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If July was a game of rugby, Brisbane’s hotel industry didn’t just win, it trounced the opposition, kicked the conversion, and did a victory lap with the mascot in tow.

Fueled by the British & Irish Lions Tour, Brisbane’s hospitality sector has chalked up its highest monthly average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) in recorded history. Yes, history is that magical word hoteliers love more than “fully booked” and “mini-bar restocked.”

When the Lions Came to Town

According to preliminary data from CoStar, the number-crunchers of the real estate and hospitality world, July’s figures read like a rugby scoreboard that’s been accidentally left in “fantasy mode”:

Occupancy: 81.0% (+0.7% year-on-year)
ADR: AUD 274.52 (+17.9%)
RevPAR: AUD 222.42 (+18.7%)

But the real drama came on Saturday, 19 July, when the Lions clashed with the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium. That night, hotel front desks looked more like check-in counters at Heathrow during a baggage-handler strike, wall-to-wall bodies, buzzing card machines, and the occasional bewildered guest wondering if they could squeeze into the broom cupboard instead.

The stats? Occupancy hit a muscular 88.6%, ADR vaulted to AUD 504.91, and RevPAR was a stratospheric AUD 447.33, the kind of numbers revenue managers will be dining out on for years.

Midweek Mayhem

Lest you think it was a one-hit wonder, earlier in the month, on Wednesday, 2 July, the Queensland Reds had their tilt at the touring Lions. Hotels once again shifted into top gear: occupancy 77.9%, ADR AUD 270.93, RevPAR AUD 211.05. To sweeten the mix, that same night hosted the opening of the IPPA World Congress 2025. Delegates in suits, rugby fans in jerseys and hoteliers wondering how much they could charge before guests started sleeping in the lobby.

The First Since 2017

Brisbane’s occupancy for the month breezed past 70% on all but two days and — cue the champagne corks — exceeded the 80% mark for the first time since 2017. It’s been a long wait, but July proved the drought-breaker, not just in the meteorological sense.

Looking Ahead

As for August, forward bookings are tracking at 62%, more or less than last year. The Lions may have packed up their boots, but Brisbane’s calendar still hums with concerts, conferences, and the promise of more full rooms, if perhaps not at Lions Tour fever pitch.

If there’s a takeaway, it’s this: nothing packs them in like a major sporting event in the hospitality game. The Lions didn’t just bring rugby — they brought ringing tills, packed lifts, and a golden month for the city’s hotels. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a textbook win.