suburb with a quietish residential vibe. Only 200m from the edge of the city center and 1 km from Queen Street Mall in downtown. Many apartments and hotels in the vicinity, so plenty of classy cafés and bars along the streets.
  • How to Get There: The Brisbane international and domestic airports are 13 km away. Taxis take around 20 minutes and cost about A$45. Shuttlebuses ($20) direct to the hotel are available through Con-X-ion. Airtrain (20 minutes) connects both airports with Central station. (See Local Transport below for more information.)
  • Nearest Transport: Bus – Wharf Street Stop 167 (50m), Ferry – Riverside (700m), Train – Central (500m) & Roma Street (1.5 km)

Holiday Inn Express Central – The Basics

  • Guests: Mostly designed for business people, but certainly suitable for those on holidays. Not so great for families, however.
  • Pets: Service animals (e.g. guide dogs) allowed, but no pets.
  • Views: Lofty building with few other high-rises nearby, so views of the city streets are extensive from all windows.
  • Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of inner-city business hotel.
  • Extras: Special packages available including ‘office shuttlebus’ services within the city center, mainly for business people.
  • Parking: Self-parking in a secure area beneath the hotel for a reasonable daily rate.
  • How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
  • Phone: +61 (0)7 3833 8888
  • Email: info.bneex@proinvesthotels.com
  • Website: ihg.com

Holiday Inn Express Central – Amenities

  • Pool: No pool, which is perhaps a little surprising, but the low rates reflect this.
  • Spa: Not expected (or provided) at this sort of hotel.
  • Fitness Center: Open 24/7, it’s well-equipped and reasonably spacious. Yoga mats available.
  • Other Facilities: Do-it-yourself laundry. Business Center.

Holiday Inn Express Central – Food and Drink

  • Restaurant & Bar: On the ground floor and sharing the same area as the reception, the Great Room provides a long menu with a focus on healthy eating. Guests can also enjoy light meals and drinks in the lounge.
  • Breakfast: Free buffet breakfast included in all rates – very rare among similar hotels.
  • Room Service: A ‘call and collect’ service available 24/7, i.e. meals can be ordered by phone from the rooms, collected from the restaurant, and eaten in the rooms – but are not delivered by staff.

Holiday Inn Express Central – Rooms

  • Room Type: Almost all rooms are in the same ‘standard’ category. • List of all Rooms
  • Smoking Rooms: No smoking permitted anywhere on the hotel premises.
  • Best Room: Almost all rooms are the same size and feature identical décor. The best rooms are on the higher floors of this tall building, for extensive views and distance from the no-so-busy road.
  • For Families: Rooms are too small for anything other than a cot. For larger families, book 2 connecting rooms.

Holiday Inn Express Central – Local Transport

  • Walking & Cycling: Pleasant area for walking, less so for cycling because of the hilly terrain. Two companies – Lime and Neuron – rent electric scooters. However, there’s no obvious pickup point.
  • Buses & Trains: The free Spring Hill Loop bus stops along Boundary Street very close to the hotel every 10 minutes from about 7 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday on the way to Queen Street in the city center. From Central station (500m), trains head to the airport (see above), and all over the city and state, including the Gold Coast via a connecting tram.
  • Taxis & Ride-shares: Most taxis belong to 2 companies: Black & White Cabs and 13cabs. These can be hailed down from city streets or arranged through the website. Uber also operates throughout Brisbane.
  • Ferries: Three companies operate boats along the river to the city and nearby suburbs: City Cat, the most extensive and frequent service; CityHopper, free and very useful for tourists; and Cross River Ferry, limited to Kangaroo Point. The most convenient terminal is Riverside Terminal.

Holiday Inn Express Central – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants

    The hotel is within 100m of Leichardt Street (up the hill) and Astor Terrace (downhill). Along both is a range of inviting places to eat and drink.
  • Kettle & Brew – At the traffic lights 200m up from the hotel. Casual meals, friendly service, and outdoor tables for people-watching.
  • Burrito Bar – Outlet of a state-wide chain of laidback Mexican joints with colorful décor and tables on the sidewalk.
  • Café Da Vina – Cute family-run eatery serving inexpensive Italian fare. Lovable Mediterranean-style décor. Just around the corner from the hotel on Astor Terrace.
  • Two Donkeys – Classy bistro/bar providing plenty of indoor seating and shady tables outside. Just past Café da Vina.

Best Nearby Bar

  • The Alliance Hotel is in a whitewashed 130-year-old building 200m away, at the top of Leichardt Street. Old-fashioned décor, award-winning pub food, and craft beers.

Nearby Shops

    A few shops around the nearby streets, but mainly for locals rather than tourists, so head to the city center on the Spring Hill Loop bus (see above). Queen Street Mall is an extended vehicle-free street that is shady and a pleasure to explore.

Holiday Inn Express Central – The Hotel

The hotel is located in an affluent neighborhood.

The bright and newly-built Holiday Inn Express Central is in the affluent inner-city suburb of Spring Hill, about 1 km from the city center.

The reception is alongside the restaurant and bar.

The reception area is a little confusing because it shares the same space as the restaurant/bar and guest lounge.

The guest lounge and reception are very colorful.

In a likable combined area at the hotel entrance are the reception desk, restaurant/bar, and large guest lounge packed with colorful furniture.

There is a separate lounge area as well.

Just to the back of the café/bar on the ground floor of the hotel is a secluded lounge area.

Great Room restaurant is bright and airy.

The bright and airy restaurant at the hotel is called the Great Room.

A huge buffet breakfast is included.

Very unusual among similar hotels, a substantial buffet breakfast is included in all rates.

The gym is decent.

Although there is no pool, the fitness center is of reasonable size.

All rooms are compact.

Almost all rooms are the same – compact and with full-length windows.

All rooms have cute window-side sofas.

Every room features a cute sofa alongside the window.

Rooms are chic and colorful.

Furnishings in the rooms are chic and colorful.

Views from rooms are impressive.

In a comparatively low-built area, views from most of the full-length windows are impressive.

Kettle & Brew is great for a quick bite and coffee.

At the traffic lights about 200m up from the hotel are several fabulous places for a quick bite and coffee, including Kettle & Brew.

Burrito Bar is popular for its cheap Mexican fare.

Serving cheap and tasty Mexican food, the popular Burrito Bar is another eatery at the traffic lights just up from the hotel.

Alliance Hotel serves award-winning meals.

A little further down Leichardt Street, the delightful Alliance Hotel is renowned for its award-winning meals.

Two Donkeys is a nice bistro/bar.

Two Donkeys is the odd name of this pleasant bistro/bar close to the hotel.

Café Da Vina is a cute Italian-style café.

Near the Two Donkeys is the family-run Café Da Vina, a cute Italian-style café with a nice décor.

Cathedral Square is a shady retreat close by.

Only 200m down from the hotel, Cathedral Square is packed with shady trees.

Saint John’s Cathedral is opposite Cathedral Square.

Opposite the aptly-named Cathedral Square is Saint John’s Cathedral.

Bicycles can be rented nearby.

Bicycles can be rented from a spot along Turbot Street, but the immediate area is hilly.

Spring Hill Loop is a free bus service in Brisbane.

The best way to reach the city center is via the Spring Hill Loop, a free bus service that stops along Boundary Street near the hotel.

The city center features old and modern buildings.

The city center is a pleasant mix of old and new.

Queen Street Mall pedestrian street can be access by free bus.

The prime place in the city center for shopping is Queen Street Mall, a pedestrian street easily accessible from the hotel via the free Spring Hill Loop bus. Check rates and availability: Holiday Inn Express Central

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