With Delta’s new LAX to Brisbane route–this Queensland capital city is now accessible to American tourists. So, with your flight already booked—where are you planning to stay in Brisbane, Australia? If you’re after a walkable, design-forward boutique hotel in Brisbane, this one’s worth a stay.

I was thrown off when locals at Black Hops Brewery in the Gold Coast kept referring to Brisbane as “Brissie” or “Brissy.” I told them I was planning on exploring the city before heading back home. But, they kept using the nickname. I was confused? What? Then they let me in on the slang.

To be honest, the city’s slang name kind of gives off a sassy attitude, understated yet elegant, like Elle from Legally Blonde. And, that’s kind of the vibe this coastal city has. Don’t believe me? Brisbane was at one point a strategic headquarters after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This led General MacArthur to establish a U.S. presence starting in Brisbane in 1941. A year later, there was the Battle of Brisbane between allied Americans and Australians. See what I mean? They’re Brissy.

But let’s get back to why you’re here—Hotel X. No matter what vibe you’re looking for—then you’re bound to experience that in Brisbane. And there’s no better way to experience all types of attitude than Fortitude Valley, the heart of Brisbane nightlife, where people dress-up or don’t dress up, and where Hotel X Brisbane is located.

Here’s a brief overview of what to expect while staying at Hotel X.

What is Hotel X Brisbane, Fortitude Valley?

First off, what is Hotel X and why should you care about it? Hotel X is a 146 room hotel part of the IHG Vignette Collection. It a rather bold design–and by bold I’m talking technofunk—with a sophisticated exterior and most importantly, a splashy rooftop bar and pool.

But what really matters is the location. If you’re new to Brisbane and you want to experience many things at once, then there’s no excuse not to have that experience at this hotel. It’s rightly positioned in Fortitude Valley, which always has something going on. Not only can you easily access the outdoor and very busy Brunswick Street Mall, you can also take a stab at the restaurants in Chinatown. But to be honest? You can experience all the action right here at the hotel.

Breakfast is served at Bisou Bisou, a French bistro on the ground floor of Hotel X

But I want to convince you to go outside. Why? You know I was going to mention my favorite part. It’s right near all the hottest breweries in Brisbane! And guess what? They are all within walking distance from the hotel. That’s right! No need for Uber here!

If you bought a car, don’t worry. I was able to park my rental car just fine. Parking is just past the entrance. Do note that many parking spots might not be available during the weekend, since Hotel X can get pretty busy. That’s what happened to me. If you’re in the same position, simply ask Hotel X where you can park the car and they will show you the non-towable areas. You just want to be careful, since the parking garage is split with tenants that live in the same building. 

After driving along Australia’s northeastern coast, I was happy to just leave the rental car and venture on foot. I was finally in a more walkable area compared to the Gold Coast suburbs. 

How to Book Hotel X Brisbane, Fortitude Valley

Without reading this section, the best way to book a room at this hotel is through the Amex Portal. 

But let me let you in on the details. The main reason is that Hotel X Brisbane is part of the Amex Hotel Collection. That means you get a few extra bonus points when you book through Amex.

If you’re not booking through Amex, then you’re in luck. Hotel X is also part of the IHG One Rewards program, meaning you can redeem IHG points.

Does 5X Member Rewards sound good? Well that’s what you get when you book with your Amex Platinum. Who wouldn’t want that? Sign me up for an extra possibility to earn more miles towards my next, future trip to Australia.

But the real benefit comes after staying a minimum of two consecutive nights, which is exactly how long I stayed here. If you meet the minimum, you unlock the following: 

• 12pm check-in (when available)
• Room upgrade at check-in (when available)
• $100 USD Credit: A complimentary credit towards eligible charges, such as food and beverage, spa, or other on-property charges. In this case, the Irish Spanish rooftop bar and restaurant. 
• Late check-out (when available) 

If you don’t know the benefit of a late check out or room upgrade then you’re missing out. The real benefit here is the $100 USD credit. When applied you are using USD not AUD (Australian dollars). That gives you even more room to squeeze in an extra appetizer or a drink due to the currency conversion and strength of the U.S. dollar.

And don’t worry, if you book two rooms—which I did at the hotel ME Barcelona, another Hotel Collection property—each room gets a $100 credit. 

