The expansive Imperial Hotel in Singleton is being sold, billed as one of the last truly untapped gaming hotels in New South Wales.
The two-storey corner pub is configured with a single bar layout servicing all ground floor areas, with gaming room counting 23 (Band 2) EGM entitlements, a large commercial kitchen, bistro and expansive undercover beer garden, both accessible from its large carpark at the rear.
On the upper level there are 14 first floor accommodation rooms that enjoy high levels of occupancy.
The hotel holds a 3am licence, making it the latest trader in Singleton, and currently reports around $5 million in annual turnover across departments.
Singleton is a prominent regional centre in the booming Upper Hunter region, approximately 200 kilometres north-west of Sydney and 80 from Newcastle, seeing strong population and infrastructure growth, spurred on by major mining operations and the expansive state government Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone project.
The Imperial resides on a prominent intersection in Singleton’s busy retail corridor.It occupies a large 3,522sqm lot that includes the adjoining 173 and 175 John Street retail buildings, connected by the carpark, with CDC approval for a new bottleshop.
Murphy Hotel Management operated the hotel from late 2019 until its sale in early 2022 to a “very private Sydney-based investor” who asks to remain unnamed, and has the business run under management.
He is selling now as it is his only operating asset outside of Sydney, in a campaign through JLL Hotels’ Kate MacDonald, Greg Jeloudev and Edward Browne, who cite substantial value-add opportunities to bolster operational performance and profitability.
A DA was secured for a comprehensive reconfiguration and modernisation of the gaming room, bar, and bistro areas. The DA has recently expired, but it is expected a new owner will have no problem getting re-approval. The accommodation rooms also have “scope to modernise”.
Singleton sources suggest the freehold going concern is likely to fetch sale price north of $20 million. Expressions of Interest close Tuesday, 10 March.
“Untapped gaming hotels such as this are rapidly diminishing from the NSW hotel landscape,” says MacDonald.
“The unrealised potential in this pub is enormous, particularly given the geographical positioning and associated growth prospects for the region.”
