Solotel secures The Courthouse Hotel in $24m freehold play
Solotel has added another freehold asset to its growing property portfolio, acquiring the Courthouse Hotel in Sydney's inner west for close to $24 million. The purchase plays to the hospitality group's pivot from operator to owner.
The deal sees Solotel, led by chief executive Elliot Solomon, purchase the freehold from Sydney silk Brian Dooley, who had owned the pub for four decades. The group had operated the venue under a leasehold arrangement for the past 20 years, making the acquisition a natural progression of a long and familiar relationship with the site.
The transaction is the latest chapter in a significant reshaping of the Solotel business. Earlier this year, the group divested leaseholds for four Sydney venues — The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay, Barangaroo House, Public House Petersham and The Erko in Erskineville — to Australian Venue Co (AVC) in a deal reportedly valued between $50 million and $60 million. AVC will also assume the tenancy of The Courthouse under the new arrangement, meaning the freehold acquisition carries none of the day-to-day operational demands that have traditionally defined Solotel's business.
Solomon told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) the strategy was about streamlining the company's operating model and concentrating on assets where Solotel holds genuine long-term control.
"The Courthouse purchase fits this strategy — it is a freehold acquisition and will be operated by Australian Venue Co as tenant, so it does not add the same operating complexity to Solotel," he said. "The head office changes reflected the smaller operating footprint of the group going forward, which has not changed."
On why The Courthouse — affectionately known among locals as "The Courty" — was worth acquiring, Solomon said: "When the opportunity arose to acquire the freehold, we saw it as a strong long-term property and hospitality asset that aligned with our strategy of focusing on quality assets that we own."
The acquisition arrives amid a roaring New South Wales pub market. According to the AFR, pub sales in NSW alone surpassed $300 million in the first quarter of 2026, with more than $2 billion in venues transacting nationally last year. The Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay — another multi-generational icon — changed hands in 2026 for a record-setting $132.5 million, the third-largest pub sale in Australian history.
HTL Property's Andrew Jolliffe, who brokered The Courthouse deal, said the enduring appeal of pub assets lay in their revenue resilience and community relevance.
"Largely because they don't rely upon one particular revenue stream over another, and also because they are, by comparison to other recreational pursuits for families, such as travel, economically favourable," Jolliffe said.
"The Courthouse is a pub that embodies everything good about the hospitality industry, and the central role pubs play in community."
Separately, hospitality veteran Bruce Solomon — Elliot's father — is connected to another significant Sydney listing: a 2,684-square-metre corner block in Kingsford carrying price hopes north of $100 million, held through Amalgamated Hotels on behalf of the Fairfax family.
Jonathan Jackson, 4th May 2026
