OLD party girl Claremont Hotel will get a rebuild costing up to $6 million in the next 18 months after part owner Barry Jones took over the famous pub this week.
Mr Jones said the previous freehold operator of the past four years had surrendered the lease.
“The rebuild will involve demolishing the drive-thru bottle shop and building a bistro-restaurant similar to The Garden at the Leederville Hotel,” Mr Jones told Western Suburbs Weekly this afternoon.
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READ NOWThe 1905-built Claremont Hotel has had multiple incarnations in recent years.
Mr Jones, whose hotel interests include part operating of the Leederville, Mindarie and Rosemount hotels, has two architects working on designs that could include the adjacent Cafe Bellissimo at the Claremont business he has been a part of since 1983.
“It will be a continuation of several styles, and if you look at the Leederville it has four styles,” he said.
Patrons will at first see a mild renovation at the Claremont Hotel, including some painting, in about a month.
Mr Jones said he would initially “tizzy up” the hotel, but he had yet to decide what would happen upstairs.
“The clientele has depended on youth over the years, but we want to broaden it dramatically,” he said.
Much of the building’s historic fabric has been removed or replaced over the years.
There will be a larger staff during the renovations and rebuild, during which trade would continue.
“My focus will be on our staff and the products, and bringing back regular customers and families,” general manager Laura Como said.
Applications for the renovations are expected to be sent to Claremont council in about six months.
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