There was a time when a meeting room meant fawn carpet, a tangle of tech and a bowl of lollies to dull the desire to be somewhere, anywhere, but here. You can still find those venues but for meetings of fewer than 20 people, these places offer uplifting décor, advanced AV equipment and perhaps even a game of Snakes and Ladders.

The Foxtrot Room, The New Inchcolm Hotel & Suites, Brisbane

The New Inchcolm can valet up to 80 guests. But, really, why drive when you can stroll from the CBD to this Spring Hill beauty in five minutes? The boutique hotel is wood-panelled and heritage-listed, occupying doctors’ rooms from the 1920s. The Foxtrot Room, designed for boardroom-style meetings of up to 12, has a 55 inch TV with HDMI input and ceiling mounted speakers. The service is terrific and the hotel is a 15-minute walk to the historic Spring Hill Baths if you need to clear your head.

The HQ Room, East Hotel, Canberra

You could always opt for The Aviator or The Boxcar rooms, which “float above the vibrant lobby with views onto the 10-metre-high projected installation art”. But the just-as-quirky HQ Room (pictured at top) has the same VGA and HDMI capability, iPod connectivity, wireless internet, disabled access and dimmable house lights as those smaller rooms – plus a boardroom table for 18, fully integrated AV, two 55-inch TV screens, a library and a stocked kitchen with a full-sized fridge. Designed for extended creative sessions and all-day off-sites, the room also has games. Seriously, though, aren’t you supposed to be working?

Paramount Room, QT Melbourne

Business rarely gets prettier in the CBD. The Paramount Room at Melbourne’s hip QT hotel is a hot-pink-carpeted private space with a rose-gold marble ceiling and a wall of windows letting in loads of natural light and views of buzzing Russell Street below. It seats 18, boardroom style, and has two 65-inch TVs, in-room speakers, air conditioning, free wi-fi and, for the old-school, flip charts and a whiteboard. Plus, one of Melbourne’s best rooftop bars is just upstairs.

Boardroom, Como The Treasury, Perth

When you come to Como The Treasury for a business meeting, you also come for the food. The 48-room hotel is set in the late-Victorian State Buildings, which is home to Telegram Coffee for a great pick-me-up on the way into a meeting. And there’s the promise of David Thompson’s Thai at Long Chim afterwards. The Boardroom seats up to 20, has a built-in screen and complimentary wi-fi and features elegant décor with a serene palette that’s typical of the hotel.

Suite 55, Doltone House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, Sydney

Suite 55 has wi-fi, state-of- the-art technology and swish Greg Natale interiors but this glamorous, almost clubby room for up to 12 wins its biggest points for location. This Doltone House venue occupies a heritage- listed finger wharf on Sydney Harbour; step onto its decked outdoor area and you’re looking straight at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They can even arrange for you to arrive by boat so you can bring some James Bond to the boardroom.

 

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