LocalsCo thinks big with Bayswater Hotel refresh

Perth has welcomed the return of a local institution, with LocalsCo unveiling the revitalised Bayswater Hotel on 4 October, following a wide-reaching $7m renovation to update the venue for the area’s changing demographic.

LocalsCo initially purchased the property in 2021, operating the venue for two years before embarking on the renovation.

Over the previous two years of operation, LocalsCo updated the food offering and introduced more events and activations, but Andrew Moon, group commercial manager for LocalsCo, said that the renovation allowed the group to make more significant changes to the venue.

“It’s a really unique opportunity that we were fortunate enough to be the winning bidders on. We went into buying with a renovation in mind. It needed to be refreshed, but it took us until September 2023 to finally get the builders in,” he said.

LocalsCo are known for other popular WA venues such as the multiple-award winning Treendale Farm Hotel in Australind, the Rose Hotel in Bunbury and the Subiaco Hotel in Perth. According to Moon, the success of these venues encouraged the group to think on a larger scale throughout the renovation of the Bayswater Hotel.

“The last couple of renovations, refreshes, and reopens that we’ve done for our group, we’ve not really expected it to be as busy as they worked out to be. We put a lot more effort into making sure this one can handle large numbers. The kitchen is absolutely enormous. There are 750 seats, so 750 diners can dine at one time, whenever it gets that busy. Everything’s just done on a big scale. We’ve had to hire 90 staff off the bat, and a big kitchen team of about 20,” he said.

The renovated Bayswater Hotel will better serve its changing local community, which is now one of Perth’s most diverse inner-city suburbs, with a number of young families moving into the area. The Bayswater township has also received a significant boost in the form of a $300m redevelopment of the Bayswater Train Station. This has positioned the area as a key metro centre, with rail access from the CBD, airport, and the city’s north, and puts the Bayswater Hotel in the middle of one of Perth’s largest transport hubs.

Respecting heritage

Ensuring the pub maintains its connection to the local community has been a key focus for LocalsCo.

“We’ve tried our hardest to stay in touch with the local regulars who’ve been without their pub for about a year while we’ve while we’ve been doing the work. Prior to closing everything down, we did a small marketing event, where we had portraits taken of about 30 of the local legends, and in on one of the hallways, we’ve allocated a wall for those framed portraits,” he said.

The local legends wall joins other unique local décor sourced by LocalsCo, including an eight metre rowing boat from the ANA Rowing Club in Bayswater, and an Italian 1960s fruit and vegetable delivery truck, reflecting the pub’s location and history.

Additionally, the railway-facing façade has been retained, showcasing heritage-listed elements dating back to the late 19th century.

Benson Studio architect, Michael Benson, said that the design blends the venue’s past with Bayswater’s modern community.

“Drawing on the deep history of the Bayswater Hotel, our vision was to restore it as the local pub for all. We introduced vibrant new spaces, including a sports bar that drew on the original bar, an open pizza dining area for the family gathering, heritage dining room that resonate the heritage fabric, relaxed lounge areas around the fireplace for an intimate gathering, a light-filled bistro for a long Sunday lunch, a sprawling beer garden with many nooks to hide away, and a family area featuring a one-of-a-kind playground.”

Family focus

Catering for the area’s families, the outdoor area features a custom-built playground, including a 10-metre-tall tower and a slide. There is also a landscaped beer garden, complete with a five-by-three metre TV screen.

Sports fans can also enjoy the sports bar, featuring large screen TVs on every wall, pool tables, and an alfresco space opening onto Railway Parade.

The Bayswater Hotel’s famous bistro has been transformed into a family restaurant, featuring a rotating wood-fired pizza oven direct from Italy, and offering a selection of pub favourites, Napoli-style pizzas, and innovative new dishes. With a fresh colour palette, the dining area includes a double-sided brick fireplace and redesigned timber and brick bar.

Guests can enjoy the food offerings alongside selections from the diverse wine list, cocktails, or beer from one of the 64 taps throughout the venue.

“We have a couple of guest beer taps that are pretty much always going to be WA breweries. As a group, we partner heavily with Rocky Ridge and Beerfarm, which are both breweries from the southwest. They essentially have dibs on those two beer slots,” Moon said.

The hospitality offering is complemented by the rebuilt drive-through Cellarbrations bottle shop and existing 40 room motel, Quality Hotel Bayswater.

Since its reopening, the Bayswater Hotel has received incredible support from the old guard of regulars and newcomers alike.

“The response has been extremely positive. A lot of locals came back just to poke their head in and see what the changes were. We were expecting a bit of negativity about the things we have changed, but feedback was very positive from all of the old regulars. We have a good chunk of them back in the front bar now,” Moon said.

“We’ve certainly brightened the place up a bit, put in more windows, and made it feel a bit more modern than it was before. There are heaps of locals coming through who weren’t really interested in coming to the Bayswater prior to the renovation. It’s very obviously for families and for family diners, and we’re seeing that family demographic coming in.”