8 minute read
GROUP PROFILE: EPOCHAL HOTELS
Past, present and future
Glenn Piper and his team announce the formation of Epochal Hotels, with a focus on highlighting the cultural significance of each of their venues.
HAVING LONG had experience in property investment and an affinity for the water, Glenn Piper decided to combine his areas of expertise and interest in early 2020 and acquire the Harbord Beach Hotel in Freshwater, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches region.
It had been owned by John Thorpe and Trish King for 42 years. Piper would regularly drive past the pub on his way to beach volleyball sessions, and would take note of its position within the local community.
“I always admired the prominent position that hotel took in the Freshwater Basin. It has beautiful architecture, that’s quite significant in its design,” Piper told Australian Hotelier.
“But then also, within the community, the ‘Harbord Hilton’ was always a place that was truly loved by the local community. So, many years later, I decided to sound out the owners that had been operating the hotel since the 70s and see if they would be interested in passing the heirloom over.”
After 18 months of discussion, Thorpe and King agreed to sell the pub. Even with no prior experience operating hotels, the partners were convinced that Piper would be the right custodian to carry on the pub’s legacy.
While Piper admits that there was a learning curve to pub operations, he had a strong vision from the outset for what he wanted the Harbord Hotel to be for the Freshwater community, and built a strong team of industry professionals around himself, including Michael Ternes (ex The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda), who came on as GM of Harbord Hotel, and is now the Group General Manager of Epochal Hotels.
“I surrounded myself with the right expert minds to realise the vision I always had for that property. And so yes, it was a learning curve for me, but it wasn’t something I shied away from. I really embraced it as an opportunity to expand my experience in real estate into the hospitality sector,” explained Piper.
Since that first acquisition in 2020, Piper and his investment partners have gone on to acquire the Beach Hotel, Merewether in Newcastle; Q Station, Manly; Hook Island in the Whitsundays; and the Commodore Hotel at McMahon’s Point in North Sydney. The latest addition to the portfolio, announced last month, is the Scarborough Hotel in the Illawarra region, famed for its clifftop views of the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the announcement of the latest venue purchase, Piper took the opportunity to also announce the formal establishment of Epochal Hotels.
A significant event
After years of discussion, planning and the building of a signature collection of renowned hotels and other assets that have significant cultural impact in their coastal communities, the acquisition of the Scarborough Hotel felt like the right time to formally unveil Epochal Hotels.
“It did take us this long to settle on a brand that was aligned to what we set out to accomplish, and the impact we’re having in the hospitality space. We’ve got a collection of amazing assets, which are iconic in each of their locations. Scarborough Hotel is no different, so when that was added to the portfolio, we thought it was the ideal time. It’s a good moment to crystallise this vision and bring it to fruition,” stated Piper, who is now officially the CEO of Epochal Hotels.
The name of the group emphasises the team’s aims to take these already renowned assets, and start them on a new phase of cultural significance.
“The name of Epochal Hotels encapsulates our ethos and approach for each property within our portfolio. Epochal signifies something significant or important, marking the beginning of a new era. So, for me, that is a nod to the historical significance of each venue when they were first established – it was an epochal time – as well as our commitment to revitalising and reimagining these spaces for the modern era.”
The Epochal Hotels portfolio does have a very distinct characteristic of being comprised of assets that are near the coast, but Piper says it’s more than that.
“I’ve always been drawn to opportunities that have three components: they’re by the coast, they’re significant, and they’re iconic. And they have that heritage and history component to them. If you take a look at the assets, they’re all similar in that regard.”
Delving into history
A core component of Epochal Hotels’ operations is honouring each of its pubs’ histories and cultural significance by bringing that into focus with each renovation.
“For me, the heart of any establishment does lie with the connections to the community. I think there’s a responsibility to do the community and property justice, to call on its heritage, its history. These pubs has been serving the community for so many decades, and quite often, they’re some of the oldest buildings in those suburbs. So I always aim to make a property of that significance emblematic of the community,” explained Piper.
“It should represent the stories of the past, and it should be a celebration of the local community. Because the communities that these properties are sitting in, they do have fantastic stories, and a lot of them have contributed to wider culture, so I think that should be celebrated.”
For Harbord Hotel, that meant highlighting the hotel and local area’s significance in Australia’s surfing culture. This includes a mural by local artist Ash Holmes and framed pictures throughout the pub of local surfing history, as well as ensuring that the beachside courtyard felt casual enough that surfers feel welcome to throw their board to the side while they enjoy a bite to eat.
The expansive renovation and offering at the hotel earned it the title of Hotel of the Year at the 2023 Australian Liquor Industry Awards, voted on by industry peers.
I think there's a responsibility to do the community and property justice, to call on its heritage, its history.
Glenn Piper, CEO, Epochal Hotels
“It was truly an honour. Two years into our operations, to receive an award like that, we’re immensely grateful for the support from our industry peers,” stated the CEO.
At the Beach Hotel in Merewether, an 18-monthlong renovation has just been completed, and not only pays tribute to the pub’s coastal culture, but also includes nods to the area’s steelworks and brickworks, as well as a takeaway offer reminiscent of 1980s beach bars that were prominent at the time.
Next up on the list for the group to tackle is the Commodore Hotel, with renovations to commence shortly, and to be completed by the end of the year. The plans will draw on the pub and local area’s history – including the fact that the pub was established in the 1850s by John Blue, son of famed convict Billy Blue and became Sydney’s first ferryman and was nicknamed ‘Commodore’.
“The Commodore Hotel has a rich and brilliant history, actually providing us with a solid foundation to build upon. We’ll draw that inspiration from the local community, local area and the property itself. So I’m looking forward to sharing that with everyone when we reopen come summer.”
As part of the process of delving into the histories of each hotel, Epochal Hotels engages historians and other professionals to uncover the cultural significance behind each venue.
“That helps us inform the narrative that we want to tell for the venue. And we’ll try and carry that narrative through the design: from its aesthetic, look and feel through to the food and beverage that we’re offering through and staff uniforms. We take a lot of pride in delivering that, and it’s something that we’re very passionate about,” Piper stated.
That pride comes back to a fundamental belief of Piper’s that pubs are more than just a place for a drink or a meal.
“Pubs are a place where memories are made, friendships are forged. And a lot of the time it’s where community bonds are strengthened. So when we take that lens over a pub, it really sets us up to create something impactful. We’re really looking at these as community havens rather than just another place for food and beverage.
