In their first move to Queensland, Tilley & Wills are set to open the Prince Consort Hotel in Fortitude Valley on Friday.
The Sydney-based group (Greenwood Hotel, Oxford Art Factory, Verandah, Clovelly Hotel) purchased the pub – then known as The Elephant Hotel – at the beginning of the year off the Australian Pub Fund for over $20 million.
“It feels great to be in the sunshine state! We have been looking at an opportunity in Queensland for some time and when The Prince came across our desks it was too good a deal to pass up on. We like doing things with scale and the large footprint it has in the heart of Brisbane’s entertainment precinct made it perfect for us,” stated group co-director Nick Wills.
“We our aiming to bring some of our southern contacts to Brisbane to see if we can add to the already impressive line up of QLD entertainment professionals we are working with.”
Reverting to the original name of The Prince Consort Hotel, Tilley & Wills have segmented the pub into eight different offerings. The Parlour Bar is the 132-year-old pub’s traditional public bar, while The Garden Bar is its outdoor offering. 400 Rabbits is a cantina-style food offering serving up tacos, while La Lal Land is an upstairs cocktail bar offering. The much-loved basement bar Greaser will remain, while the Bowie Rooms serve as private function spaces.
“The eight-venue collective will take centre stage n the Valley. We really want people to be able to come to The Prince and discover something new every time. Not just the Garden Oasis in our beer garden, the cocktails and Tacos in 400 rabbits, the live entertainment in Greaser or the line up in La La Land; we also want them to discover the nooks and crannies we have built in to our design. Literally let them choose their own adventure every time they visit,” explained Wills.
“We have added some elements that we want people to discover over time, not be shown straight away. VIP Cabanas, Secret doorways to an adult playground and a car that defies gravity are just a few to mention. We intend on constantly evolving and changing as we go so it’s almost like you have to keep coming back to discover more.”
The Prince Consort Hotel will be managed by Brisbane-born hospitality leader Jason Hirt (ex Osborne Hotel), while Jack Powlay (ex Lizard Island Resort) will take on the role of executive chef for the venue.