We are extremely humbled to be recognised as number 34 in The World’s 50 Best Hotels for the third year in a row. It is an honour to be included among an incomparable list of 49 contemporaries from around the globe – every one of those hotels, and the dedicated people that run them passionately, inspiring and driving us to be better 365 days a year.
There are a lot of hotels in the world – an almost infinite number to choose from, which is why we are again staggered that our unique independent hotel, has for the third consecutive year been granted a place among The World’s 50 Best Hotels.
We are delighted to be acknowledged again by such a respected organisation and while The World’s 50 Best Academy has their own strict guidelines for selecting hotels (see here) we can’t help but wonder, why us? What have we done to deserve such recognition?
Our team and their commitment to service come to mind immediately. Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to make every stay memorable and without them we would just be an empty, echoing space. We are eternally grateful for each and every team member from: maintenance, housekeeping, management, guest relations, food and beverage, operations, concierge, events and reservations. Without doubt, it’s the people that maketh the place and we are grateful for every team member, past and present that transform a simple hotel booking into a stay to remember.
We also think that doing our own thing has had a part to play – just getting on with being us and not trying to imitate or be like anyone else. Much of the world has no idea where or what Brisbane is, as it stands calmly in the long shadows of its bigger and louder siblings, Sydney and Melbourne.
We are a reflection of our place, providing guests with a uniquely Brisbane and more specifically James St experience when they stay. The Calile is anchored in, and in fact grew directly from the community in which it resides. We are part of James St, a precinct that has been a thriving, leafy urban hub with Brisbane’s best shopping and dining since the early 2000’s.
We also acknowledge, welcome and celebrate our sub-tropical climate too, a hotel that is designed to be a part of its environment, not separate from it, with balconies, windows that open, lush plantings to provide shade and cool, and of course a pool too for experiencing and enjoying the long hot Brisbane summers.
Beyond the atmospheric conditions, we actively work to create civic space for the community to come together through charity initiatives and cultural programming for both guests and residents to take part in. To create dialogue and opportunities for connection.
This is at the heart of what we strive to do, to provide more than a room for a night. To create beautiful and meaningful experiences both for those passing through, and those that live here too.
Thank you to The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, to our community, all that have worked with and still work with us, and above all, those that have stayed.
