Hurley Hotel Group lodges plans for $30m hotel at old Panorama TAFE site

The former TAFE site in Panorama has long been vacant – but now a $30m, five-storey hotel will rise over a multimillion-dollar retail development.

Prominent publican the Hurley Hotel Group has unveiled plans for a $30m hotel to be built on part of the former TAFE site in Panorama.

To be known as the Panorama Hotel, the venue will replace Hurley’s nearby Tonsley Hotel, which is being acquired by the state government as part of the Torrens to Darlington Rd project.

The first stage of construction at 621 Goodwood Rd, Panorama, will begin later this year, and will include a bottle shop and tasting room, and that will be followed by development of a five-storey hotel with a cafe, sports bar, restaurant and gaming room on the ground floor.

Three upper levels of accommodation will feature 77 rooms, including 26 one and two-bedroom serviced apartments.

Artist’s impression of the $30m Panorama Hotel. Picture: Cox Architecture

A rooftop bar and several function spaces will feature on the top floor of the building.

The project is expected to be completed over two years, creating 80 jobs during construction and 150 permanent hospitality jobs once open.

Hurley Hotel Group general manager Sam McInnes said many of the Tonsley Hotel’s 50 employees would be redeployed within the Hurley Hotel Group, once that venue closes as early as the end of this year, including to the new Panorama Hotel.

“We expect this project will attract a wide range of tourists to the area, including international visitors, those from interstate and locals wanting a weekend away,” he said.

“Having adaptable accommodation with options to suit all tastes and budget, as well as the

highlight of the development being the rooftop bar, the new Panorama Hotel will offer something for everyone.”

The hotel takes up most of the space set aside for commercial development under a master plan for the former TAFE site drawn up by local developer Landmark Homes and Properties last year.

Construction of an X-Convenience petrol station, car wash and PETstock outlet, immediately to the north of the proposed hotel, will begin next month.

Landmark is also hoping to build more than 60 townhouses and up to two four-storey apartment blocks on the eastern half of the 3.4ha site, with entry from Shepley Ave.

Cox Architecture has designed the hotel, while local firm Evo Arc has designed the bottle shop.

Hurley Hotel Group directors Peter and Jenny Hurley have promised to plant two trees at their private 18ha property in the Adelaide Hills for every tree removed from the Panorama site.

A development application has been lodged with Mitcham Council, with public consultation currently open and closing on April 11.

The Hurley Hotel Group is one of South Australia’s largest family-owned hotel groups, operating nine venues including the Arkaba Hotel, Marion Hotel, Tonsley Hotel and Kensington Hotel.