Hotel to close for $10m refurb

THE Burke and Wills Hotel is calling last drinks with the historic site closing in two weeks for a $10 million redevelopment.

Plans for the 60-year-old hotel include an expanded gaming room, a new lick of paint, new glazed windows and a prominent new logo.

A complete internal and external redevelopment of the venue will include a total of 85 rooms including 15 five-star suites, 70 four-and-a-half-star hotel rooms, five function rooms, two restaurants and a bar.

The ground floor will be demolished as well as the interior of the hotel.

Building owner Hakfoort Group submitted plans for the redevelopment with Toowoomba Regional Council almost two years ago.

Renovations were to begin in March but due to a delay in the outcome of the building application with the council, the facelift will instead begin at the end of June.

Hakfoort Group operations manager Michael Byatt said nothing would be left untouched.

“It is a complete internal and external refurbishment which will set a new standard for luxury accommodation in Toowoomba,” he said.

“It will be in a league of its own and it’s being built with the long-term future of Toowoomba in mind.

“The restoration to the exterior will be sympathetic to character features of the of the building.

“Although the exterior will be totally modernised, people who live in Toowoomba and know the building will be able to see the elements of its original shape.”

Burke and Wills Hotel shared a post on Facebook asking people to come down and say goodbye to the hotel as it is known now, before it closes on Friday, June 9.

“Our historic hotel is in its last two weeks of trading before it closes its doors for its $10 million face lift,” it read.

“There will be a mix of restoration and renovation before it re-opens in 2018.

“This historic beauty will keep its charm while including a few modern touches to suit the 21st century clientele.”

Mr Byatt said it was an exciting time to be part of Toowoomba’s growth, thanks largely to the expansion of Grand Central and the success of licenced venues like The Office and the Mills Precinct.

“We are excited the project is finally beginning because it is such a large project for us and Toowoomba,” he said.

The renovations are expected to be completed in the first half of 2018.