Imperial Hotel Gold Coast

I had the pleasure of staying at the Imperial for 3 nights with my friend via a Luxury Escapes package and it was fabulous. Two women in our sixties, who love good food and a magnificent swimming pool. We both love 'old world' character, charm and comfort, and the hotel did not disappoint. There were still some semblances of the by gone days of the Versace era, crockery pieces here and there, and other beautiful Italian era furnishings all adding to the comfortable surroundings. We ate in the restaurant, cafe, and had the high tea - all were really outstanding. Breakfast was great. The pool is magnificent. The staff were wonderful. We can't wait to go again!

Note: It's disturbing that so many reviews compare the Imperial to the old Versace Palazzo. The original owners were unable to maintain the Versace high standard as the property aged, and subsequently, very publicly, lost the rights to the name and hence, sold out. It's unfair that people compare the Imperial to the Versace. Those days are gone!

We had an absolutely wonderful stay at the hotel for ten days, which gave us plenty of time to fully experience everything it has to offer. Our room was in the Lagoon View Lagoon Room category, which we believe is the second-best category in the hotel, and it was comfortable and well-maintained.

We were genuinely surprised by some of the negative reviews we had read beforehand. Based on our own experience, we simply cannot relate to them.

Yes, the hotel may not be brand new and you can tell that parts of it have been around for some time. However, this did not affect our comfort or overall experience in any meaningful way. If someone deliberately looks for minor imperfections, they might find a few small things – but in the grand scheme of things, there is truly very little to criticize.

The atmosphere throughout the hotel was pleasant, and we felt welcomed and well taken care of during our entire stay. The staff were friendly and professional, and everything ran smoothly.

We were also extremely impressed with the breakfast offering. Every day, there was a very fresh and varied selection. There were no peak-time crowds or waiting, and the staff were exceptionally attentive. Coffee was brought to the table, and they asked if we wanted a freshly prepared omelette. The range of choices was truly extensive, and the breakfast was one of the highlights of our stay – we found it particularly enjoyable and impressive.

Overall, we were extremely satisfied and thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We would absolutely stay again and would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to others.

Thank you for a lovely stay!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently stayed at Imperial Hotel Gold Coast (Room 149 – 26 February) and had a genuinely excellent experience.

The Superior King Room was spacious, elegant, and immaculately presented. Everything felt refined and well maintained, from the quality finishes to the overall comfort of the space. The bed was extremely comfortable, the room was quiet, and the presentation reflected a true premium hotel standard.

The location in Main Beach is ideal if you prefer a calmer, more sophisticated base while still being close to major attractions. It’s near Sea World and the marina precinct, with Surfers Paradise only a short drive away. The surrounding waterfront areas are beautiful and pleasant for a walk. The property itself felt very safe and professionally managed at all times, even late in the evening.

What really stood out, however, was the service.

I encountered a complex issue with a third-party booking platform on arrival (completely outside the hotel’s control), and the team handled the situation with patience and professionalism. A special thank you to Angel Collins, Groups and Sales Coordinator, who went above and beyond in assisting me after checkout. She responded promptly, clearly outlined the booking details, and provided written confirmation to help resolve the matter with the booking agent. Her communication was precise, transparent, and extremely helpful.

It’s rare to see that level of follow-through when the issue didn’t originate with the hotel itself. Angel and the team demonstrated integrity, responsiveness, and genuine customer care.

Overall, the property delivers on its luxury positioning — elegant interiors, calm atmosphere, and consistently high service standards.

Highly recommend staying here. You’re in very capable hands with this team.

Most staff were unhelpful. No consistency in the approach of staff.
The hotel was old , dull & tired. Mould in the bathroom. Mould came out of the spa. Light not working, No facility to charge the phone in the room. Reception took my new phone cord & replaced it with an old worn , discoloured ,bent thick cord. Instead of giving me my own cord back she gave me a lecture on why the cord is thick- deflecting on the real matter at hand.
Electrical switches difficult to reach. No personal hygiene products in rooms. Some Common areas had broken light fittings. Woken up by construction at 5am.
Housekeeping only included making the bed.
Fairly flat vibe in hotel.
I felt disappointed & frustrated - that a so called 5 star hotel would steal my phone cord. I also couldn't understand why they take a holding deposit of $300, when there is nothing to spend it on - no mini bar in room, however there was a price list in a dirty drawer.
The best thing about the hotel was the Breakfast, The Chef was very obliging.

