Gowrie Road Hotel gears up for complete makeover
A POPULAR Toowoomba watering hole is set to be rebuilt from the ground up.
The Gowrie Road Hotel will be transformed from a pub of yesteryear to a modern hotel with a family atmosphere.
Hakfoort Group owns the hotel and director Albert Hakfoort said the pub market had changed from being centred on the public bar to being food orientated.
He's hoping to tap into the market.
The hotel's new-look will include a large dining bistro with a 100-seat restaurant.
The bar will be reduced to a small gaming bar and the car park will be expanded from 25 to 90.
A kid's room will be built. There will be a gaming room and revamped bottle shop.
Mr Hakfoort said sandstone and timber from the Toowoomba region would be used liberally during construction.
The ground floor area of the pub will remain the same.
Renowned architect Darren Dikfos has been recruited to oversee the project.
Mr Hakfoort said the dilapidated nature of the old building left its owners no option but to rebuild.
He said the old building was full of asbestos.
"The electronics needs rewiring; it needs new plumbing and the toilets need upgrading. Sometimes it's easier to rebuild."
An analysis done on the suburb shows it's a high-growth area with good traffic flow.
Mr Hakfoort declined to give an exact cost on the build but said it was "in the millions".
He said Hakfoort Group, which also owns Newtown Hotel and Burke & Wills Hotel, was confident in Toowoomba.
"We like Toowoomba, not just because of our financial interests. It's a good city, has good growth and a council with a mindset that is pro-development.
"The refurbishment will give us an opportunity to say, 'Here's a new hotel. It looks good. Come and give us go.'"
A development application has been submitted to Toowoomba Regional Council for the project.
Source: Toowoomba Choronicle, Andrew Backhouse, 12th January 2016
