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4.0
#11 of 62 hotels in Canberra
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
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Located on the footsteps of the Parliamentary Triangle, the Brassey Hotel is set on two and a half acres of manicured gardens and lawns. This 1920’s hotel has old world charm with all the comforts of a quality property, with a range of accommodation options. Each room offers complimentary WiFi, reverse air-conditioning, writing desk and Foxtel. Positioned within one of Canberra’s most prestigious suburbs of Barton, you will be a short stroll from all the iconic attractions including Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library, Old Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin. The Brassey Hotel is metres from the Realm Precinct which allows guests to partake in all of the amenities afforded by the 5 Star Hotel Realm. The Precinct offers a range of dining options, including fine dining restaurant, Louis, the casual Ostani Lounge Bar & Restaurant, the rooftop bar located within the Burbury Hotel, Leyla Bar, a cantonese fine-dining restaurant, The Chairman & Yip, and casual cafes Maple + Clove and Ritual, as well as a gym, spa, indoor pool, hairdresser and conferencing facilities, all with complimentary Wi-FI. The precinct also offers a state-of-the-art gym and day spa, opened in 2017. Hale Gym + Spa has the latest Technogym equipment and casual yoga, Pilates, spin and boxing classes. Hale Spa is Canberra's latest wellness destination, offering a sanctuary for the body and mind.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Historic Hotel
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Italian
Location
Belmore Gardens & Macquarie Street Barton, Canberra 2600 Australia
Brassey Hotel
1,545 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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The Brassey Hotel is often commended for its value, providing a balance of reasonable pricing and a prime location. While the rooms are noted to be on the smaller side and somewhat outdated, guests have called out the overall cleanliness and charm of the hotel.
The convenient location is popular among visitors for its proximity to attractions and dining, though some have suggested improvements to in-house amenities. Service at the Brassey Hotel generally receives high marks for being friendly and efficient, contributing to the cozy and tranquil atmosphere that many travelers appreciate.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Cramped
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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1. There are 80 rooms and 23 guest car spaces. Over the weekend, this is not a major problem as there is a public car park in front of the hotel. But we booked the location mid-week specifically because we planned to leave the car and walk to the National Gallery (avoiding the nightmarish Canberra car parking situation). We had tickets to the Botticelli to Van Gogh exhibition which had a set morning entry time. Unfortunately, we carelessly decided to go to dinner the night before and vacated our hotel car space. On return we could only get a space in the timed public car park (which meant we would have been booked after 10am or we had to stay, and keep moving the car every two hours). Totally defeated the point of booking this hotel. 2. No breakfast on site. We normally stay at the Mercure in Braddon because we love the leisurely breakfast and the old world charm. From the website, we assumed the Brassey Hotel was similar, except in a better location for our needs. Wrong. When we enquired about breakfast, we were told we could walk a couple of streets over to a sister hotel which served breakfast, as it was not available on site. 3. Assorted minor issues. On our arrival on Thursday afternoon, we saw crushed biscuits and leaves on the carpet between the top of the stairs and the corridor leading to our room. This rubbish was still in exactly the same place when we left Saturday morning (our room, however, was clean). And the television was so old it did not have HD channels (normally not an issue, but if you jag an hotel car space, you definitely don't want to risk leaving the hotel!) It is such a shame - you can see what this hotel had been, and what it could still be. Return the gym and/or spa to a public reception/dining area and really take advantage of the beautiful facade. But as it stands, for any mid-week visit, this hotel has absolutely nothing going for it.
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Date of stay: April 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 14 Apr 2021
Hi 273annb Thanks for your feedback and apologies your stay didn't meet your expectations. In regards to car parking, should you ever struggle to find a car park, the staff can direct you to our sister hotels where we have over 500 spaces across multi-story carparks attached to our other hotels. Unfortunately, the car park adjacent to the front of the hotel is on Government land and is patrolled daily by inspectors. I have shared your housekeeping concerns with our Housekeeping Manager for follow up in regards to cleaning of the corridors, but I am pleased to read you found your room clean. I do hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back and hope that you enjoyed the NGA exhibition, there are some beautiful pieces on display.
