About Demanali, a Small Hotel on Grey Street in South Brisbane
Demanali is a 48-room boutique hotel and rooftop event venue on Grey Street in South Brisbane, run by the same small team since 2016.
A hotel run by people who live nearby
Most of the staff walk or cycle to work. That's not a slogan, it's why we know which coffee place opens early and which restaurant on Grey Street changed hands last month. When a guest asks where to eat, the answer comes from someone who ate there last week.
We bought the building in 2016, gutted the old office wing, and turned it into something we'd actually want to stay in. The rooms are bigger than they need to be. The breakfast runs until eleven because nobody wants to rush on holiday. The desk is staffed all night because flights get delayed.
What we're not trying to be is a chain hotel with a lobby you could skateboard through. There's no scented candle strategy and no loyalty points. The point is a room that works, staff who know your name by the second day, and a rooftop that people actually want to book for their wedding.
275 Grey Street
Nine minutes on foot from South Bank, six from the arts centre, and about fifteen from the CBD over the bridge. The river boardwalk starts at the end of the block.
How a tired office block became a hotel
The building has been on this spot since the mid-nineties, but almost none of that time was as a hotel.
Offices, mostly empty
Built as commercial space for a freight company that eventually moved out. Two floors sat vacant for years while the owners argued about what to do with the building.
First life as a hotel
A previous operator converted the upper floors into hotel rooms. It ran for seven years but never got the investment it needed, and by the end the reviews were getting grim.
We take it on
We bought the lease and closed for eleven months. The office wing on the east side became 26 river-view suites with real balconies. First guests arrived the week before Christmas.
Glazing, weather sealing and the rooftop
New double glazing on the street side, and the old plant room up top became a proper event level. First booking was a software launch for 140 people.
Beds, drapes and the small stuff
New mattresses across every room, blackout drapes, a pillow menu and better desk lighting. We tested eleven mattress brands with real guests before picking one.
Three things we won't compromise on
We've got a short list of rules that haven't changed since 2016, and a longer list of things we do not bother with.
A room you can actually sleep in
Firm mattress, soft topper, blackout drapes and real double glazing. We spend money on the parts of a room people notice at 2am, not the parts they photograph.
One price, nothing hidden
Breakfast, Wi-Fi, pool and gym are in the rate. No resort fee, no surprise charge for the minibar tonic you didn't take. What we quote is what the card gets debited.
The same staff, on purpose
The events manager has run the rooftop since it opened. Front desk turnover is low because we pay properly. Guests recognise the same faces on repeat visits.
Two things, done well
Rooms for people staying the night, and a rooftop for people throwing something with a guest list. We do not run a restaurant, a spa, or a casino, and we're not planning to. The hotel is the hotel and the rooftop is the rooftop.
The people you'll actually deal with
Small team means no call centres. Whoever replies to your email is the same person who checks you in.
Ran bars and small hotels around Brisbane for fifteen years before buying this place. Still does the Saturday-morning walk-through himself.
Joined as front-desk supervisor in 2018 and took the manager's job two years later. Looks after housekeeping, front desk and anything a guest complains about.
Ran the rooftop since the first launch night in 2019. Knows exactly how long a 180-person cocktail hour takes to clear and what breaks when the guest list doubles.
Runs the breakfast kitchen and the rooftop catering. Came from a hotel in Auckland and still argues for a proper hangi menu on the winter events list.
Events and stays we've hosted lately
A rough sample of what goes on upstairs and downstairs on any given month.
What we got right, and what we got wrong
Nobody writes an about page that admits the misses, so here are ours. We spent too much on a fancy lobby sofa nobody sat on in 2017, and the first rooftop bar setup was temporary trestle tables that wobbled during a launch night in 2018. Both got fixed, and the sofa went to the staff room.
The bigger miss was underestimating how much work the events side would be. We added a full-time events manager in 2019 and stopped trying to run both the hotel and the venue with the same three people. Bookings went smoother almost immediately.
Get in touchThings guests ask us on the way in
Small practical answers, all of them true.
Rooms for the night, a rooftop for the night that matters
If you're booking a room, start with the suites page and see what's available. If you're planning something with a guest list, the events team will walk you through the space and the costs before you commit to anything.
Walk-throughs of level nine run Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Ring the desk on the number below or send an email with a rough date and headcount and we'll come back with a proper answer.
Still deciding? Ring the desk and talk to someone who's actually in the building.