The team are bringing the grand lady back to life.
Built in 1888, the Portarlington Grand Hotel has been sitting pretty on the main street of Portarlington, boasting incredible views of the popular and scenic harbour area. While it’s certainly been a few months between cocktails at the 132-year-old gem, this summer will see the return of the historic hotel, refreshed and revitalised.
At the hands of businessman Paul Little of The Little Group (which owns and operates Port Phillip Ferries), who purchased the double-storey pub and guesthouse in 2019, and under the guise of new operators Franco Biasuzzo and Mark Henderson, the most part of this year has seen the hotel undergo an invigorating multimillion-dollar redevelopment.
The key takeaways
- The Portarlington Grand Hotel is set to reopen this summer following an extensive $10M renovation
- The venue will feature a bright and lively new open-air beer garden with a pizza oven and modern coastal feel, 18 boutique rooms and a commercial kitchen.
- An upstairs front deck will be replaced with a replica of the original three-storey cast-iron balcony while the car park will also be upgraded to allow for an increase in trade.
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Slated to reopen by summer, the $10M renovation has restored the prominent main street structure to its original glory, as well as adding additional features to facilitate more trade from here on out, courtesy of award-winning Techne Architecture + Interior Design, known for their work on St Kilda’s Espy.
The venue will feature a bright and lively new open-air beer garden with a pizza oven and modern coastal feel (perfect for cocktails in the sun over summer), alongside the addition of 18 boutique rooms (some with bay views and balconies) and a commercial kitchen. An upstairs front deck will be replaced with a replica of the original three-storey cast-iron balcony while the car park will also be upgraded to allow for an increase in trade.
“The vision is to bring the grand lady back to life as a destination venue as it was intended some 133 years ago,” the hotel operators said, via the venue’s Facebook page said.
“The designs have been carefully considered to ensure they strengthen the heritage character of the hotel whilst providing a venue that will cater for the strong growth of residents and visitors to the Bellarine Peninsula,” they added.
“The focus on good old fashioned quality service will always remain for the locals and regulars who will remain a part of our family, and the updated venue will enhance the experience for tourists and visitors well into the future.”
Once the doors open again up to 400 guests from near and afar will be able to enjoy a complete experience with a stayover in the stunning new accommodation. There will be 18 boutique rooms available, some with full accessibility for wheelchairs and some with bay views.
As for the menu, the venue will bring focus to regional produce, still slinging the pub classics but with a modern flair and strong representation of seafood and local fare. Expect to see local mussels,
The aforementioned new beer garden will be an experience in itself, serving all of the beautiful wine, beers and spirits from around the Bellarine Peninsula, alongside mouthwatering wood-fired pizzas.
“The focus on good old-fashioned quality service will always remain for the locals and regulars who will remain a part of our family, and the updated venue will enhance the experience for tourists and visitors well into the future.”
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Portarlington Grand Hotel is located at 76 Newcombe Street Portarlington and is due to open in December. You can keep up to date with news from the hotel here.
