Soho Brisbane

The location is both a big plus and a bit of a challenge. Soho Brisbane is at the top of Wickham Terrace, with Brisbane's historic windmill and a park across the road, and an entrance to Roma St Parklands a little farther along. But it’s in the medical precinct, and after 5pm the only nearby food option is the Mercure Hotel next door. The rooms have been lovingly maintained, with silver gilt-edged mirrors, pristine carpets, cedar furniture and small touches like tissue box holders and waste bins bearing the hotel logo. There are tea and coffee facilities, a fridge with freezer compartment, plenty of toiletries and a hairdryer. The professionally laundered linen and towels were nice, and each room has a small Parisian-style balcony for fresh air. Soho Brisbane has been around under that name for decades. I remember visiting a friend there in 1989, when we were both in our early twenties and she was staying there from Tasmania. The basement restaurant, closed for several years now, had decor that reminded me of the 60s and 70s when I ate there years ago, so it must date back at least that far.

The bed seems comfortable, and there’s a small balcony with a bit of a view. Its door slides into the wall, which is a neat detail. The room is tidy and has a kettle and small fridge, but no toaster or microwave, so you’ll need to eat out. It’s nothing fancy, though it’ll do the job. I’m only here for two nights.

For one night at this price, it worked well, especially since we were mostly going to be out. The room was small but comfortable enough, and the shower had strong pressure and plenty of hot water, though it did spray around. We had no trouble parking on the street, but that’s public parking. Reception said we could ask the hotel next door, which charges $25 for the night. Check-in was a bit disappointing. The listing says free on-site parking, but spaces are limited, so get there early. We’d booked one large bed but were first given a room with two singles because rooms are assigned on arrival. They handled our request well and moved us to another room.

We stayed at soho hotel for four nights and were disappointed by how room cleaning was handled. On the second day, nobody cleaned or asked whether we wanted the room cleaned. We mentioned it at reception the next day and were told cleaning should be daily, but we had to request it ourselves. We asked for the room to be cleaned that day and the following day, and the receptionist said she’d made a note. It was cleaned that day, but again not the next. On checkout day, cleaners knocked at 9:30am asking us to clean the room, even though checkout wasn’t until 11am. There wasn’t even a door sign to request cleaning. A towel we were given as clean also had a stain on it. Please make sure rooms are looked after during guests’ stays, even if that just means making the beds, topping up tea and coffee, and emptying the bins rather than changing linen.