I've always considered the Stamford Plaza to be the best hotel in Brisbane. The other big chain luxury hotels are all very nice but always felt a bit sterile to me whereas the Stamford is classically elegant and cut-above the rest in terms of location and service. I have used the Stamford Plaza for a number of years, both to host clients and colleagues travelling from interstate and overseas who have always spoken highly of it and have used their restaurants, Kabuki, MooMoos (previously Siggis) and the Brasserie on many occasions for special family functions (and sometimes just for a lazy Sunday morning brunch and found them to be high quality. I have also always found the quality and service exceptional so was surprised by some of the even very few comments here to the contrary. I recently looked around for a location to host a very special function in the next couple of months and found myself coming back again to the Stamford. We've booked their Stamford Suite for a night (including a special birthday dinner for 12) in late March. Their Events Planner couldn't have been more helpful and didn't flinch at any of my requests. This is a first class 5 star hotel, evidenced in part by the number of international celebrities, heads of state and other dignitaries that have stayed here over the years, including QEII. I suppose this means I'm not the only one who thinks this is the best hotel in Brisbane!

My husband and I were given a Summer Saver night as a thank you from our daughter. We arrived on a very wet Friday night. The reception staff were quite friendly but could have been a little slower explaining the inclusions of our package when we told her it was a gift.
We had a room on the 10th floor with the outstanding views that the hotel is known for. Even thought the weather was grey the view is still amazing and at night the lights are beautiful.
The room was spacious and clean but on closer inspection it was showing wear such as paint knocked, tired dull carpet, chippped enamel bath, mouldy grout (a particular hate of mine) and the towels could have been a bit more white and less grey. The decor is very dated. Heavy timber, yellow lampshades beside the bathroom mirror that gave a dull yellow glow to your face! Only one bedside table and a standard lamp on the other side of the bed with no low switch access so you had to get out of bed to turn the light off.
We had cocktails in the Pav bar and as we were almost the only ones there we had great service. My husband tried the Stamford Sling and I had mine created especially for me. It was definitely the best service by a very friendly staff member.
The buffet breakfast in the package was outstanding. Every whim catered for and a table by the window with a river view was magic. The coffee service was odd as you weren't allowed to serve yourself so there was confusion over getting it to your table as the greetting staff were also the coffee waiters and they were busy so getting the first cup was slow and the second even slower. Tip :get the coffee from the kitchen and not the coffee pot on the bench it's much nicer.

This time I booked my room through a special promotion on a website. It seemed that the staff at the reception was very well aware of this, I felt like a guest of second class to them, they where arrogant at the reception and not helpful in any case. They where for example not able to help with a restaurant advice and recommened only their own places in the hotel. Despite arriving very early in the morning after a 24h flight they couldn't offer me anything at all during my several hours waiting time until my room was ready for check-in, not even a coffee. They did even point out to me that no room „of my booking class“ was ready a bit earlier. For a single hour of later check-out I did have to pay an extra amount. I will never again go back to this place.
Bathroom was very well cleaned and huge. The room is very oldfashioned and hasn't any chic as people might would expect. There is not enough storage for clothes, only some hangers. The carpet was dirty and the room dusty. The pool looked not clean at all and the pillows out there grey and dirty. The view of the river and boats was nice, location is very central.

There is an axiom applying to many hotels and restaurants: The better the view, the worse the service. This certainly applies to the Stamford Brisbane! The view from the 19th floor over the Brisbane river is outstanding - the service the opposite! With a corner Junior suite having three windows with heavy curtains plus a heavy bed cover, one could expect in this 5 star hotel to provide a turndown service automatically. But when one puts the switch on 'Make up the room' then this ought to be even more the case. But not at the Stamford. They add insult to injury by responding to a claim that one ought to have requested turn-down service in person. What? On one's knees at the Concierge? Quite apart from the fact that the air conditioning is so noisy that one has to turn it off at night - without being able to open a window instead. There are plenty of lovely 5 star hotels in Brisbane to give this one a miss next time.