FV Brisbane by Peppers — Hotel in Brisbane City

FV by Peppers: A Disastrous Experience Worthy of Zero Stars

Where do I even begin with the calamity that was my stay at FV by Peppers? I have had a long-standing affection for Peppers, a brand known for its high standards in accommodation and service. I even contributed to promoting the brand through a television commercial campaign. But alas, my recent stay has been nothing short of a debacle that could warrant an entire season of Hotel Nightmares.

"Upgrade" or Downgrade? Upon check-in, I was so-called "upgraded" to a two-bedroom unit. I was traveling solo and didn't need the extra space, but was told that no other rooms were available. I couldn’t help but question: if this is an upgrade, what hellish conditions must the standard rooms be in?

Room or Crime Scene? My room was an appalling spectacle. Stains were splattered on the floor, carpet, rugs, and chairs, as if Jackson Pollock had gone on a frenzy but with substances you’d rather not think about. The walls had marks and even punch holes, some of which were shoddily plastered over like a teenager hiding evidence of a forbidden party from his parents.

The bathroom exuded a noxious aroma of mould, exacerbated by the light/exhaust fan combo that seemed to be its very source. Turning it on was akin to activating a mould diffuser. And to add insult to injury, one of the blinds was broken, the bedroom door wouldn’t shut properly, and a window, once opened, refused to close.

The Pool from Hell Ah yes, the pool—my primary reason for booking this travesty. It was designed as though the architect was playing a practical joke. Columns were strewn haphazardly across the pool, accompanied by a swim-up bar that added obstacles rather than leisure. I scraped my hands and feet trying to navigate this labyrinth of poor planning. Anyone with a physique larger than mine would need a can of oil and a prayer to squeeze between those columns.

Safety Last The overall experience was distressingly unsafe. The physical condition of the room and pool made me worry about what couldn’t be seen: Were there fire hazards? Electrical issues? Given the visible lack of care, I couldn’t trust that important safety measures were up to code.

For the egregious price of $277 per night, I expected at least the bare minimum of Peppers' usual quality. Instead, I was served a dilapidated room in what felt like a glorified crack den. To say it was 'feral' would be an understatement and an insult to feral places everywhere.

It's disheartening to see a brand I once trusted fall so far from grace. The only silver lining in this cloud of catastrophe? It makes for a cautionary tale that I can share far and wide. Stay away from FV by Peppers if you value your money, your safety, and...

FV by peppers was the first rental lease in Brisbane that both my wife and I rented on a 6 months term, soon to know that would regret our decisions upon signing the lease. Do not be tricked by it's modern building facade and fancy pictures posted on various websites, the building is badly maintained with fire alarms triggering every once in awhile to evacuate the premises. Many of the staff working there were either rude or have no clue of what they were doing when it comes to solving issues, especially the property management team that is in charge of the long term tenants. Not to mention the terrible parking system that the have, our car stacker was broken down twice for several weeks and we were asked to park at visitor lot during that period, we received 5 numbers of $77 fine from secure parking and took several weeks of email to&fros with the management to get the fine void. You could imagine the constant worry each time you go out and come back without having even a visitor lot to park at. After the whole incident was solved, the management voided the tickets and made it seem that it's our fault for parking at visitor lot even though it was their staff that told us to do so specifically. Coming to the topic of the units, the acoustic of the walls are terrible, you could literally hear the noice from upstairs or beside your room, not to mention the partying every Friday and Saturdays, it's like staying in a college dorm altogether. Do not be surprised by the noise you get to hear even when people are dumping their garbage down the refuse chutes, many occasions you could hear people throwing down glass bottles which they aren't supposed to do so via the recycling chutes. You could also smell the terrible smell coming from the refuse room as it is just located next to the lifts, the corridors only gets cleaned every 2 to 3 weeks, so imagine the smell of garbage mixed with various smells of people cooking combined. When using the bathrooms, be sure to check out their terrible sink design, imagine trying to wash your face or brushing your teeth with the sink faucet sticking out and the top cabinet so protruded that you can't even brush properly without hitting your head at either of it. There are many countless of small issues with the apartment, but nothing compares to the useless management team that can't seem to solve your problems. Do yourself a favor, if you are thinking of staying long term, give a deep consideration before you do so. We do have our fair share of experience with this building let alone when we bump into our neighbors in the lifts that share similar thoughts with us. Avoid if you can and look elsewhere, if I could give a rating lower than 1...

We looked at this hotel for a long weekend stay as we were after a 2 bdr apartment. With reviews being mixed we still decided to stay here as we got a good rate. In the booking description it said parking needs to be requested before the stay so we did that. When we arrived late on Thursday they didn't have our request on file and parking not available (note it would be valet at $45). It was suggested that we "looks somewhere around for street parking", which I found not very helpful especially if one doesn't know the area. After a few rounds around the block we found a good spot in a side street and we only had to pay for Friday morning a few hours as it was metred but the weekend was free. Our apartment was on the Podium Level 1 in the tower facing Brunswick St. It was exactly what we were after. 2 bdr with one facing the street and the other having no windows at all but an en-suite bathroom. There is a closed balcony as well but it was very cold. The windows are thick and triple glazed but it is a very noisy street at night with bars clubs and other establishments nearby. I sleep with earplugs so it didn't bother me too much but those who sleep lighty should be aware. The other thing to note is that across the road is a big construction site for new apartments and they have strong lights during the night so the room doesn't get completely dark. Works start at 6.30AM on weekdays so another thing to consider. On Sunday night they even did some night works, which I would expect to be informed about by the hotel but that was not the case at all. The room was not serviced which is fine. However when we asked for the rubbish to be emptied, reception happily confirmed this but nothing happened. They really need to work on their service. The only reason I give them 3 stars for service is that when i asked for the shower to be checked as the drain was blocked and flooded the bathroom it was done very swiftly. The rom was clean, bed was good so were towels, water temperature and WiFi. We couldn't connect to the tv as it wasn't on the WiFi which is very unusual for an Accor hotel. The pool, as so many said already, is breathtaking. It was too cold to swim but it is the highlight of the place. Woolies, eateries and train station are 1 min walk which is great. And it's only a 10min stroll to story bridge. Really good location. Having said that, it is a bit of a rough area and I would not have been too comfortable being on my own out there. The hotel is very save though..but just another thing to consider for solo female travellers. I would still come back to stay in the other tower, just to see...