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We stayed here for 3 nights over Christmas, in a family suite. Parking on hotel grounds was free, we had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in the family suite. The second bedroom had 2 single beds and was quite small. I’m giving this rating based on the price which was excellent value and you get the accommodations to match the price. The hotel is old, I believe it’s heritage building as such the hotel is showing it’s ‘age’. No lifts, so you have to carry your bags up and down stairs. It’s dark, both the corridors and the rooms. Bathrooms are older style to suit the hotel style but for me that is old. Also the placement of the toilet made is awkward to open the door comfortably. TVs in the 2 rooms are not smart TVs so bring your HDMI cable to connect if you want to play Netflix or such. Carpet was older, room was a bit dusty and could use a proper clean, not much wardrobe space. Smaller things though, room was perfectly functional. Plenty of space, good location, extremely helpful and friendly staff and very good value for money. No restaurants on site. You have to go to the sister hotels of realm or burbury (realm precinct) for restaurants which are just a 2min walk or less. We could have easily stayed there for another 2 nights but upgraded to Realm hotel for the final 2 nites for a bit of luxury. For comparison purposes, 2 nights at Brassey were less expensive then one night at the Realm. As such, it was a great hotel for value and functionality.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:No lifts
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 7 Jan 2022
Dear Bhakti_11 Thank you for your great feedback. It's lovely to read you enjoyed your stay with us at Brassey Hotel and also at our sister property, Hotel Realm. We hope to welcome you back again in the future for another memorable stay.
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The location is great, easily accessible and offers free parking. The gentleman at the front desk was not very hospitable, breakfast was served at a different location (about half a block away) and was overpriced. The hotel presents itself as a historic establishment (which basically means that you have to carry your luggage to the second floor because there is no elevator).
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Date of stay: August 2019
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:Try to get a room that is not accessed only by stairs.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Diego Espinoza, General Manager at Brassey Hotel
Responded 23 Aug 2020
Dear Vesna, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I am sorry that you felt this way during your stay with us. We are proud to have a very diverse team and, while everyone has their own personality, I can assure that they are all service-driven people. I am sure that he did not mean to come across as not hospitable, but is something that we can certainly work on. If you wish to stay with us again, we can always try to allocate you on our first level so you do not have to carry your luggage, otherwise our lovely team will be always happy to help you carry it to your room. I hope this is not the last time we get to host you. Kind regards, Diego
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If you want to stay in a hotel reminiscent of the movie The Shining, with a desperate need for updating and general maintenance, then The Brassey is for you.
I booked a two bedroom apartment in The Brassey, foolishly imagining that accommodation described as a family suite would have some kind of catering facilities.
The only catering I found was 12 coffee cups. This number seems slightly excessive for four people. The cups came in the sizes of small, tiny and miniscule.
For our first night, we had been generously provided with one teaspoon, however the cleaning staff clearly believed that one spoon between four people was excessive, and the spoon was confiscated by day two.
The suite does feature a huge fridge. Given that there are no plates, knives, forks, spoons, a sink or a microwave I wasn’t clear on what the fridge was intended to contain, unless it’s a large supply of milk to put in the 12 cups.
The main bedroom had two window blinds, one of which we never discovered how to open. As the view was of the rear of the building, this didn’t bother us.
The main bed was huge, but as it was formed from two single beds stitched together it wasn’t the most comfortable for a couple, and we found we had a tendency to abseil into the centre canyon at regular points during the night.
There was no wardrobe in the main bedroom, or anywhere to store clothes, but hanging space had been considerately provided in the kitchen area, clearly for the benefit of those who enjoy bumping their wife into the fridge while they attempt to put a jacket on.
There were two bathrooms, neither was big enough to swing a cat in. In fact, neither was big enough for a cat to swing a cat in. The bathrooms were pleasantly decorated in 1970’s orange and gold.
I strongly recommend The Brassey Hotel, for those who desire the full Stanley Kubrick experience.
