By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
Comiskey Group has opened its 90-room, 4.5 star accommodation hotel on the Eatons Hill Hotel property.
Sitting adjacent to the award-winning pubin Queensland’s Moreton Bay region, the hotel is the realisation of nine years of planning from the Comiskey family, who had always envisioned accommodation as part of the Eatons Hill offering.
“We always saw it as a natural complement to the pub,” says director Rob Comiskey.
With construction, architecture, and interior design backgrounds throughout the family, the group were hands-on with Cox Architecture in designing the luxurious hotel with finishes deserving of the most grand of hotels.
The large foyer includes cashmere gold granite imported from India, tasteful brass finishings, a fully stocked bar for patrons, and a massive eye-catching artwork.
The rooms – with a minimum size of 30 sqm – feature luxury furniture and amenities, including king beds in all of the rooms, King Furniture pieces, premium Foxtel channels, and Appelles Black Label bathroom amenities. In each room and throughout the hotel are original artworks from Melbourne Andrew O’Brien.
The hotel also has large, adaptable function spaces, meeting rooms, and a heated pool. It is also located next to the Eatons Hill Retail Village, which includes a Woolworths, pharmacy, café, hairdresser, nail salon and massage studio – giving guests no need to leave the property.
“Say, you’re coming to a ball here. You come here, check-in, get a massage, get a pedicure, manicure, get your hair done, and grab a bottle of champagne to have while you get ready. Everything is in one place and you don’t even have to leave the village,” explains Comiskey.
Strategy and scale
The group identified the need for accommodation as the property is adjacent to Brendale, a growing industrial estate, which when fully developed will be one of the largest in the country. The corporate stay is the main focus, but secondary markets have also been identified, such as sports fans attending national events at a sports complex in the vicinity; and guests of wedding parties attending celebrations in facilities in the area.
Construction on the $45 million complex began in mid 2016. Comiskey said that while the scale of the project was unprecedented within the pub industry, the group was fully committed from the beginning.
“We’re seen as massive risk takers because we do stuff that people don’t usually do, but we see it as a calculated risk. We always say if you build something special, it’s like that Field of Dreams thing, ‘if you build it then they’ll come.’”
To oversee hotel operations, Comiskey Group have brought on Murray Rowbotham as general manager, who has an extensive history in Brisbane accommodation, including at Stamford Plaza, Emporium Hotel and Gambaro Group.
The hotel has done well since its soft launch of half of the rooms last week, with bookings almost at capacity, with one corporate group booking the equivalent of 15 nights in the first week.
Comiskey also expects the hotel and pub to encourage trade for the other, with the accommodation an attractive prospect for attendees of the famed events held at the pub, such as large-scale concerts and the annual rodeo. In turn, accommodation guests are likely to patronise the pub, with the convenience of being able to charge food and beverages back to your hotel room.
