What makes a great hotel? Comfortable rooms are a must and high-quality amenities are definitely a plus. A top-notch in-house restaurant and bar is essential as well – because what’s a staycay without some gastronomic indulgence? The team behind the Amora Group, the operators of the newly unveiled Amora Hotel Brisbane, has ensured that every cent of its $30-million transformation process has been well spent, creating a luxurious destination that’s offering just about everything you could want from an accommodation destination.

The revitalisation effort has seen the former Novotel Brisbane transformed into an inner-city oasis, with a sub-tropical design (envisioned by the team at Cottee Parker Architects) boasting an earthy and natural palette extending from the light-filled lobby, lobby bar and 11 conference and event spaces to the hotel’s state-of-the-art fitness centre, sauna, outdoor swimming pool, and its 296 lavishly appointed guest rooms.

Of the building’s 14 floors, the top two are given over to Amora’s collection of luxurious suites. The Amora Balcony Suites come with a separate lounge, dining area and kitchenette, while the balcony suite and the Amora Premier King Rooms and Amora Premier Twin Rooms all come with bespoke Elemis bathroom amenities, a coffee pod machine, 24-hour room service and a complimentary minibar, which is replenished daily.

The crown jewel of Amora Hotel Brisbane’s revitalisation is its on-site eatery, Dapl – a restaurant that uses native ingredients across its menu of contemporary modern Australian fare. Cottee Parker’s naturalistic aesthetic is continued across the high-ceilinged dining space, with a lush, botanical-inspired design scheme featuring depictions of bird of paradise, cycad, banana leaf, fan palm and palm trees on the walls.

Executive chef Jamie Renfrey is applying an innovative approach to Dapl’s gastronomic offering, using unconventional ingredient pairings to put a playful twist on Australian cuisine’s past and present. Drawing upon a larder boasting 30 native ingredients (sourced locally, seasonally and sustainably), Dapl’s a la carte and two- and three-course set-menu offerings give diners a taste of what the country has to offer.

Highlights include entrees like Dapl’s native-spice salmon gravlax with shaved sweet pickled beetroot, lemon aspen creme fraince and nasturtium, and the Gooralie pork belly with sweet-potato butter, crispy beetroot strips, watermelon and riberry glace. Mains up the ante with warrigal green gnocchi with lemon-myrtle cream, pecorino, fried enoki and bronze fennel, Bakers Creek pork cutlet with sauteed mushroom assiette, rosella-and-honey mustard and native greens, and 58-degree peppermint gum lamb backstrap with parsnip marsala, watermelon radish, native currant glace and chive.

Dapl’s beverage program also celebrates locality. It leads with a botanical-heavy cocktail selection – featuring the likes of the Citrus Sparkler (red citrus gin, limoncello, rosemary and tonic) and the Tropical Punch (gin, triple sec, sugar syrup, prosecco and seasonal tropical fruits) – as well as craft beer from Revel Brewing Co and a predominantly Australian list of award-winning wines.

Amora Hotel Brisbane is taking bookings, while Dapl is open now for hotel guests and local diners. You can find reservation and menu links in the Stumble Guide.