5-Star Hotels in Queensland, Australia

First time staying at a Shangri La. It wasn't terrible. But it wasn't good. Or at least not as good as I expected. Starting with the positives. The location of the hotel is superb in Cairns. Great. Now the negatives. The finishings in the room were not up to the five star standard I'd expect in terms of just general quality. The cupboard door was also broken and hanging off the hinges. The TV was attached to a wall so that you cannot watch it from the bed or the built in seating/sofa. So if you want to watch you have to stand in the middle of the room. Badly designed and a poor experience. Luckily I was only staying a few nights. There was a fire alarm one of the days. Fine. But the housekeeping came at the exact same time as the fire alarm announcement. Wasn't sure if it was the door or the alarm. And resulted in the housekeeper walking in when I had no clothes on! For the money. It's not worth it. You can get better stays on Cairns. I stayed in a cheaper 4 star place which was much nicer and cheaper. Wouldn't stay again. Questioning on staying in the chain elsewhere.

My stay at the Emporium Hotel was nothing short of outstanding. From the moment we arrived, I was greeted with warm smiles and genuine hospitality that made me feel instantly welcome. The staff went above and beyond to ensure every detail was perfect — their professionalism and attentiveness truly set this hotel apart. The rooms were beautifully designed, combining modern luxury with absolute comfort. Everything was spotless, and the little touches — from high-quality amenities to thoughtful turndown service — showed the hotel’s commitment to excellence. Dining at the hotel was another highlight. Every meal was beautifully presented and delicious, with service that was both prompt and personable. The concierge team was incredibly helpful, offering great local recommendations and arranging everything seamlessly. What really impressed me most was the superb service. Every interaction felt genuine — the staff clearly take pride in what they do, and it shows in every detail of the guest experience. If you’re looking for a luxurious stay with world-class service and a truly welcoming atmosphere, I can’t recommend the Emporium Hotel highly enough. It’s an experience that exceeds expectations in every way.”

A decent five-star hotel. The room was spacious and even had a balcony, perfect for enjoying the refreshing sea breeze. It's located right in the city center, making it convenient to get anywhere – Cairns itself is quite small, so you can easily walk to most places. A taxi from the airport to the hotel was around 25 AUD.

The views are unbeatable! I watched the sunrise over the ocean right from my bed 🌅. The location is absolutely amazing! You just cross the street and you're on the beach – literally a few steps away, nothing like those places back home where you have to walk 5 minutes and cross a road. The hotel pool is fantastic and the surroundings are lovely. Eating out in Australia is so expensive, so the apartment hotel concept here is brilliant. We bought some noodles and veggies at a nearby supermarket and cooked a delicious dinner, which was so much more cost-effective. Plus, there's a washer and dryer, perfect for catching up on all the laundry I didn't get to in Sydney. Having clean, fresh-smelling clothes again was such a relief! I could easily stay here for several more days; it's super convenient for the beach, shopping, and theme parks like Sea World.

The hotel's location is excellent, with plenty of dining and entertainment options within a 1km radius, and it's only 1km to the South Bank. The front desk staff were incredibly welcoming, and the doormen were very attentive. Since we had an early flight at 7 AM, the supervisor thoughtfully packed us a meal to go. Thank you!

The environment here is absolutely impeccable, I must say. The lobby, rooms, pool, and rooftop restaurant are all beautifully decorated. As for the facilities, they're also excellent. Being a new hotel, everything is very modern. However, the bathroom has one major drawback: there's nowhere to put your phone if you're in the toilet area. Cleanliness is very good. Rooms are only cleaned if you notify the front desk daily, and that 'clean room' light doesn't seem to do much. Service, though, was just mediocre. The staff at the rooftop restaurant, in particular, had a terrible attitude, acting completely uninterested. The front desk staff were quite good at check-in, but poor communication during shift changes led to a significant amount of money being unjustly charged to my credit card. I only discovered this because I noticed the unreasonable charges in time. It took involving Trip.com and my bank to resolve it, especially since the charges happened 3 days after I had already left the hotel, with no email notification whatsoever. If I hadn't been vigilant, I wouldn't have known about these losses, as they only appear on the statement – this is truly awful. There's even one charge I'm still unclear about, but it's too late to investigate further. So, when staying at this hotel, you absolutely need to keep a close eye on your bill! This whole ordeal even affected my subsequent vacation, as I spent every day trying to sort this out!

The hotel's location is excellent, right on Queen Street. You can easily walk to South Bank just by crossing the bridge, and public transportation nearby is very convenient. My room type booking was incorrect due to an issue with Ctrip, but it was resolved very quickly, and the hotel staff were very proactive. The breakfast was good, and staying in a triple room with two people was very comfortable, as it had two bathrooms. Room cleaning was also done promptly. Overall, I highly recommend it. The front desk supervisor is Chinese and speaks Mandarin, which made communication very smooth.

Friendly, helpful check-in. The man at the counter offered extra towels when he heard we were taking a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Paid a little extra for an upgrade as we wanted to check in early. Room was fine temperature and bed comfort-wise. It was a little bit dark when in the room at night. Also, there are no type c or plug ins next to the bed, just old style USB. We didn’t have breakfast but enjoyed a drink in one of the cocktail bars by the pool. Would recommend and stay again for its cost and location.

The one bedroom apartment is reasonably sized and had a balcony looking out over other apartments and the river. The bedroom also had a balcony. With bathroom a modern and there was no kitchen facilities. Only a fridge and kettle. If you need to use a microwave, you need to go the the basement and use one in the laundry. The outside pool and pool furniture is great and the roof top restaurant and bar has amazing city and river views. The staff are very friendly. There is a carpark under the hotel with easy access to your apartment floor.

Living Room bar is a must to visit !! Tony and his colleagues were super hospitable, mixed us most of the menu items, and our favourites were the Beet-ness and Espresso 2.0. We stayed for only the one night on the 19th floor and thought the view at night was great. Waking up to see so much of Brisbane in the morning was a real surprise. Breakfast Buffet menu options were vast, however we chose from the à la carte menu paired with some fantastic coffees to start the day.