If you’ve wandered anywhere near South Brisbane lately, you may have noticed a certain grand old dame (the venue formally known as The Fox) undergoing what can only be described as a very extra glow-up. No, she’s not ripping up her dance card or pretending she’s not responsible for several decades’ worth of questionable late-night choices. She’s simply reclaiming her birth name.
Yes friends: The Fox Hotel is officially becoming Hotel Terminus again, and before you clutch your pearls — the public voted for it. Democracy! Alive and well in 4101.
The whole revival is being captained by Ghanem Group Hospitality and construction has been underway since April. We’ll get the keys back mid-2026 — which feels both very far away and also next Tuesday, depending on how unhinged your internal calendar is.
So what exactly are we getting?
Picture this: you stroll in off Fish Lane (yes, she’s getting a shiny new entrance), step through the restored façade, and suddenly you’re in an 18-metre-high atrium that feels part grand-railway-station, part very-fancy-hotel lobby, and part “I should’ve worn better shoes.”
On the ground floor, the heart of the old pub beats on: a beautifully restored long bar (the kind that basically begs you to order a pint you’ll accidentally nurse for 45 minutes), an elevated gastropub-style bistro, a gaming lounge, and even a bottle shop for when you’re “just grabbing a six-pack” and somehow end up staying for dinner.
Head up a level and you’ll hit the “First Floor of Fun” — a whole floor dedicated to celebrations, big tables, clinking glasses, and that one mate who always insists on making a speech they absolutely should not make. Think two event spaces plus a private dining room that claims the entire level like a very bougie land grab.
Then comes the part I’m personally losing my mind about.
Meet the Vixen Room — your new late-night personality
The Vixen Room is set to become an opulent, moody, please-don’t-text-your-ex environment complete with craft cocktails, late-night snacks, DJs, and live music. It’s a little sultry, a little swanky, and the kind of spot you go when you’re not ready to call it a night, but you are ready to feel like you’re in a movie montage.
And sitting right above it?
Oh, just Brisbane’s new favourite flex.
The Fox Rooftop is back — and bigger
Ghanem Group didn’t ignore the love the city had for The Fox — the rooftop especially — so the Fox Rooftop is returning with full bragging rights, spanning the entire roof and offering those smugly excellent views over the CBD and cultural precinct.
It’s basically designed for long afternoons that accidentally become balmy evenings, the sort where you keep saying “one more” and genuinely believing it.
And when the night finally tips into “should we…?” territory, you just slip back down to the Vixen Room. Seamless. Dangerous. Delicious.
Why the name change? Because the people said so
According to Ghanem Group Director Adonis Ghanem, the public vote made it clear: Brisbane wanted the OG name back. Hotel Terminus won, The Fox came second (hence the rooftop throwback), and Vixen came third — which now mischievously links the top two levels into one late-night ecosystem of glitter and questionable decisions. Honestly? Inspired.
“We’re celebrating the building’s history while giving it a new chapter,” Adonis says — which is exactly the energy this whole transformation gives. Reverent but fun. Classic but not stuffy. Sort of like dressing a heritage Queenslander in a fresh pair of linen trousers.
The verdict?
If the renderings match the vibe, Brisbane’s about to get a very polished, very beautiful, very choose-your-own-adventure pub precinct that honours the past without trapping us in it.
And if you need me in mid-2026, I’ll be on the rooftop, pretending I have no responsibilities.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
