- 🏨 Property · Peppers Clear Mountain, formerly Mercure Clear Mountain, under Accor’s Peppers brand
- 📍 Where · Clear Mountain, City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, 35 minutes from downtown Brisbane
- 🛏️ Rooms · 51, fully renovated
- 🍽️ Dining · Glasshouse Restaurant reimagined around a fireplace, bar, two private dining rooms, The Chef’s Garden kitchen garden
- 🎯 Positioning · Moreton Bay’s only five-star hotel, owned by Mandala Hotels and Resorts
- 🌿 Estate · 20 hectares of bushland, swimming pool, spa, gym, billiards room, and vineyard, overlooking the Glass House Mountains
Mercure Clear Mountain has changed brand and category. Following a multi-million-dollar renovation, the hotel reopens as Peppers Clear Mountain, the only five-star hotel in the City of Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane. Fifty-one revamped rooms, a restaurant reorganised around a fireplace, and a kitchen garden: Accor and owner Mandala Hotels and Resorts are betting on Queensland’s upscale shift ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
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From Mercure to Peppers: What has changed
The project, carried out with design and construction firm Dezign, touched the entire hotel. The 51 rooms have been redone, and the Glasshouse Restaurant now centres around a monumental fireplace, banquette seating, a lounge, and a contemporary bar, complete with two private dining rooms. The menu takes a garden-to-table approach, supplied by vegetables from the on-site kitchen garden, The Chef’s Garden.
The function spaces can accommodate up to 150 guests for a wedding or a seminar. On the leisure side, the swimming pool has been refreshed, the gym re-equipped, and a billiards room created. The estate retains its spa, vineyard, and 20 hectares of bushland, 35 minutes from downtown Brisbane.
| Renovated rooms | 51 |
| Estate | 20 hectares |
| Function capacity | 150 guests |
| Private dining rooms | 2 |
| Distance from downtown Brisbane | 35 minutes |
| Category | 5-star, Moreton Bay’s only one |
Moreton Bay’s first five-star hotel
Moreton Bay, nestled between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, had never had a hotel of this category. For City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery, the arrival of a five-star property confirms the region’s newfound appeal for both leisure guests and corporate travellers: “This upscale establishment is great news for our tourism and major events industry, which is experiencing strong demand. The investment in this hotel demonstrates investor confidence in the region’s economic strength.”
“Peppers Clear Mountain marks a deliberate and confident investment by Mandala Hotels and Resorts in one of Queensland’s most alluring regions,” explains Gemma McCourt, Mandala’s Chief Operating Officer. “The transformation centres on reconnection, with oneself, with others, and with the landscape.”
Brisbane, the 2032 Games and the Peppers effect
For Accor, the operation goes beyond just a hotel. “By elevating this iconic property to the rank of the region’s only five-star hotel, we are not just opening a hotel; we are setting a new benchmark for Queensland hospitality,” says Adrian Williams, the group’s Pacific Chief Operating Officer. “As we approach 2032 and the arrival of the world’s biggest sporting event, we are entering a golden era of growth”, he adds, citing surging tourism demand and increasing airlift capacity into Brisbane.
Views of the Glass House Mountains
The estate spans 20 hectares of unspoiled hillside bushland. From the rooms, terraces, and restaurant, views stretch across Moreton Bay and the Glass House Mountains, the volcanic peaks that define the horizon north of Brisbane. The spa, outdoor pool, and vineyard complete an address designed to slow down without straying far from the city.
Our perspective
The transition from Mercure to Peppers highlights an Australian trend: upgrading nature retreats located less than an hour from major cities rather than building new ones. For Accor, it is a conversion requiring no heavy capital, backed by an owner willing to invest; for Mandala, it brings a premium brand to an asset they already owned.
The timing is significant. Brisbane is hosting the Olympic Games in 2032 and is searching for high-end accommodation outside the city centre. A five-star hotel 35 minutes away, with 150 function seats and a vineyard, ticks all the boxes for both seminars and weddings. It remains to be seen whether international clientele will follow locals, who mostly knew Clear Mountain as a day-trip destination.
Practical information
- Peppers Clear Mountain, 565 Clear Mountain Road, Clear Mountain QLD 4500, Australia
- Bookings on all.accor.com
- 35 minutes’ drive from downtown Brisbane, north of the city
Photo credit Peppers Clear Mountain