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Date of stay: March 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 24 Apr 2021
Dear MelbournAnglo, Apologies that we were unable to meet your expectations during your recent stay at the Brassey Hotel. I will share your feedback to ensure this is addressed for your next visit. I am sure many travellers will find you review helpful, but I will encourage you to always communicate any issue that may impact you experience so we can give an immediate fix. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to host you again so you can experience the service we are so proud of. Our mattress setting and the hotel demand require that some rooms have be split into two single beds, however, we make sure to connect the two beds and place a foam so you have a pleasant experience. If a more modern hotel is what you're looking for, our sister properties (Hotel Realm, Burbury Hotel and Apartments, and Little National Hotel) could be just what you're after! All located within 2 blocks of one another with access to all hotel facilities, our Central Reservations team would be happy to assist in finding the perfect hotel for you! We hope to welcome yo back in the near future. Stephanie Guest Services
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Aashwin is an asset to your hotel, and an extraordinary person. On checkout on 1 September, my pre-booked taxi did not turn up and the taxi service was not responding. Aashwin went above and beyond to get me to the airport in time for my flight. She tried every way she could to find out why the taxis were not responding. Then she suggested Uber, but I could not download the app on my phone. In the end, with time running out, she told me she had booked me an Uber and trusted me to reimburse the fare. Wow. Completely unexpected and appreciated beyond measure. Please read on - this was the highlight but it was just an extension of her naturally great customer service and human warmth.
I had such a great experience for my first stay. I arrived early on Tuesday 30 August, and Aashwin made arrangements to prioritise preparing my room, then gave me directions to the nearby restaurant with a voucher for a complimentary coffee. She sent me a text as soon as the room was ready, and let me know she had arranged for my suitcase to be taken up the stairs to my room for me.
The bed was super comfy, and the room dark and quiet. You had granted my request for a room with opening windows.
The 'grab and go' is a great service and I enjoyed having access to many quiet areas to sit inside and out.
The chargeback and short walk to the nearby restaurant worked well. I was able to walk to all my meetings, so the location was great.
Thank you for a wonderful stay and please recognise your super staff member, Aashwin.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 2 Sept 2022
Dear SDhappytravels, I hope this message finds you well. Thank you for your wonderful review. I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us; Aashwin will be thrilled to read what you wrote. I can assure you that your fantastic feedback will be shared with our team. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Brassey Hotel in the future. Kind Regards, Lily Duty Manager
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The staff were very accommodating, offered recommendations for activities and restaurants. The hotel grounds were well kept with quaint gardens and the room was clean and spacious, I particularly liked the guest lounge which offered an assorted selection of snacks and beverages with an charge back system for payment- a fun alternative to your traditional room mini bar. The location couldn’t be faulted, an easy 1-2 minute stroll to an array of excellent eateries and a 5-10 minute drive to the CBD. Would make a great base for exploring the city, would stay again in a heartbeat.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kathryn Carling, General Manager at Brassey Hotel
Responded 30 Jan 2023
Dear HannahKenny So pleased to read you enjoyed your stay at Brassey Hotel. We look forward to welcoming you back on a future occassion.
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Clean room, smelt like the carpet had just been steamed cleaned. Friendly Reception Good Location, close to Kingston foreshore Hot water pressure in shower Got a special rate so paid well under advertised rate + bonus voucher for use on mini bar The bed oh so comfy
Low points:
Noise from corridor can be heard from room Some mould around bottom of shower and tiles on floor Small room with only a small space to walk between bed and tv cabinet. Limited room to put suitcases
Didn't use the gym but it looked like it was very solid and new setup if you need to get your fitness fix.
