Sydney’s Light Brigade Hotel has just changed hands between two esteemed Sydney pub families, with Laundy Hotels acquiring the venue from the Bayfield Hotels Group in a sale conducted by HTL Property.
The Bayfield family has owned the four-storey hotel, which is located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, since 2015. The initial sale was estimated at $9m, after which Bayfield Hotels Group undertook an extensive rooftop and first floor renovation. Although the opening of the rooftop was held up by licensing restrictions, it eventually debuted in 2016 and has been well received ever since. In 2022, Mandoe Media ranked the Light Brigade at number 117 in the world’s top 200 best rooftop bars.
Fourth generation hotelier Kaine Bayfield is pleased with how his family has stewarded the hotel.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time with this magnificent property, and as an extended family we are collectively delighted the hotel has been bought by such an esteemed group in the form of the Laundys,” he said.
Laundy Hotels has had a busy couple of years, including winning 2023 Hotel Operator of the Year at the AHA NSW Awards For Excellence. In addition, Arthur Laundy purchased Fraser Short’s 50 per cent stake in a portfolio of jointly owned hotels in early 2023, acquiring full ownership of venues such as Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, Park House Mona Vale, Northies at Cronulla, Lennox Head Hotel, Illawong Hotel and The Farm at Byron Bay.
The Light Brigade will join Laundy Hotels’ venues in Sydney’s east including the Watsons Bay, Bells, and Woolloomooloo Bay hotels. Stu Laundy described the family’s strong connection to the area.
“A few generations ago our family owned the Woollahra Hotel, and my father played rugby down at Easts, so with my four daughters all having attended school in the area, I’m looking forward to a long association with a part of Sydney we love and know well,” he said.
HTL Property agents Dan Dragicevich, Sam Handy and Andrew Jolliffe oversaw the sale, and Jolliffe commented on the sale’s relevance for the broader Sydney pub market.
“When fourth generation hoteliers buy from fourth generation hoteliers, it says something patently clear about the longevity and strength of an asset class,” he said.
“This iconic Eastern Suburbs pub sale warrants recognition for not only the materiality of the transaction alone, but also the messaging it seeks to underscore in respect of the continued magnetism of A-grade hotel assets nationwide.”