One of Victoria’s iconic coastal pubs, the Apollo Bay Hotel, has hit the market, available for the first time in over 30 years. The freehold and business is being offered exclusively for sale by JLL Hotels Vice President, Will Connolly, via an ‘Expressions of Interest’ campaign.

Located on the world-renowned Great Ocean Road, the Apollo Bay Hotel offers the market a once in a generation opportunity to acquire an iconic coastal hotel in one of Victoria’s most popular tourism and lifestyle locations.

Will Connolly is privileged to present the asset to market on behalf of long-term family owners, stating “hotel assets such as the Apollo Bay Hotel are long held by owners for a reason – we have a highly successful business, enjoyed by both a healthy mix of local and tourism trade, in one of the most spectacular locations in Australia. Our vendors are providing an excellent platform for the next operators to inherit what is a very special asset”.

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Enjoying recent success by winning the prestigious ‘Australian Hotels Association – Best Regional Pub Bar’ award in 2021 among many other awards, the venue offers an incredibly strong base of revenue with multiple trading zones such as a stunning front deck overlooking the beach, a large family-friendly bistro, public bar, multiple function spaces along with a newly added rear beer garden, proving extremely popular to locals and tourists over the recent Christmas holiday period.

Set on an enormous 2,368sqm site, the property enjoys favourable Commercial 1 Zoning, providing the potential for future expansion by increasing the current accommodation offering to cater to the extreme demand of year-round tourism.

One of the long-time owners, Stephen McMahon, suggests the sale may be an emotional exit for he and the partners, “the hotel and the town of Apollo Bay have just been amazing to us over our tenure of operation. The comforting factor for us in making the decision to sell has been the knowledge that the new owner will be acquiring a true turn-key business, our staff are an incredibly talented team who will be keen to continue to drive the business forward”.

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The Apollo Bay Hotel comes to market fresh from a year of high demand for coastal pub assets right across the country, most notably in Victoria with the sale of the nearby Lorne Hotel in August 2021 for $38m to Justin Hemmes’ Merivale Group. Whilst in NSW, notable sales included the Shaws Bay Hotel in Ballina for $30.5m, Byron Bay’s Great Northern Hotel for $75m and the Woy Woy Hotel for $32m. This level of unprecedented demand for coastal icons ensures that the Apollo Bay Hotel will generate a feverish level of interest from buying groups on a national scale.

With Will Connolly concluding, “location’ location, location – it’s a term used perhaps too often, but it’s applicable in all forms of real estate and certainly accurate in the case of the Apollo Bay Hotel. Our team are buoyed by the current heat in the market for assets of this nature, and just as importantly, we’re honoured with the responsibility of taking to market one of Victoria’s most beloved hotels.”

The freehold and business of the Apollo Bay Hotel is available via Expressions of Interest closing Thursday 3rd March at 5pm.

For more information contact the agent, Will Connolly via the contact form below.

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