Iconic pubs just outside Paddington — the Normanby in Red Hill, the Regatta in Toowong and the Caxton in Petrie Terrace — have been identified as possible venues to include hotel-style rooms as Brisbane works to boost accommodation supply ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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Brisbane’s new Suburban Pub Stays Strategy proposes encouraging suburban pub owners to redevelop under-utilised sites to include guest rooms and function spaces. The strategy, now open for public consultation, focuses on pubs sitting on larger sites that could be adapted for mixed use.
Council’s analysis found more than 70 pubs across Brisbane are on sites of 2000 square metres or more, but only a portion currently provide accommodation. If about 20 of those venues were redeveloped to include hotel rooms, planners say this could add more than 1,600 beds to Brisbane’s accommodation inventory, a figure aimed at helping meet demand during major events and everyday tourism needs.
The Normanby, Regatta, and Caxton hotels are long-established fixtures near Paddington, close to transport links and activity hubs in Brisbane’s inner west. Their inclusion in discussions around the strategy reflects both their size and central role in local communities.
Council has signalled that planning changes could be considered to help make it easier for pub owners and operators to add accommodation and conference facilities to their sites. The intention is to increase the city’s overnight visitor capacity in a way that does not unduly reduce long-term rental housing in existing residential areas.
Brisbane’s accommodation market has been flagged by tourism bodies as under pressure. South-east Queensland currently has around 46,000 hotel rooms and is projected to grow modestly over the next few years, leaving room numbers below levels seen in other major global cities that have hosted Olympics. Industry stakeholders argue that diversified accommodation models, beyond large, inner-city hotel towers, are part of a broader solution.
Smaller projects based in suburban centres can respond more quickly to market conditions and may be delivered by builders who are less constrained than those engaged in larger developments. Recent suburban hotel additions in Brisbane have shown there is interest for local stay options outside the central business district.
Leaders from the Queensland hotel industry have pointed out that pubs are spread across the city and well positioned to offer convenient places for visitors to stay, whether they are in town for work, events or to see friends and family. They also stress that easing planning hurdles can help venues reinvest in their properties and support local jobs.
For residents near Paddington and neighbouring suburbs, any proposal to add accommodation will be shaped by the planning system and subject to community feedback. Issues such as building design and neighbourhood character are likely to be part of that conversation.
Proponents of the strategy say that putting rooms on existing suburban sites could ease pressure on the inner-city hotel market and deliver a legacy of more diverse stay options for Brisbane long after the 2032 Games have concluded.
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Public consultation on the Suburban Pub Stays Strategy remains open, giving local residents and business owners a chance to have their say on whether some of Brisbane’s best-known pubs should once again offer overnight accommodation.
Published 16-December-2025
