By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
Another regional New South Wales hotel has been snapped up, with Sean O’Hara of O’Hara Group, and Mark Malloy of Panania Hotel purchasing the Bradford Hotel in the suburb of Rutherford in Maitland, New South Wales.
The pair, who both have experience operating pubs in regional areas of New South Wales – O’Hara co-owns six regional hotels, including the Windsor Castle Hotel also in the Maitland area, while Malloy co-owned the North Wollongong Hotel with Arthur Laundy for more than a decade – targeted the hotel with the belief that the area’s development was worth investing in.
“We specifically targeted that hotel, mainly due to Maitland/Rutherford’s incredible growth story over the last decade,” said O’Hara.
“We purchased the Windsor Castle Hotel, East Maitland in June 2015, and that hotel is tracking well. As a result we are famiilar and comfortable with the Maitland area.”
The Bradford Hotel, which is relatively young, recently underwent an upgrade, and both O’Hara and Malloy are excited by the potential of the pub, which they associate with other pubs that they operate or have operated in the past.
“As far as regional [hotels] go, it is the type of property that reminded us of The Kooringal and North Wollongong hotels – a big thumper with big bars, food, entertainment, TAB and gaming,” says Malloy.
There has been a flurry of activity on the regional New South Wales pubs market in the last twelve months, with the likes of Alistair Flower, formerly of Sydney’s Public House Management Group, purchasing the Settlers Inn in Port Macquarie; an Arthur Laundy syndicate, including Sean O'Hara, purchasing the Long Jetty and Bateau Bay hotels, and Andrew Lazarus of Eastern Hotels Group purchasing the Exchange Hotel in Hamilton.
O’Hara and Malloy are set to take over the operations of the Bradford Hotel in early August.