Royal Hotel at Kent Town reopens with new name, renovations, after a two-year closure

Once one of Adelaide’s best-known hotels, this famed night spot is making a royal return with a new look, more than two years after closing its doors because of roadworks.

Royal Terrace Hotel operational manager Glen Aikman at the refurbished pub on North Terrace. It will reopen this week. Picture: Dean Martin

• Investors warned to stay away from Adelaide hotels
• O-Bahn roadworks force Royal Hotel to close

A landmark Adelaide hotel is making a royal return more than two years after closing its doors.

The rebranded Royal Terrace Hotel on the corner of North Tce and Dequetteville Tce, Kent Town, will begin trading this week after a three-month renovation, timed to coincide for Adelaide’s festival season.

The rebirth marks a much-anticipated comeback for the state heritage-listed pub, which closed in November 2016 — with the loss of 20 jobs — after its previous owner cited construction of the O-Bahn extension for a drop in trade.

The property is the sixth for South Australian-based operator Entertainment Venues Australia, whose venues include the Glenelg Pier Hotel, Propaganda Club on Grenfell St, Brougham Adelaide on O’Connell St, Victor Harbor’s Anchorage Hotel and Lady Bay Hotel.

The Pier and Propaganda were also rescued from administration.

Company director Elli Cakar said the venue, which has been restored internally and externally, would be a “sleeping giant”.

The renovated inside of the Royal Terrace Hotel. Picture: Dean Martin

“We are going to give it a crack, we believe in SA, contrary to all the (negative) talk about of city pubs,” he said, in response to recent report by forensic accountants Ferrier Hodgson that warned of challenging trading conditions.

“We believe we can make it work based on good service, good food and entertainment.”

Mr Cakar said the Royal Terrace Hotel was well positioned with ongoing apartment growth in Kent Town, including plans by Kerry Stokes-backed Flagship Property Holdings for an approved 150-apartment block behind the pub.

Flagship, which is building the Kodo Apartments on Angas Street and neighbouring Penny Place tower, owns the freehold for the pub.

The Royal Terrace Hotel has been renovated and will reopen after being closed for two years. Picture Dean Martin

Entertainment Venues Australia marketing director Glen Aikman, who was formerly with Hurley Hotel Group, said it was exciting to bring “the old girl back to life”.

“A lot of people have got a lot of history with this hotel and there’s a lot of local interest, people coming out of the woodwork just excited to get back in here,” he said.

“We wanted to give it a real modern and fresh look to the venue.”

Throughout the 1990s, the Royal was hugely popular with young adults and was regularly packed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.