Cost Information:

• Cost: $365.16
• Taxes & Fees: $36.51
• Total Cost: $401.67
• Due at Hotel: $0.00

Hotel Details:

458 BRUNSWICK STREET
Fortitude Valley
QLD, AU, 4006
+61 735191000
Number of Nights: 2
Room Type: Standard Room, 1 King Bed

Gear Used

The Room at Hotel X Brisbane, Fortitude Valley

I found the rooms here to be very refreshing, more of a pop-art style that would compliment the styles of pop artists such Andy Warhol with maybe a mix of minimalism. 

If you’re booking with points, note that Hotel X Brisbane is also part of the IHG One Rewards program

The hotel reminded me a lot of Hotel Zena in Washington, D.C. and would also probably be the type of property that Mr. WorldWide aka Pitbull would stay in. That’s because Hotel X has a new age discothèque feel to it both on the interior and exterior. In the rooms, the interior is marked with triangular accents and lots of purple; it might as well be a Delta Air Lines branded hotel. 

Everything in the room from functionality to layout seemed to flow nicely. And, overall, I didn’t have any issues with the hotel. 

Near the bed, you have an iPad style device that allows you to order room service. 

My only small gripe was in the bathroom. No, I didn’t have an accident! But, the polka-dot tiled bathroom offered little room to do what you needed to do—which is wash your hands. Haha, gotcha! You thought I would say something else.

But seriously, I’m just not a fan if there is no space to wash your hands. I need to start carrying a ruler. You might not think it’s a big deal. But consider this—what if you go to the bathroom and you just ate some really bad food and now you have to wash your hands. You’re like Austin powers trying to back the car out of the tiny hallway in Austin Powers. Like c’mon you can’t lift up the faucet by an inch of two? Who signed off on this?

Or, if you’re a contact lens user like myself and need to wash your hands thoroughly and clean your lens case. Well now you’re like Russel Crowe in A Beautiful Mind trying to think of the Pythagorean theorem just to make sure your hands wash at a certain angle. I wish I was joking!

In other news, I didn’t get a chance to run a speedtest on the internet connection (maybe I’ll save that for a future trip?). But the speeds were more than adequate for remote work. 

What to Eat and Drink at Hotel X Brisbane, Fortitude Valley

With your $100 USD credit enabled by your American Express Platinum–why aren’t you trying to eat here? Let’s get you started. 

If I were you, I’d start off at Hotel X’s Iris rooftop restaurant at night. That’s where everything is happening. People want to be seen. Men in suits and women in body hugging or elegant dresses. And maybe a few people showing off. 

Other people might say check it out in the daytime. But, the sunlight is best reserved for exploring the city. At night, that’s when you can fully appreciate the beauty of the Brisbane skyline. 

For some reason, at night, the city skyline appears more full and vibrant, as if it were a mini-Hong Kong or Chicago (depending on the angle). There’s just something when the lights of the skyscrapers shimmer at night, as if singing a song. I mean honestly, it could just be my astigmatism playing tricks. But in reality, the night vibe is really inviting and makes you feel that you’re part of something. 

I did not make any reservations and was able to get seated. There’s also seating at the bar.  However, do know that it gets crowded and seating might be difficult to find. 

Once you sit down or ask the bartender for the menu—then the real challenge starts. The Spanish tapas menu made it super hard for me to pick what I wanted. I even asked the waiter and bartender for help.

I mean—OK—you help me out. Would you want the Australian Bay Lobster ($59 AUD)? 200g Black angus tenderloin with salsa escabeche ($49 AUD)? Slow roasted lamb shoulder ($79 AUD)? Or, maybe you’d prefer the Spanish style roasted chicken with sweet corn salsa ($44 AUD)?

Food Note: For my American audience who haven’t tried Australian steak, don’t overlook it. Australia has large cattle ranches. But, they are so large, they are called “cattle stations.” The sheer size of them can dwarf our ranches. There’s even one that’s around 4.5x the size of the state of Delaware or almost the size of New Jersey–like Anna Creek Station. If you’re curious on this topic and want to know more check out the Australian Netflix show Territory.

