The waterfront Harrington Hotel of Harrington is being sold in the vibrant mid-north coast, marking the latest Hunt Hospitality venue on offer in a recent portfolio shakeup.
The Harrington resides on an enviable 3,004sqm site with uninterrupted views of the Manning River estuary, where it meets the Pacific, enjoyed via expansive outdoor terraces.
Inside is an open plan layout providing configuration flexibility, with a large public bar, bistro, multiple dining areas, and a gaming lounge with 22 machines (Band 2 entitlements). There are six accommodation rooms and a three-bedroom manager’s residence on the first floor, and parking for 35 cars outside.
Operating under a midnight hotel licence, the pub’s highly visible position cements it as Harrington’s flagship hospitality offering, attracting both loyal local patronage and consistent year-round tourists to the seaside town.
It reports diversified weekly revenue of circa $105K, coming mostly from bar (36pc). The gaming operation is ranked #604 with Liquor & Gaming.
The mid-north coast is recognised as one of the most tightly held and desirable pub markets in the state, enjoying proximity to Sydney and Newcastle, and benefitting from strong demographic indicators, including population growth and resilient employment across a range of sectors, but notably in tourism, as the region sees increasing year-round visitation.
Stephen Hunt and investors bought the Harrington in 2021 for around $15 million from the Nixon family, who had held the venue for 23 years.
He said at the time how they “look forward to tapping into the local community, as well as capitalising on such a beautiful tourist destination”.
The past month has unleashed a concerted repositioning of the Hunt Hospitality portfolio, driven by the practise of buying with potential and recycling the capital when the time is right. Previous successes have been seen in sale of the Rutherford in 2018, and the Lakeside Hotel in 2019.
Also on offer now are the Kent Hotel in Hamilton and the leasehold Seabreeze Hotel in Nelson Bay.
These follow in the weighty footsteps of other recent coastal hotel sales, such as Redcape selling the mighty Beach Hotel Byron Bay to the Didier family, IMG acquiring the Cabarita Beach Hotel, and Marty Short divesting the Seabreeze Hotel at South West Rocks after 24 years.
No price expectations have been provided on the Harrington Hotel freehold boing concern, which is expected to draw strong interest from both large-scale operators and private capital.
An Expressions of Interest campaign through HTL Property’s Dan Dragicevich, Andrew Jolliffe and Xavier Plunkett closes Thursday, 16 October.
“The mid-north coast remains one of the most competitive and sought-after regional hospitality markets, with demand consistently exceeding supply,” says Plunkett.
