Sam Arnaout’s Iris Group has been busy making hay while the lights were out, significantly including a major multi-million-dollar restoration and expansion of Manly’s iconic Hotel Steyne.
Sealing the deal on the Northern Beaches landmark mid-2019, Iris swiftly applied for a DA with Council, which was encouraging of a sympathetic restoration on one of Manly’s most prominent and well-known buildings.
Arnaout engaged an architect and reputable heritage consultant, and armed with a clear direction on what he wanted to achieve, worked with Council and “put the pedal to the metal” on plans.
Concurrently, Iris ran a tender process to find a builder, awarding the job to Calida Projects.
A major goal of the works was expansion of the accommodation offering from 28 to 42 rooms, each with ensuites and some with ocean views, bringing another income stream to the seaside pub. These are expected to be open in October.
Another major requirement was an upgrade to the well-weathered heritage façade, which was able to begin as soon the pub shut due to the crisis.
Work then continued inside, seeing restoration of the famous Round Bar. The classic old wooden bar will reportedly remain, while the carpet has been removed, finding original tiles from 1859, which have been polished and will now be on show again.
Further changes have included an expanded bistro offering and proper Italian pizza oven, the widening and addition of a new cocktail bar in the Courtyard, due to open in September, new gaming room and all new cellar.
The new coffee shop opened last week, and new Magic Millions Bar opened today.
Work on the new accommodation is underway, and the last stage is two new rooftop bars.
Making the most of the shutdown period, work was staged to always allow some areas to be trading as permitted when NSW pubs reopened. The Steyne’s 2,800 capacity will be better utilised when patron limits are removed.
Arnaout says the extensive heritage project was like peeling layers off an onion, but the top-down approach was the only way to go.
“I’ve done enough of these heritage buildings and old pubs to know you can’t do a lipstick job on them. You’ve got to do them properly, and there’s no better time to do a renovation at the Hotel Steyne than when the pub’s closed.
“All said we’ll end up spending close to $15 million there, so it’s a big one, but it’s deserving.”
As though a pandora’s box resto wasn’t enough, Iris actually has around half a dozen projects at various stages of completion.
The Cambridge Hotel at Fairfield is seeing a big overhaul and rebrand, including a new 24-hour sports bar and new gaming room. Work is being done at Edgeworth Tavern and Argenton Hotel, and on the accommodation in Sydney Junction Hotel. The new Hurlstone Park Hotel has now been built and the sprawling ‘East End’ project in Newcastle has topped out, with Woolworths about to move in and 210 apartments slated for completion by Christmas.
Beyond these, renovations are about to begin at the Columbian Hotel in Darlinghurst, and a “massive rebuild” will go on at the Sportsman’s Hotel at Blacktown, moving it to a more family-friendly venue, with a mammoth sports bar and gaming offering.
Counting his company as one of the true hotel operator-builders, Arnaout incorporates his construction team to add value to the group’s sites, and hasn’t wasted the opportunity.
“We’ve been using the downtime to keep our development arm busy.”
