The Espy’s history celebrated with complete refurbishment
Hotel Esplanade will reopen its doors this Friday after an 18 month refurbishment.
Privately owned hospitality group Sand Hill Road bought The Espy in 2017 and have spent the past eighteen months restoring the seaside icon, creating 12 bars, two restaurants and three stages across the expansive property.
Through the curb-side beer garden, guests will be able to journey from The Basement stage and Public Bar to the Main Bar, Garden Terrace overlooking St Kilda pier, Gershwin Room and the casual Espy Kitchen. Mya Tiger, the venue’s Cantonese restaurant and cocktail bar, will open in early December.
“The Espy has always been our ultimate pub dream. But it’s also an awesome responsibility,” said Doug Maskiell, co-founder of Sand Hill Road. “Every day, we’ve uncovered layers and layers of The Espy’s history that have absolutely blown us away. We know we’ll never truly own The Espy – that title belongs to the many thousands of people who have walked its staircases before us, and the many more thousands still to come.”
Opening up parts of the building many never knew existed, the renovations expand the public offering from three levels to six, most notably by opening the top level.
“There’s something about this hotel that captures the imagination like no other,” said Sand Hill Road co-founder Tom Birch. “These are the things we determined to keep at the forefront of our minds as we conceived the look, feel and spaces of the new Espy – age, grandeur, history, arts – and respect for what it took to keep her alive all these years.”
The old hotel’s loading bay has been transformed into a kitchen stage equipped with charcoal grills, twin wood-fired pizza ovens and a Rotisol French rotisserie, led by executive chef Ash Hicks and his 60-strong chef brigade.
Sheridan Randall, 22nd November 2018
