Melbourne operators MD Hotels, fronted by former AFL star Corey Enright, have fallen into administration and lost possession of their Geelong pubs.
According to ASIC documents, MD Hotels is owned by Mathew Dyer and Dean Trembath, listed as directors, with partners Max McKay and Corey Enright – legend of the Geelong Cats and winner of the code’s revered ‘best and fairest’ award.
The group acquired the Inn Hotel in 2016, as Enright retired from football, saying at the time that as a bloke who likes a drink buying a pub is “something you always think about”.
In 2018 MD Hotels entered into an extended 20-year lease on the Hotel, which was previously known as the Bush Inn.
And flush with success, they went on to take over the nearby Geelong Hotel.
The following years saw the disruption of COVID and extended lockdowns, and in 2025 the group is understood to have succumb to financial troubles exacerbated by rising costs and the cost-of-living woes of the patronage.
In March MD Hotel Group P/L faced the Supreme Court of Victoria over unpaid bills, reported to owe electricity and gas provider Momentum Energy over $66K for utilities at the Inn Hotel.
When the company failed to pay the debt within the specified period the Court ordered it be wound up, seeing external administrator Scott Andersen of Worrells appointed mid-May. There are suggestions money is also owed to the tax office.
In April the landlord of the Geelong Hotel terminated their lease, alleging multiple breaches.
This situation escalated last week, with the owner dramatically evicting the operators from the venue, claiming extensive debt and damage.
While the landlord, who asks to remain anonymous, says MD Hotels owes him close to $300K in unpaid rent and maintenance, he claims the urgency was due to damage done to the building. He alleges walls have been “kicked in” and a state of disrepair he describes as “just f—ing horrendous”.
But a representative for MD Hotels “strongly” denies the allegations, calling on the successful recent sale of the freehold as evidence.
The group says they were part of significant capital upgrades, both to pave the way for increased trade and to assist the sale process, asserting the purchasers being “more than satisfied” with the condition of the structure as evidence.
Facing an uncertain future, MD Hotel Group is said to be “working closely” with administrators to optimise the outcome.
