Newport Hotel to re-open Good Friday
by Leon Gettler
After months of renovations, the former Newport Arms hotel will reopen on Good Friday.
Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes bought the iconic Northern Beaches hotel from the Bayfield Hotel Group a year ago for a reported $50 million.
Since then, the company has spent $250,000 redeveloping the biggest beer garden in the southern hemisphere. The beer garden will feature a juice bar and a kiosk for coffee and donuts. There will also be a wood-fired pizza oven and burger bar.
The entire project took 10 months, two months longer than planned, to complete.
And that is stage one of a five-year plan to upgrade one of Australia’s most popular pubs.
Hemmes says stage two and three will be revealed later this year.
“With its sprawling grounds, magnificent landscaping and team of over 450 passionate locals, this is one of the biggest ventures we have ever undertaken. We are so excited and proud to finally open the first phase,” Hemmes told Business Insider
The place is also designed for families and will feature a big gaming area with activities including badminton, ping pong tables, and a giant scrabble board. There will even be exercise bikes that can charge mobile phones.
The hotel will also offer a programme of free activities.
As part of the Easter celebrations for the opening, there will be face painting, a petting zoo and Easter egg hunts for children. Also, there will be a collection of gold coin donations for Mums For Mums, a charity supporting local families through times of bereavement.
Live music will also feature at the hotel including performances from Saskwatch, a nine-piece soul group from Melbourne on Easter Sunday. People will be able to catch indie duo Gypsy & The Cat on 3 April, Tasmanian siner-songwriter Asta on 10 April, and Sydney synth-pop trio Mansionair on 17 April.
17th March 2016
