Howard Smith Wharves Hotel

Brisbane City Council approved Artemus Group's roughly $500 million "HSW 2.0" redevelopment of Howard Smith Wharves in May 2026, which includes a new 106-room boutique hotel alongside an over-river pool, cliffside lifts and expanded public riverfront space. The project is targeted for completion ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but no hotel operator or firm opening date has been confirmed.

The place

The Howard Smith Wharves precinct on the Brisbane River, at the base of the Story Bridge, already home to the Felons Brewing Co. venues and Barrel Hall.

The concept

Artemus Group secured Brisbane City Council approval in late May 2026 for "HSW 2.0," a roughly $500 million redevelopment first submitted in September 2024, which will add a new 106-room boutique hotel to the precinct: a genuinely new hotel operation, since the existing Felons Barrel Hall venue it builds upon has only ever operated as an event and dining space. The wider scheme includes Brisbane's first over-river pool, two new cliffside lifts, enhancements to Felons Barrel Hall, redesigned Queensland Government-backed pontoon infrastructure for river tourism and private boat mooring, cascading riverfront stairs, and roughly 8,500 square metres of additional public outdoor space, a 30 percent increase. Founder Adam Flaskas and CEO Luke Fraser framed the expansion explicitly around Brisbane's hosting of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner publicly praised the approval for its jobs and tourism potential.

Dining & wellness

The hotel will sit alongside the existing Felons Barrel Hall and Felons Brewing Co. venues, which remain the precinct's dining and drinking anchor; no hotel-specific restaurant or bar has been announced.