This hotel was once pristine. It’s now worn, old & tired! The toilet was blocked, the cupboard door was falling apart with rotting wood, the sink plunger was broken, the white pool sand was partly green & mouldy, the planter urns by the pool had wilted sad plants, the pink lounges in foyer area were shabby & stained with small tears in fabric & the blue sun lounges were stained! Not one staff member cracked a smile!! The high tea was delicious I must say!🍥

I have been several times to the Imperial Hotel. Sure, its tired and depending on the room you are given, it can be tatty in some areas. We stayed in a lagoon view room which was lovely, we had plenty of towels etc. The curtains were falling off the rungs in places but it did not detract from the vibe of the room. You feel like you are in Venice in a palazzo. The pool is huge, the pool staff gave us towels, there are plenty of sunbeds and food or drinks can be ordered.
The hotel has an air of luxury and decadence, I really love Le Jardin. Great area to sit and watch the world go by. Staff from front door to housekeeping are lovely, the deputy manager Christian could not do enough for us. I have a serious health issue and on chemo treatment and he went above and beyond to ensure housekeeping kept the room as clean as possible.
We dined at Il Barocco twice and the food and ambience was beautiful. The waitress was American and I didnt get her name but she was so lovely to us and our grandchildren. All the usual waiters and table servers were at the breakfast, the food for breakfast is excellent and the buffet hot food is always piping hot. Yes, coffees took a long time but it was school holidays.
Room service was fabulous. Fast and piping hot. Even ice cream came up and hadnt melted!

On checkout we were charged for food at the pool which we did not have but this was fixed and corrected expediently.

Overall, we couldnt fault the hotel and once again we had a delightful stay. Our grandchildren love it there and we will hopefully be back soon.

Serious hygiene failure — BLOOD STAINS found on Doona. If I could give a zero star I would because they don’t even deserve 1

After two nights at the Imperial Hotel Gold Coast, we discovered a visible blood stain on the doona. The bed had been made with no doona cover, only top and bottom sheets.

Management later described this as an “oversight.” BLOOD stains is not an oversight!!! Cleanliness and hygiene are basic expectations of any hotel.

For context, other issues in the room included dust, bleach-stained towels, chipped and torn furniture, missing teaspoons for the provided tea/coffee, and a TV remote without batteries, disappointing for a hotel marketed as 5-star, but those could reasonably be called oversights. Blood on bedding cannot.

We were also advised that doonas are not routinely changed between guests, with only sheets replaced. A blood-stained, uncovered doona is a serious hygiene and health issue, not a minor housekeeping error.

We only requested a refund for the two nights we slept in the contaminated bed. A room change was offered after the exposure had already occurred, along with a small food voucher, which did not reflect the seriousness of the situation. We were later advised that no refund or further compensation would be provided, and that the matter was considered closed by management.

This response showed a complete lack of accountability for an unacceptable hygiene failure. For a property positioning itself as luxury, this experience was shocking and deeply disappointing.

I would not recommend staying here.

Terrible service. In desperate need of maintenance as well.

5.30pm, room still hasn’t been serviced. Called housekeeping, no one answers, left a message at 2pm, still no one cleans it.

At check in I asked what is the live music they advertise, all staff said “they don’t know”!

Gym has no water. Water machine is “broken”.

Go to the pool, no pool towels available. The pool staff had the nerve to tell me to look elsewhere in the hotel to see if they have any towels!

At breakfast, ordered coffee when we arrived, took over 45 minutes to arrive.

Good service costs nothing but means everything. Yes it’s not Versace anymore but at least fix broken things rather than let it decay. How can it possibly still be rated 5 star?

Take your money elsewhere.

I've stayed here for 20 years. I've had good and bad feedback. When Imperial took over from Versace, it seemed on the improve. This trip made it clear that is not the case.

