Logbook · 29 October 2026

The name on the door

Type "Pullman Reef Hotel Casino" into a map and you still land on 35-41 Wharf Street. The building has not moved; its name has, twice.

Three names, one address

What the 2009 relaunch changed

The trade report from January 2009 lists what the upgrade touched: the Wharf Street entrance, remodelled so taxis, limousines and coaches could pull in more easily; the Flinders bar and restaurant in the gaming area; the meeting rooms and the pool; and a full external repaint. It also mentions that the complex then included a $4 million rainforest dome and stood next to the city's port terminal. Rooms numbered 128 then, as they do now.

What the name does not tell you: who owns it

Brands on the door belong to the hotel operator's agreements; ownership sits elsewhere. The complex belongs to the Reef Casino Trust, listed on the stock exchange in February 1994. In December 2001 the trust's responsible entity was jointly owned by Casinos Austria International and an Accor casino company. As of August 2026 that responsible entity, Reef Corporate Services Limited, was owned by Iris Cairns Property Pty Ltd as trustee for the Iris Cairns Property Trust. Wikipedia still names the older owners; the trust's own page is the one to trust.

What we could not confirm

When the Pullman name came off, and why. We found no announcement from Accor or the hotel giving a date for the move into the Handwritten Collection, and the hotel's website does not mention it. We are not going to guess. If you know the date and a public source for it, write to the editor and we will add it here.

What it means when you book

• Searching: both names lead to the same hotel. Google Maps even keeps two cards for the complex — one for the casino, one for the hotel under its Handwritten Collection name.
• Booking: Accor's booking page is the one the hotel's "Book now" button links to. Our desk checks rates there and with other partners.
• Old confirmations: a booking made under the Pullman name is for the same building. If anything on a confirmation looks inconsistent, the hotel's reservations team on +61 7 4030 8888 can confirm it.