And—if you wanted pure tapas–what would you get? The Ora King salmon crudo ($28 AUD)?  Grilled baby octopus ($25 AUD)? Just reading the word “octopus” or “pulpitos” reminded me specifically of this Columbian restaurant in Chicago—Las Tablas—that has amazing pulpitos a la plancha / pulpitos al carbon–that my Colombian uncle would always bring during the holidays.

As I went back and forth with the waiters and bartender. I finally landed on the steak ($49 AUD) and the patatas brava ($19 AUD). I just had to get the patatas brava especially, since they reminded me so much of the many times I’ve spent in Spain, in particular, Madrid.  

Food Note: Patatas Bravas are a popular Spanish tapas. Here at Hotel X, they are served as sliced potatoes that are baked and fried with pecorino, paprika, a spicy sauce and saffron aioli. Traditionally, they are usually served as fried potato cubes that are fried until golden and served with a spicy-tomato-based sauce (salsa bra)–which you see in the photo above—and sometimes with aioli–garlic mayonnaise. If you really want to try this dish yourself—then check out Kenji Lopez-Alt’s recipe on Serious Eats here.

For my dinner I spent a total of $43.65 USD. That means that out of $100 USD ($156.25 AUD), that left me with $56.35 USD left to spend or $88.05 AUD. And the balance has to be used, since it doesn’t roll over. Or, you don’t have to use it fully.

Another point to remember, the $100 credit is US Dollars across these global Hotel Collection properties. So if you leverage geographical arbitrage—meaning you pick a hotel in a country with a less competitive currency than the dollar—you will get even more bang for—out of?—your buck in terms of your credit.

What to Do Around Hotel X Brisbane, Fortitude Valley

Hotel X is in close approximation to many coffee shops, restaurants, and most importantly breweries. I recommend starting your day getting artisan coffee at Bellissimo–one of Australia’s top coffee roasters, having won over 100+ awards.

And, with the ironic Story Bridge within walking distance, there is no reason to not head to Felon’s brewery–not necessarily for their beer–but for the beautiful city views. 

I recommend going at night which allows you to fully capture the beauty of the bridge as it changes color (which in my opinion outweighs the quality of the beer) and watch the water glisten as you watch the boats pass. 

However, I wouldn’t spend too much time here. Instead, I would make your way to either Green Beacon Brewing Co. in Teneriffe or Range Brewery in Newstead. 

If none of these suit you. I would still take a night stroll outside the hotel. Grab a no-frills shawarma at Kebab Corner, right across the street, and then make your way to Brunswick street. There you will easily run into Brunswick Street Mall, which is an open air mall, where at night it gets super crowded. I wouldn’t say it’s like Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, but maybe the drunken version of that and 50% less people.

Hotel X

Tips, Tricks, and Logistics

• Book through Amex Hotel Collection to get a $100 USD credit—perfect for dining at Iris Rooftop or Bisou Bisou. Must stay a minimum of 2 nights to qualify.
• Avoid weekend parking headaches by arriving early or asking staff for alternative nearby spots; the garage fills up fast and is shared with residents.
• Request a room with city views facing Story Bridge for one of the best skyline scenes in Fortitude Valley (especially at night).
• Use your $100 credit strategically—because it’s in USD, you’ll get more value in AUD. Two tapas + an entrée at Iris = nearly a free dinner.
• Walkable to breweries and nightlife — skip Ubers. Hotel X puts you steps from Brunswick Street Mall, Felons Brewery, and James Street shops.

Trip Soundtrack

Because every adventure needs a soundtrack, each of my trips comes with a theme song. And for this trip's anthem? Well, it's...

Fortitude Valley - Sunshine State

Conclusion 

If you’re searching for a luxury hotel in Fortitude Valley—right in the heart of it—that’s also walkable, design-forward, and earns you points, then Hotel X is your property. There’s no other spot than right next to Brisbane’s nightlife.

Hotel X Brisbane’s convenient location next to Story Bridge, slew of coffee spots, and breweries makes it a worthy property to add to your Brisbane trip planning list. 

And, once you factor in the benefits of the American Express Platinum card, then now you are receiving an even greater value for staying at this property. With $100 USD to use across this property and its amazing restaurants, like Iris—there’s no better way to get those breathtaking night time views of the Brissie skyline. 

Wait, I still can’t tell if it’s “Brissy,” “Brizzy,” or “Brissie.” Either way, I’ll see you next time!

Cheers!