Sonnel Hospitality has acquired the Fire House Hotel in North Sydney.
Long-term publican Mark Barry has sold the Fire House Hotel, making it the first freehold going concern hotel to transact in the North Sydney CBD in 40 years. The on-market sale campaign was overseen by HTL Property’s Andrew Jolliffe and Dan Dragicevich, who stated that the pub attracted “ an abnormally large level of interest”.
The popular Fire House Hotel is situated at the centre of the reinvigorated North Sydney business precinct, complemented by recently completed developments including the Victoria Cross Metro Station, 242-room Citadel Hotel next door at 88 Walker St, and both the adjacent 100 Mount St DEXUS development and the Channel 9-anchored 1 Denison St development at the hotel’s back door.
“My family has thoroughly enjoyed its business connection with the North Sydney CBD spanning in excess of 30 years, and feel entirely confident the exceptional Sonnel Hospitality team will ensure the Fire House Hotel’s fine legacy is only further emboldened in the decades to come,” stated Barry.
The acquisition is the latest activity from Sonnel Hospitality, in what has been a busy 2025 for the group.
At the beginning of the year, the group lodged extensive expansion and renovation plans for Crossroads Hotel with Liverpool City Council, with an estimated cost of close to $34m. This is in addition to its also substantial redevelopment plans for Ermington Hotel, Ashfield Hotel and New Victoria Tavern.
Around the same time, the Nelson and Simon Meers-owned group announced a new leadership team, with Tim Fitzgerald (ex- Morris Hospitality) as COO, and Jacqui Corbett (ex- Momento Hospitality) as general manager of operations.
Establishing itself at the forefront of social and staffing policy within the industry, Sonnel Hospitality also announced in June that it had adopted a “game-changing” paid parental leave policy, in line with other large corporations outside of hospitality.
With a geographic focus on western Sydney, the acquisition of the Fire House Hotel is Sonnel Hospitality’s first expansion outside of Sydney’s west.
Jolliffe suggested that the sale was a reminder of the appetite for this kind of asset within the Sydney landscape.
“In terms of a marker for how the asset class is performing in Sydney currently, and with regard investor sentiment, this sale sets both a precedent and a salient reminder of the unsatisfied investor depth for AAA grade hospitality property.”