With Comiskey Group’s new greenfields build Dakabin Hotel added to the Pub Leaders Summit Study Tour program, the half-day itinerary is now complete.
The Pub Leaders Summit Study Tour – taking place on Tuesday 22 July – has added Comiskey Group’s newest pub, Dakabin Hotel to the itinerary. The venue joins Kickon Group’s Grand View Hotel in Cleveland (nearing the end of a yearlong renovation); and the newly renovated Lord Stanley Hotel by Hakfoort Group.
Dakabin Hotel, a $35m development including an on-site retail precinct, opened in late May. Comiskey Group’s group operations manager Brad Harding, said the hotel was hugely anticipated by the local community as the Dakabin residential community rapidly develops.
“Before Dakabin Hotel even opened its doors, the response was nothing short of extraordinary—over 5,000 bookings were made within just 48 hours, highlighting the incredible demand and enthusiasm from the community. The results across the entire Hotel have far exceeded our expectations and laid a strong foundation for long-term success.”
Here’s a breakdown of the Study Tour venues:
Dakabin Hotel
Situated on 3.75 hectares of land on the corner of Alma and Old Gympie Road, the $35m Dakabin Hotel development includes a $15m on-site shopping precinct, including Guzman Y Gomez, KFC, Zarraffa’s and a NightOwl service station.
The concept for the pub is unique within the broader Comiskey Group portfolio, featuring a one-restaurant, two-kitchen concept, delivering a unique dining experience that combines modern Australian fare with an additional pan-Asian menu.
Another major offering at Dakabin Hotel is the Sin Bin Sports Bar, complemented by a circular LED display playing the best of FoxSports. Additional features include electronic darts, pool tables, a gaming room, a kids’ arcade, a half basketball court, and a sunken fireplace on the patio.
Grand View Hotel
Queensland’s oldest licensed pub, the Grand View Hotel in Cleveland, is currently undergoing a major renovation by Kickon Group. While incorporating and celebrating heritage aspects of the 174-year-old building, the Grand View Hotel will boast a new kitchen equipped with a rotisserie oven and woodfired pizza oven; a purpose-built function space seating around 120 guests complete with its own bar and restrooms; plus a range of seating options on the grass overlooking the bay at the rear of the venue, along with a big screen for live sports. An undercover dining terrace, to connect the inside lounge bar to the outdoors, is also in the works. With works ongoing, Study Tour attendees will be getting a hard-hat look at the renovations in progress in what will be one of the most anticipated pub re-openings in SEQ.
Richard Harrison, Kickon Group’s SEQ operations manager and Grand View Hotel VM, said the team is chomping at the bit to reopen the pub.
“We can’t wait to open our doors again. Seeing the gap it left in our local community has only made us more excited to bring this place back to life. With such an incredible location and so much potential to unlock, the possibilities are endless. Right now, we’re deep in the chaos of renovations, a rebrand and everything that comes with re-opening, but we couldn’t be more eager to start pouring beers again!”
Lord Stanley Hotel
Bought by the Hakfoort Group in 2022, the beloved Lord Stanley Hotel in East Brisbane, reopened in mid-May after 12 months of renovations. The transformative renovation includes one of Brisbane’s greenest beer gardens; a brand new state-of-the-art gaming room; a sports bar; restaurant; a 200” LED television wall; a kids playground; a function room; and new deck overlooking the lights of the beloved Gabba.
Albert Hakfoort, director of Hakfoort Group will be leading the Study Tour around the venue, and explained his aim with the renovation.
“I am looking forward to hosting the attendees that will be taking the time to make their way not just to Queensland but to the Lord Stanley hotel. I did not embark upon refurbishing this hotel to be the next ‘It’ venue but to make the Lord Stanley a venue that locals and the people in the immediate area can be proud of.
The Study Tour will embark from Eatons Hill Hotel at 9am, first visiting Dakabin Hotel, then The Grand View Hotel, before ending at The Lord Stanley Hotel with a light lunch. The tour will conclude by approximately 1:30pm.
Tickets for the Study Tour are limited, and can only be purchased by venue operators and in conjunction with a Pub Leaders Summit ticket. Tickets can be purchased here.