Matthews Hospitality business The Mount Gambier Hotel set to undergo $1 million redevelopment
A million dollar redevelopment will transform a dated hotel into a complete tourism experience designed to champion the region’s “homegrown heroes”.
SA Business
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A $1 million plan to turn a dated Mount Gambier institution into a complete tourism experience is set to grow tourism in the state’s regional capital.
The Mount Gambier Hotel – better known as The G – will be transformed by the end of the year.
South Australian family-owned hotels group Matthews Hospitality owns the historic hotel and chief executive Andrew Kemp said $1,122,500 will be spent on accommodation upgrades and the creation of local tours and overnight tourism packages.
The works will include updating all rooms to a 4-star standard and elevating the hotel’s food and beverage offering to create “a superior experience”.
“The accommodation upgrades and tours will go hand-in-hand, encouraging more visitors to Mount Gambier to enjoy the world-class experiences and produce the Limestone Coast has to offer,” Mr Kemp said.
“The 16 existing rooms are somewhat dated and while comfortable will really benefit from the injection of a modern look and feel. It will truly transform the whole upper level of the hotel.”
Once the renovations are complete Mr Kemp said the hotel would introduce tours focused on championing the region’s tourism experiences and local businesses he described as “our homegrown heroes”.
“Imagine this – being collected from your Mount Gambier accommodation for a morning exploring the Naracoorte Caves, followed by a visit to a few wineries in the Coonawarra region, enjoying gourmet delights from the area over lunch, spending some time visiting the local sweet shop, butcher and gifts store in Penola and then canapes watching the sunset over the Blue Lake,” he said.
Improving the hotel had long been on the radar but Mr Kemp said the pandemic had convinced the business it was the right time to invest with project also receiving a $336,740 Tourism Industry Development Fund grant.
“The onset of COVID-19 really challenged us, but what shone through was the support of our local community for our hotels in Mount Gambier and the intrastate travellers who can’t get enough of the Limestone Coast,” he said.
“We thank the South Australian Government for its support which will directly benefit Mount Gambier and the Limestone Coast region.
“The activities will create a number of jobs during the construction phase not to mention ongoing meaningful employment for local workers as our plans come to life.”
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