Luxurious journey through the Spicers collection…
Executive PA Magazine readers were taken on a journey through the collection of Spicers’ luxury retreats with an evening of award-winning food and wine at its unique inner city venue, Spicers Balfour Hotel, in Brisbane.
Guests were welcomed at the entrance to the heritage listed ‘Simla’ building on Balfour Street. The space is an open plan room with floor to ceiling windows, partitioning walls and state of the art technology.
The building is Georgian style with a 1940s art deco edge, which features eight new luxe suites and a new contemporary function room. Cocktails and canapes were served in this unique outdoor space, which allowed guests to network and enjoy the ambience of this fashionable neighbourhood environment so close to the city.
Moving into the Simla room our EAs were welcomed to the event and presented an overview on the Spicers Retreats collection.
Groups Sales Director Kylie Stever says it was fantastic to see the excitement amongst the group about this new product in Brisbane.
“One of our preferred partners, Scott Estrich from Bushlab hosted an evening wine blending experience. Scott took the group on an exciting tour into the world of wine and showcased what it takes to make a truly award winning blend. The guests put their senses and skills to the test to match the wine makers winning blend. The evening was all about showing guests our own unique brand of ‘relaxed luxury’ and the unique options available for conferencing in south-east Queensland.”
HERE’S WHAT OUR MEMBERS HAD TO SAY…
“I thought the venue was great. I particularly liked the courtyard with the lights hanging from the frangipani trees which could quite comfortably hold my entire firm. It would make a great venue for an end of financial year or Christmas party and will definitely be on my list of venues to put forward for future events! The wine exercise that we took part in was fun and entertaining – a good mix for team-building or networking. I also thought the accommodation was fantastic, perfectly self-contained and really nice facilities too. I could definitely be comfortable there!”
-Renee Sapsford, Administration Support, PKF
“The two Spicers properties in Balfour Street represent two exquisite boutique properties which have been renovated with exceptional attention to detail. Once inside I could already envisage exactly the types of event and guests that we have that would most suit this venue. The Balfour Hotel is captivating. It exudes old world charm while providing a boutique level of modern luxuriousness. The quaint but steep staircase takes you up to the rooftop bar, where at night, the Story Bridge provides a remarkable view. This would be excellent for pre-dinner drinks before taking our guests back down to the Simla Room for dinner.”
-Anne-Marie Lacaze, Events & Engagement Officer, QUT
“Spicers Balfour Retreat is a lovely boutique property, with a very intimate and relaxed atmosphere. Apart from the gorgeous rooms, the highlight of the evening was the condensed version of a wine appreciation session, which Spicers properties offer as a team exercise. We learned the basics of blending wine, with very mixed results as we all tried to tap into our inner sommelier! This was an excellent way to get people interacting and we could all see the value of using this at a conference as a team exercise. It was definitely something different and engaging which would bring people together.”
-Kerry Frances, EA, Anglican schools office
