Royal Hotel Bondi is on the market
And so Bondi publican Geoff Moulding has decided the time is right to sell his family’s pub, the Royal Hotel in Bondi.
He says he’s doing it after receiving what he calls “unsolicited approaches” over the last 40 years.
He expects it will fetch $30 million.
The Royal Hotel, situated on Bondi Road, is steeped in history. Established in 1904, it was the place where the Bondi Surf Bathers and Life Saving Club were formed in 1907.
And of course, it’s been the location for a number of films, including that segment from the iconic 1966 movie They’re a Weird Mob.
“All those actors used to drink here, it was very much a big pub,” Mr Moulding, 63, told the Daily Telegraph.
“But what was designed for the 1960s doesn’t stand up in 2018 — people have different expectations.”
He says the new custodians of the pub will have to put it through a complete refit.
“They need to take it to the next stage. It’s time to rebirth the hotel,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
And so, as he says, it’s time to move on.
“I love the pub but there are a lot of other things I can’t do because you’re married to your business,” Mr Moulding told the Daily Telegraph.
“I might have a small holiday ... and do the things I haven’t had the time to do.
“I built myself a 50-foot boat 20 years ago and I’ve sort of been neglecting that recently.”
As he explains it, the family picked up the pub when his father Albert, now 92, discovered it when he was looking at another pub. He bought the brewery lease from Tooth and Co in 1978 and secured the hotel’s freehold in 1990.
JLL Hotels’ John Musca has been called in to market the multi-storey brick pub.
“I can’t remember ever selling a hotel that attracted this level of interest,” Mr Musca told the Daily Telegraph.
by Leon Gettler, November 1st 2017
