New life for historic pub
Metropole Hotel to be reopened
One of Townsville’s historic hotels — closed to the public since the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 — is set to be reopened under new ownership as a traditional Aussie pub.
Toowoomba’s KPAT Hotels & Pubs has bought the Metropole Hotel in Palmer St, South Townsville, one of city’s first two-storey brick pubs, as well as the 12-level 104-room Oaks hotel behind the pub and adjoining land in Archer St.
KPAT managing director Kenneth Wagner said the opportunity arose to buy the property off-market and they considered it a good opportunity in a stable market.
“The Metropole Hotel, I think, is really the opportunity here,” Mr Wagner said.
“The pub has not been in great shape but from all accounts it was a fairly popular spot with locals.
“We intend to put the effort in and spend the money to bring it back to what it was,”
KPAT will continue to operate the Oaks hotel, while renovating the pub to provide a private restaurant and function room upstairs and a bar downstairs.
“We want to turn it back into a traditional Australian hotel for not only hotel guests but where all are welcome to enjoy,” Mr Wagner said.
Previously, the property was owned by Thailand’s Minor International hospitality group.
The pub dates back to the 1880s when it was frequented by port workers and fishermen.
While its facade was retained, the pub was gutted and rebuilt in 2008 and the hotel added behind.
KPAT develops, owns and operates a number of hotels.
It bought the Gladstone
Hotel in Toowoomba in 2016, later redeveloping that site, and was selected by the Sunshine Coast Council last year to develop a 180-room resort on a council site in Mooloolaba.
Construction on that project is about to start.
Mr Wagner said the refurbishment in Townsville would be focused on the pub.
They would retain a 1200sq m adjoining land parcel but would “tidy it up” to make it aesthetically appealing.
He said they would like to see the pub operating by the end of October.
Mr Wagner said they liked the look of Townsville as it had strong drivers in industry, agriculture, defence, tourism and health.
“We like the stability of the region,” Mr Wagner said.
He said the new stadium was helping to bring people back to the city but that the CBD had suffered for a number of years.
“Our challenge as an industry and operators is to effectively build a destination to bring people back to the CBD,” Mr Wagner said.
A sale price was not revealed but the property had previously changed hands in 2016 for around $20m.