Review: The Westin Brisbane (One Bedroom Executive Suite)

Brisbane is such an interesting city, and when I took the Delta inaugural to Queensland's capital city, I couldn't decide where to stay. After much searching, I finally came across The Westin, and I think it was the most perfect choice.

Booking

It was summer in Brisbane during my trip, right before the big school summer holiday. Yes, Australia has a summer break in December, usually 5 weeks from about the week before Christmas all the way to the end of January.

For that, hotels were on the expensive side, but I managed to pick up The Westin for right around 123k points for a 5-day stay utilizing the 5th night free perk from Marriott.

The normal cash rate for the hotel will set you back about $300 AUD ($191 USD) per night without taxes and additional fees.

Location

In my opinion, The Westin is situated in the perfect spot between all the major things to do in the city. The main city is located along a winding river, and it's situated perfectly between the West, South, and East banks, making it easily walkable.

It's two blocks away from the town hall and bus terminal, two blocks from the river walk on the East side of the city, and 3 blocks to the West for the casino and the river bridge to the South Bank area.

Some like to say The W is the best hotel in the city, but it is situated on the far West side of the city, making it quite the walk to anything on the East side.

Check-In

During the high season, don't expect to check-in early. I arrived to the hotel around 10AM, the flights from the United States land at the Brisbane airport around 7AM, and obviously my room wasn't ready.

However, the hotel will hold your bags and deliver them to your room when ready. I ended up dropping my bags and going out to explore the city for a few hours. The hotel was nice enough to text me right around 3PM letting my know my room was ready.

The Room

I used my Nightly Upgrade Award (my choice benefit for having Titanium status) and was able to secure a One Bedroom Executive Suite on the Club Level about 24 hours prior to arrival.

The space was decently sized with a nice living area that included a couch, table, wall mounted TV, a coffee and snack bar, as well as glassware. The bedroom was large with a generously sized closet, King bed, desk, and large windows to look out over the city.

I was surprised that the balcony door opens, most are typically locked shut in the United States. But the views out over the town were amazing. While I had booked a King bedroom with a river view, I found this just as acceptable.

I still had a view of the river from my balcony, but it was much better to see it up close.

At night, it was nice to come out and people watch from the balcony, the buildings across the street are office and residential, and it was relaxing at night to get a view.

We were pretty high up, this was the 14th floor out of 16 floors. It was just as grand looking down as it was around.

The bathroom was also very nice, it was a little jarring to see the shower as an open concept with the tub right next to it, but it makes sense. It was also nice to see that along with the amenities on the wall, that smaller personal ones were provided alongside it. Additionally, under the vanity there was a box full of common use amenities, which included toothbrushes, shaving kit, sewing kit, and cotton swabs.

Overall, I was super impressed with the room. The Westin Heavenly beds are certainly my preferred bed of choice, and it was incredibly comfortable to sleep in. There were room lighting controls and individual plugs next to each side of the bed, which isn't to be taken granted of these days.

Food

The room comes fully stocked with a minibar, both drinks and snacks available. However, with the pricing, you're better off walking the block down the street to the convenience mart for better snack selection and drinks.

There is both a lobby bar serving a selection of food and drinks from breakfast to dinner, and a full service dining room on the second floor. I didn't eat much at the hotel, given the city had so many good places to walk to and eat at. I did splurge for one meal on the day that it was pouring rain in the city and didn't feel like going out. It was a club sandwich which was both filling and delicious.

Service

All throughout the stay, the staff was lovely to talk to and very responsive to concerns or feedback. I ended up having an issue with the hot water in the shower, but it ended up being user error and the hotel management was very quick to get back to me on how to operate.

Note: Turn the knob to the temperature you want first, then lift to turn on the water, otherwise the hot water will not come on.

There was also a proper Club lounge that included Hors d'oeuvres in the evening, a breakfast selection in the mornings, and drinks (including a custom coffee machine) at all times of the day.

The pool was quite busy all the days that I was at the hotel, including the pool bar which served drinks and food all day long. While it would have been cool if it was a rooftop pool, it is located on the second floor, meaning you get a lot of the city sounds while relaxing.

I was very surprised to also see a turn down service nightly. Again, it's those small things that you take for granted and don't expect anymore at chain hotels.

Final Thoughts

I was blown away by the service and quality at The Westin Brisbane. Everyone was personable and ready to help, the food was excellent, and the small things make this hotel worthwhile. I especially enjoyed the location of the hotel, while you could be right along the water at another Marriott hotel like The W, it would have made walking to the other side of the city a pain. I would gladly give up the water front views for a central place that is easy walking to everything around town.

Likewise, I can't say enough how much I loved the city of Brisbane and the great urban exploration you can achieve there.