- arrived early. room was being made up. They advised we would be contacted before checking in time of 1500 but if something went wrong and we weren't contact them as it would be an error. 1500 came and went with no word. I went to see them. they gave me they with no comment. 45 minutes later I got a text to say the room was ready.

- while waiting for the room, we went to the bar for lunch. 6 free drinks were great. but we waited 50 minutes to get served as there was one staff member on only. she had 27 customers to serve on her own (I counted in that 50 minutes).

- Room service on the first night sent us the wrong food. the lady came back and said the kitchen had sent the wrong food up, she said they (she) had worked until 1545 on NYE and then back at 0800 so they are tired and the chef included. This was on the 2nd Jan. Respectfully, not my problem. people staying NY had a good time, we would like to too.

- requested extra dressing on the salad. didn't get it, instead got a half serve.

- 3rd jan, normal chef clearly not on, food not of normal quality (picked back up on the 4th).

- breakfast was good each day. il Barocco staff were great.

- pool bar - two staff only, and they were scattered and hammered. Staff complained saying they were sick of the hotel management and were just waiting for the Hilton takeover to go through. This was a common comment across staff from all areas of the hotel. Hard to get orders. Wedding with no warning meaning half the pool area. couldn't be used. pool ran out of towels. soaking wet I was told to come back in half an hour because the man was the only person on and he didn't have any more left.

- bath had no soap, salts or bubble bath. body wash was locked to the wall so couldn't be used.

- hand wash at sink was empty.

- shower hair conditioner was empty.

- bath towels used to be bath mats, now small towels, not fluffy.

- gym equipment broken and not being fixed.

- I had three new packets of skin cream in pouches - a gift. I opened and used the first morning. I left them clearly upright with my cosmetics. HOUSE KEEPING THREW THEM ALL AWAY, or TOOK THEM. disgusting. Hotel didn't care.

- coffee pods not replaced after day 1. I had to request more. then replaced decaf only. I had to request more with no decaf.

- room service website down.

- room services trays left outside our room for 24 hours on two occasions.

- on the 5th, room service trays, people had moved to common table areas on the floor as they weren't being collected (even after staff walked passed numerous times for other reasons), they were left on the common areas for over a day.

- cold deserts delivered in room service placed on top of piping hot lids so they all melted.

- errors in check out bill. front desk apparently can't resolve, now under review.

Gone are the days of the glitz, glamour and decadence once associated with this hotel when it operated under the Versace brand, just a few years ago. Since our previous visit it now operates under a new operator that, quite frankly, does not have a clue and in fact has a disgraceful lack of management and subscribes, without care or regard, to appalling treatment of its patrons. It's sad to see the epic decline of what once was a beautiful, magnificent, well-run hotel that excelled in hospitality and giving a high-end customer experience. Don't be fooled by the Rolls Royce still parked up at the reception, this is typical image and no substance stuff which abounds at this place, more appropriately expanded into "all fur coat and no knickers". This place really excels in providing such a superficial offering in its endeavours to suck you in and part you from your hard-earned dollars.

We stayed for two nights during winter and experienced a poorly run operation that has let standards of service decline in all areas of customer interaction and any care for the building itself with staff being disinterested, inadequately trained and regularly moving on, the quality of dining experiences and offerings being below par, the building looking shabby with room maintenance and cleanliness sadly lacking. In fact the only part that we enjoyed was that of the breakfast offering which came close to what used to be under the Versace days of splendour.

The many faults and flaws that we experienced were so bad that we relayed these to the 'management' that we could actually track down and find. Alas, we were fobbed off for months with promises of a proper investigation that would be elevated to 'senior management' for a redress of our complaints. Despite numerous reminders to the hotel seeking an adequate response, we simply did not get one. The so-called 'senior management' are either in hiding, do not exist, or are simply too discourteous and complacent to even bother replying; all of which is indicative as to how far this hotel has fallen from grace.

Our disappointments are too many to individually explain but include: being initially offered a seriously substandard room; being obliged to agree to a surcharge to obtain a better room as apparently due to high occupancy levels our room type was not available (we were later informed by concierge that the hotel was only at 40% occupancy levels); then being given a room that had leaking taps, damaged and soiled furniture, a phone not working, missing items from its bar fridge, a faulty door lock, curtains off their hooks, dirty and frayed towels, and of grave concern, a smoke detector that had been rendered inoperable. Some photographs are attached.