For the price I paid I think it was ok. I think I would have been disappointed if I had paid more.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 26 Apr 2021
Hi AlexandermQ8763OP Thank you for the feedback, we will let it know to our team to ensure this is address as room as inspected. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Warm regards Stephanie Guest services
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We spent 2 nights at the Brassey Hotel for a short Canberra stay. The hotel is well located within walking distance of several tourist must do's and restaurants. The room we had was large and clean, the bathroom was large with good shower pressure. The reception people were very good. There was free coffee/tea for 24/7 use. Now for the negatives: *The power points are almost all at ground level so if you have the wrong adaptor then you will need to use the one in the bathroom as they will not squeeze in. * The shower head is removable on a flexible lead but the connection is so high any person under 2 metres will not reach it * the toilet water on arrival was brown and the bowl stained. We were a little concerned that a present had been left. However the issue was the cistern was full of a brown build up, this cleared after several flushes but should not have been left for guests to discover *The hand basin plug did not work * the shower gel container in the shower was empty * the room was not cleaned on day 2. We rang reception and they said housekeeping would remedy the situation , on our return the coffee etc. had been replenished but the bed was not made and the shower gel container was still empty. Despite all the negatives, which should easily be addressed the place is well worth a stay. I would recommend it.
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Date of stay: November 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 8 Nov 2020
Hi Dodger52 Thank you for the feedback and we look forward to welcoming you back in the near future. I have shared your comments with the Executive Housekeeper to address these concerns with her team. You are correct that all can be easily addressed, however, should never have been a concern for you in the first place. I appreciate the lovely feedback in relation to our dedicated front desk team and it's great to read you found our location ideal. Warm regards Kathryn
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This was a good hotel not in the CBD area and suited our needs (free parking and late check in). The corridors are long so it can be a bit of walk to your room. The bed was comfortable, as was the bathroom. The service was good too - they gave us a fresh towel on request and delivered it to our room.
Just a tip - maps might direct you to the back of the hotel which looks a lot like the front of the hotel and after hours access is only via swipe card. If you're checking in late, you'll need to walk around the building to access the front door.
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Date of stay: September 2019
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from DomaGuestServices, Duty Manager at Brassey Hotel
Responded 6 Jan 2020
Dear Jennysp99, Thank you for your well elaborated review. I am sure many travellers around Canberra will find your comments of great use! I am happy to read about your experience at Brassey. We hope to host you on your next visit to Canberra. In regards to the after hours access, you are correct, the main entrance is through Young Street. However, we are blessed to have 24-hour reception, so all our guests can access both side whether they have already checked in or not. Kind Regards, Diego Espinoza
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the carpet is like a cosy blanket and the ambllng corridors invite curiosity and expectation. Finally at a far flung end of the hotel ,up and down small staircases, I found my room. Oversized and very comfortable, the windows looked out on camellias. I felt at home and the bed was very comfortable. Also applealing was the scent, maybe Aesop brand, which wafted and relaxed. The little lobby at the entrance with a fireplace and beverages was also engaging. Cafes and restaurants re 5 minutes walk away.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Guest Services, Other at Brassey Hotel
Responded 26 May 2021
Dear drdrosullivan, Thank you for your great review of Brassey Hotel. We appreciate that you enjoyed the heritage ambience of the hotel. We are glad that you enjoyed our room standard and the garden views available. Glad to note you enjoyed the signature scent of the hotel and that our guest lobby and 'grab and go' areas served you well. We would love to welcome you back in the future. Kind regards, Chris Duty Manager
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Dear TessF499
Thank you for taking the time to reach out regarding our renovations. It is certainly not our intent to hide these works, in fact throughout the renovations we were regularly posting updates on our social media sites. With the interior hotel renovations completed, the exterior hotel grounds are a major focus to bring new life back into the beautiful gardens surrounding the Brassey Hotel.
Absolutely. We have complimentary car parking for our guests located at the back of the hotel (Macquarie St entrance). Should this fill up as there are limited spaces, parking can be found at the front of the hotel (ticketed) and in the Realm Precinct.
There are more places to choose from in the Canberra area.
PRICE RANGE
$169 - $261 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
brassey of canberra hotel canberra, brassey hotel canberra, brassey canberra
LOCATION
AustraliaAustralian Capital TerritoryCanberra
NUMBER OF ROOMS
80
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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