Renowned South Australian operator Hurley Hotel Group is celebrating fifty years of providing hospitality.
Managing directors Peter and Jenny Hurley acquired their first pub, Wuddina Hotel, on the Eyre Peninsula, in 1975.
In December 1979, the couple acquired the lease for Hotel Royal in Torrensville from SA Brewing Company, and six years later acquired another lease from SA Brewing Company, Marion Hotel, in Mitchell Park.
In 1991, during the worst recession since World War Two, the Hurleys saw the potential in the then-run-down Arkaba Hotel and purchased it.
In May 2015, Peter Hurley was named Ernst & Young ‘Champion of Entrepreneurship’, a global recognition of his success.
Peter’s achievements are extensive, including positions on multiple boards in hospitality, gaming, tourism, and in 1994 becoming State President of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) SA. He also served two terms as National President for the AHA.
Jenny’s achievements include patronage of multiple foundations. She was inducted into the Women’s AHA SA Hall of Fame in 2013.
Over the years Hurley Group has grown to count ten hotels, employing six hundred and eighty staff in total, as well as investments in other areas.
The couple’s hotel portfolio also includes Kensington Hotel, Torrens Arms Hotel and Hotel Panorama in the Adelaide region; Barker Hotel in the Adelaide Hills; Mannum’s Pretoria Hotel; Eyre Peninsula’s Port Lincoln Hotel and Ivory Waterside in New South Wales.
“We’re incredibly proud of the five decades we’ve devoted to the hospitality industry – the communities we’ve supported, the staff we’ve employed, and the legacy we’ve built,” offers Jenny.
“What began as a single country pub has grown into a lifelong commitment that our children have been raised in and now carry forward with us.”
Lately, Hurley Group has focused on investing in renovation and rebuilds, to the tune of more than one hundred million dollars.
In 2019, the Marion Hotel received a $20 million makeover, while just last year the group invested $8 million in transforming Hotel Royal.
The Arkaba Hotel was also transformed last year, with a $12 million investment earning the venue multiple awards, including Best Overall Hotel – General Division (Metropolitan) at last years’ AHA National Awards.
Currently the group is undertaking its most ambitious project – the $60 million development of Hotel Panorama, due to open in early- to mid-2026.
Peter Hurley says their team has been the foundation of everything they have done.
“For 50 years, we’ve built a legacy rooted in family and community.
“With our continued investment in South Australia, we’re not just looking to the next chapter—we’re laying the foundation for the next 50 years and beyond, guided by the generations still to come.”