Our overall dissatisfaction with this hotel was further compounded at check-out when the front office manager, without our knowledge, charged our credit card double the agreed room upgrade surcharge, only for us to discover this once we had departed and the emailed invoice was sent!

It is one thing not providing a response to a guest's legitimate complaint regarding what has been experienced but it takes matters to an elevated concern when the hotel refuses to process a credit card over charge. For months we chased down the reimbursement without success until our bank had to intervene and raised a disputed charge with the hotel. The bank took the matter up directly with them and paid us back for the overcharge. Not what you would call any redress to our complaint of course.

I record our experience in the light of the shambolic service offering provided by this establishment to give readers a genuine taste of what you are likely to get here. I do not wish to invite the hotel's response to my review for I know they have no sincerity whatsoever and a 'Thank you for your feedback...we are sincerely sorry etc etc" simply does not cut the mustard.

I have been going to the Versace now The Imperial since 2020. I loved my gluten free scones and cream until today. They were not fresh. Half cold from the refrigerator. Kitchen denied not cooked today.. DISGUSTING. Given 15% on food we could not eat. Katie the waitress was lovely . SORRY TOTALLY DISGUSTED AFGTER 25 YEARS. I COULD NOT RECOMMEND.

I haven't stayed here since it used to be the Palazzo Versace, but nothing appears to have changed. The large circular courtyard and reception area are still very impressive. Soon I'm in my suite, which is also impressive but it's soon apparent on a closer look that maintenance has slipped, as there are many marks on doors and walls that a lick of paint could cover. This certainly would not have happened under the previous ownership or at a similar hotel such as the Langham chain. Many of the staff didn't appear overly friendly or cheerful, but overall I still had a pleasant and comfortable stay, and yes I'll stay again.

Stayed in a lagoon view room, amazing view. Very polite and kind staff. Location was perfect as my family and I went to main beach a lot. In room dining was very convenient and the food tasted perfect. Le Jardin Bar was very relaxing. Loved every bit of this hotel. Recommend it highly!!!

It was a great experience, excellent food spacious rooms and superior amenities. The lagoon was super nice and gym was also very convenient.

The room is clean and shining! Room service is more impressive. Love the food and swimming pool !! Kids love the sand and relax on the chairs with fantastic drinks!

Last month I went to the Gold Coast with my family, and we stayed at the Imperial Hotel Gold Coast for seven days. We received excellent service from the staff. The rooms were spacious, comfortable, and clean, and the food was delicious. The location was especially convenient for tourists, with bus stops and ferry terminals nearby. We had a wonderful experience, and we will definitely stay at this hotel again next time.

Property is very nice but service and breakfast buffet was very average, not 5 star at all

This is my second day at imperial Hotel. Very enjoyable

Helpful staff great facilities excellent room

Apart from the bricks and mortar this place bore no resemblance to the former Versace Palace. Gone are the beautiful floral displays in the grand lobby - replaced with low budget, dull synthetic ones; luxury towels now on a par with what you would get at an average gym; in-room amenities very basic and low end; the beautiful poolside cascades/fountains derelict and void of water; staff friendly enough but junior, naive, and zero power/initiative to do anything; wine list of <30 choices. Food was appalling (avoid the Saturday evening buffet at all costs - dire; to be fair breakfast was OK but again nowhere near the former glories); had to queue for said breakfast; the cabana service was poor/non existent-we had to keep reminding them of what our package included and asking for it; attention to detail nowhere to be seen - we had to have four things fixed/replaced in our room - all of which should have been picked up by housekeeping; the adult only areas were overrun by screaming kids with no intervention from staff - irate guests taking it upon themselves to try and sort out. Final straw...our last day was a public holiday...so ALL food and beverages were an extra 15% - even in areas only accessible to hotel guests. This has gone from being a lovely over the top luxury stay for couples to an expensive B&B for families taking their kids to theme parks. Won't be back.