NEXT Hotel Brisbane officially opened ahead of G20 Summit

SilverNeedle Hospitality has officially declared its flagship NEXT Hotel open in Brisbane, together with the Lennons Restaurant & Bar, a modern restaurant and bar featuring Queensland’s best artisanal produce.

Lennons was the name of the hotel in the NEXT Hotel building prior to SilverNeedle Hospitality carrying out its rebranding and redevelopment as the NEXT Hotel Brisbane.

Source: SilverNeedle Hospitality.
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Brisbane
Graham Quirk, and Iqbal Jumabhoy, Managing Director
& Group CEO of SilverNeedle Hospitality on the
roof terrace for the opening ceremony.

Following a multi-million dollar redevelopment, Singapore-based SilverNeedle Hospitality adds hotel rooms to the city of Brisbane, which will host the G20 Summit next month. Located in Queen Street Mall, one of Australia’s busiest pedestrian malls and close to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Convention Centre and the Brisbane River, NEXT Hotel Brisbane and Lennons Restaurant & Bar are perfectly located to suit the professional and leisure needs of the business traveller. 

"We are excited to launch the first of our flagship brand, NEXT Hotels, in Brisbane. This is also the first hotel in Australia where guests, by downloading the NEXT App, can use their smartphones as mobile keys for their rooms. In another first in Australia, NEXT Hotel Brisbane provides a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone in every room that guests can access as a wireless hotspot when they are outside the hotel,” said Jumabhoy. "Our dedication to providing innovative service points to our commitment in making time count for our busy guests.”
In addition to the innovations mentioned by Jumabhoy, NEXT Hotel Brisbane can also connect calls for guests in Australia through their room numbers, even if the guest is not in the room. 

Another first for Australia was announced during the official opening - US-based fashion giant Forever 21 is locating its first store in Australia in the retail space of the the NEXT Hotel building.

For further details or to make a booking, please visit: nexthotels.com/brisbane

NEXT Hotel Brisbane offers smartphone-based room access

SilverNeedle Hospitality’s flagship NEXT Hotels brand is redesigning the guest experience with DOCOMO interTouch, offering guests more freedom and control with mobile guest services through the NEXT App mobile app. 

Part of that new freedom includes enabling the first NEXT Hotels property in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall to allow guests to open their room doors using their smartphones as room keys. NEXT Hotel Brisbane, which accepted guests from 24 September, is the first hotel in Australia to offer such a service.

Source: Next Hotel Brisbane website.

"Our NEXT Hotels brand is dedicated to providing the ultimate guest experience, and that requires us to effectively combine the use of space, technology and service to ensure that every moment is memorable and stress-free," said Iqbal Jumabhoy, Managing Director and Group CEO of Singapore-based SilverNeedle Hospitality. "It's all about giving travellers the freedom to choose how they want to experience our hotels.”

SilverNeedle Hospitality is also launching the NEXT App, which contains the "room key". The NEXT App, available in both Android and iOS versions, works with free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel to allow guests to request hotel services through their smartphones – from making a room reservation, entering the room, controlling in-room gadgets and ordering room service, to checking out of the hotel. 

Prior to arriving at NEXT Hotel Brisbane, guests can check in using the NEXT App; select their preferred rooms or accept the pre-assigned rooms; and receive their own room key codes on their smartphones, bypassing the conventional check-in process to get to their rooms.

"The NEXT Hotels are truly innovative in their delivery of guest technology and they have been a real pleasure to work with," said Charles Reed, CEO of DOCOMO interTouch.

The NEXT App interconnects all the systems and services with the hotel so guests do not have to be physically in their hotel rooms to manage their stay. The integrated NEXT Technology allows them to change the TV channel, set the mood lighting, adjust the room temperature or order their next meal. If they don’t want the housekeeping staff to freshen up their rooms, they can activate the ‘Do Not Disturb’ indicator even when they are away from the hotel. Guests can also watch their favourite movies and stream their desired content securely on the Samsung Smart TV available in every room.

Guests who prefer not to use their own smartphones during their stay can use the NEXT App on Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones as part of the NEXT Connect service that is provided in every NEXT Room at no extra charge. This NEXT Connect App also has features that can be used outside the hotel. The HotSpot feature provides free WiFi for guests’ smartphones and laptops outside the hotel, for example. 

The phone system also provides access to free local calls and cheaper international calling rates with no additional roaming charges. Plus, the NEXT Service offers online concierge assistance to book a taxi around the city, order room service on their way back to the hotel or make an in-room massage appointment.

The NEXT App can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. For further details or to make a booking, please activate the NEXT App or visit nexthotels.com/brisbane.