First Look: Inside the $15m restoration of this iconic city hotel

The owners of the Lord Stanley Hotel have revealed the secrets behind its new look, after reopening in May with a $15 million makeover.

Located in East Brisbane and near the city’s iconic Gabba Stadium, the hotel was bought by Hakfoort Group in 2022 and shut down for an extensive refurbishment of the heritage site.

Today, the hotel’s redesign is complete, and includes a significant extension to the 135 year-old building.

MORE: Theme park legend’s crypto hideaway hits the market

Zac Efron’s Aussie long lunch haunt is on the market

The Lord Stanley Hotel’s brand new look debuted in early May, after a $15m refurbishment. Picture: Artem Kuznetsov

New owners Hakfoort Group worked to keep remaining heritage elements of the building while creating a brand new design. Picture: Artem Kuznetsov

MORE: Buyer of $12m mansion plans to give it away

Auction drama marks jaw-dropping sale of Aus’ ‘best build’

Construction workers removed much of the building’s current state to accomplish this, working around the heritage aspects of the hotel as they did so.

Hakfoort Group director Albert Hakfoort said looking back, building around a hotel that changed so much over the decades proved more of a challenge than expected.

“We’ve uncovered some pretty hairy things,” he said. “Part of the discovery in the demolition process: you uncover warts that had been covered up under previous refurbishments.”

Director Albert Hakfoort said the revival of the hotel involved discovering wild secrets hiding within the building’s old construction. Picture: Artem Kuznetsov

New features – such as a beer garden with more than 1000 plants – replaced outdated ones, while keeping the heritage aspects that remained on the site. Picture: Artem Kuznetsov

MORE: Quirky solution to housing crisis

Artist builds Aus first aircrete dome home

These included access points, doorways, windows and even the stringer of a stairwell along what was previously the outside of the hotel.

“You can see where they’d paint around it – you can see the outline of the stairs,” he said.

But through the process, Mr Hakfoort said his team was able to build the hotel anew, while taking care to preserve and promote the original parts of the heritage building.

“We have been very close to a heritage architect through this process,” he said. “Everything heritage absolutely has remained.”

“Fortunately, we’ve been able to find some of the original archways and a fireplace that had been left to wither and die … uncovering those has been very exciting, and I think the end result is very refreshing.”

The hotel now has extended outdoor areas, along with a sports bar with 200’ LED TV wall, to go with the new restaurant. Picture: Artem Kuznetsov

Another new addition is a kids play area, which also includes bean bags, gaming consoles and an 85’ TV. Picture: Artem Kuznetsov

MORE: Shock: Brisbane prices to smash Sydney

Australia’s biggest political property moguls revealed

Heritage features include preserved red brick facade and a top level function room with removed cladding, allowing visitors to see the original heritage brickwork that surrounded the space.

Meanwhile the new hotel features additions such as a sports bar with a 200’ LED TV wall, and a beer garden with more than 1000 plants.

The garden’s plants were purchased more than a year ago, given time to grow before they were placed in the hotel. Two mature trees were also imported to be transplanted in the garden before the opening event.

“The beer garden is better than what I’d hoped,” Mr Hakfoort said. “Within 12 months, we hope to have a fully mature plant area in there.”

The hotel was closed in May 2024 for demolishment and reconstruction.

During the refurbishment, Hakfoort Group found features of previous hotel iterations hiding in the walls, working with a heritage architect to identify what was original.

Mr Hakfoort, whose company has worked on renovating other Brisbane hotels, said the end product would be unrecognisable to people who’d visited in the past – but he still wanted to make sure it was respectful of the hotel’s origins.

“I think going into an older hotel has that character,” he said. “There’s an attachment to something historical there. If you walk into a modern hotel, they do kind of look the same.”

“It’s a moment in time that just won’t be replicated again, and rather than hiding it, we’ve chosen to accentuate it.”

The Lord Stanley Hotel more than a decade ago.

A render of the planned redesign.

The hotel’s grand opening took place on May 8, with its doors open to the public on May 9. Its website now accepts reservations and inquiries for events, such as room hiring for functions.