Dargo hotel in bid for Airbnb Country Pubs Project grant
Country pubs across Australia, such as the Dargo Hotel, are vying for a share in Airbnb’s $250,000 pool to improve regional accommodation options.
DARGO Hotel owner Helen Hall says it’s the homely atmosphere and iconic roof that draws the crowds to her High Country pub.
The Gippsland hotel often gets visitors who stop in to take a picture of the town’s name emblazoned on the roof, or slap a sticker on their car to show they’ve been there.
It’s these loyal customers who Mrs Hall hopes will support her in the quest to be one of five country pubs to receive a grant from Airbnb.
The accommodation website is giving out a pool of $250,000 to hotels around the country to help them improve their facilities and list them on their site.
Mrs Hall said the initiative would be beneficial to pubs undiscovered by tourists.
“There’s a lot of small country towns where there are a lot of private Airbnb listings and I guess they’re aiming at hotels because they’re mainly older pubs that have accommodation,” she said.
“Because people aren’t promoting their business the right way they’re not getting that accommodation at all. You need to make the most of any revenue in your business.”
Mrs Hall said any prize money would be put into the kitchen and dining areas.
“We’ve just done up the accommodation, but because they’re timber they take a bit of maintenance. The kitchen and dining area is the next place to spend some big dollars. It would make life a whole lot simpler if you add more modern equipment,” she said.
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