By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
Hot off the purchase of Verandah in Sydney’s CBD, Simon Tilley has purchased the well-known Greenwood Hotel.
Built in the originally structure of a church from the late 1800s, the North Sydney leasehold was sold by Balmain Pub Group, after the death of a senior partner has seen the group divest most of their pub assets. Tilley purchased the Greenwood Hotel’s leasehold for $10.1 million, and plans to take control of the venue in July.
“It’s an iconic North Sydney property that I’ve viewed for a long time, and I think will be there for a long time to come,” said Tilley.
The hotelier plans to make some small renovations to the hotel, including installing new toilets and upgrading the gaming room.
The purchase is the second major Sydney pub buy for Tilley in a matter of months, after purchasing Verandah in Martin Place from Dean Haritos at the end of February. Tilley began trading Verandah a fortnight ago, and believes that upgrades to Sydney CBD infrastructure can only improve business at the venue.
“It’s a fantastic location. The demographics of the Verandah are very strong as well as where it’s placed. With all the work going on with Transport NSW upgrading the train stations, I think for a long time to come it’ll be a great venue.”
Tilley also has plans to renovate and upgrade Verandah.