The Fox Hotel to reopen as Hotel Terminus
The heritage rebuild has been met with delays due to flood damage, but what can be expected when it finally reopens?
Its opening date may have been delayed by six months, but the former Fox Hotel now has a new name. In mid-2026, Ghanem Group will revive the classic South Brisbane venue as Hotel Terminus, returning it to its original 1920s name.
The rebranding came after the Ghanems put the question to a public vote. The result was revealed in an overnight media release along with a series of detailed images of the venue.
“The response to the vote was really good,” says Adonis Ghanem. “We were also working quite closely with the council’s heritage department, but we wanted to clearly gauge the amount of goodwill that was being shown to the different names. Because people over the age of 60 will remember it as Hotel Terminus. But anyone in, say, their 50s or younger will tend to know it as The Fox.”
“We originally hoped to rename it Hotel Terminus. That’s what the majority of people wanted, so it was really encouraging to see that. Renaming such an iconic building is a big thing.”
But Ghanem says it was a close success, with The Fox coming in second behind Hotel Terminus. Therefore, the decision was made to “split the building almost in half”, with the ground and first floors leaning towards the Hotel Terminus and the upper floors leaning towards The Fox.
“All the tradesmen and subcontractors that come through the building all have a story about The Fox,” Ghanem says with a laugh. “There’s quite a bit of proximity here, but they all seem to think of the roof as The Fox.”
The fact that the Ghanems put the branding question to a public vote shows how seriously the restaurant group, known for Byblos, Donna Chang and Blackbird Dining, among others, is taking the renovation of the four-story venue, which first opened in 1927 as Hotel Terminus.
That’s partly because Hotel Terminus is like a homecoming for the family.
“I was born in the West End and lived there until I was about 12,” Ghanem says. “My parents are living in the Davies Park area again.
“My parents’ first cafe was at Cafe Violette Boundary [Street]. I was there every day when I was a kid. And then came Chez Laila in June 1992; I was 12 and I remember this. When I was a little kid, I used to wash dishes in the back. We were there almost every day from then on until Byblos opened, so we know the South Bank and South Brisbane very well. “We are very committed to that.”
Originally planned to open before Christmas, Ghanem attributes the delays to Hotel Terminus to the fact that it is the “most ambitious” project the group has undertaken.
“It was definitely challenging,” says Ghanem. “We went there with a pretty good understanding of what it was going to entail, and of course we had done some work with historic buildings before with Donna Chang and the Boom Boom Room, which was very difficult because of some of the restrictions.
“However we took a different approach, got in there quite early and tried to side with the Council.
“But we didn’t really know how much work would be involved in restoring the building. There had been some damage from the floods in 2022. [which forced The Fox’s closure]and it stood there for nearly three years; it had just collected dust, mold, and some rot.
“We are a little behind where we want to be,” Ghanem continues. “But it was all about strengthening the foundations and restoring the building. There’s been a lot of flood mitigation work and we’re pleased to say this is now the kind of building that could easily last another 100 years.”
When Hotel Terminus opens in mid-2026, it will feature food and beverage amenities on all four floors.
As well as the restoration of the ground floor public bar, there will be a new entrance to the 18 meter high atrium from Fish Lane. There will also be a bistro with a “gastropub edge,” arcade and bottle shop.
The first floor will be devoted mostly to events, with two event spaces and a private dining room.
The top two levels include the Vixen Room and Fox Rooftop.
Vixen Room is designed for late nights, serving cocktails and snacks accompanied by DJs and live music. Renderings show a space decked out in rich burgundy and toffee tones, with plenty of soft furnishings. There will be seating at the bar and at a series of low tables filled with comfortable chairs.
The Vixen Room will also provide access to the Fox Rooftop, whose amenities have been remodeled to make room for a larger bar and kitchen. The treatment is lighter here. Expect rattan furniture, an art deco-inspired tiled bar front and plenty of greenery.
“The area around Fish Lane and QPAC has changed quite a bit and we had been eyeing something in that area for a while, so when Fox came up as an opportunity it was something we had to consider,” says Ghanem. “There are a lot more people loving this part of the city. South Brisbane has become the most densely populated suburb in Brisbane, surpassing Kangaroo Point.”
“We are excited to have the opportunity to do something special in this part of town.”
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at the Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-in-chief at Broadsheet Brisbane and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among others.
