Midas touch sends McLaren Vale Hotel to the top

BY DION HAYMAN

McLaren Vale has long been revered for its wineries. Now visitors to the region, as well as locals, are talking up the ‘new kid in town’, the McLaren Vale Hotel.

While the hotel was built in 1857, it was only recently given a stunning refurbishment, thanks to the Midas touch of Martin Palmer and his hospitality group.

That $2 million renovation saw it land a trio of gongs at the AHA|SA Awards For Excellence, including Best Overall Hotel (Country), Best Redeveloped Hotel (Country) and the WT Spurr Award for Tourism & Regional Promotion.

“I saw it as a great opportunity because McLaren Vale, as a region for intrastate, interstate and international visitation, has obviously got a lot of potential, a lot of strings to its bow,” Martin said.

“It’s just a beautiful place. You’ve got the wine industry and a very strong food culture, so it’s very attractive to visitors but it’s also a very strong and vibrant town as well.

“So it has a lot of potential markets.”

RISK

Looking back, Martin’s 2019 investment in the only pub in McLaren Vale appears a no brainer.

But prior to that, it appeared a riskier venture.

“It’s fair to say it was ready for renovation,” he said.

“When you’ve got a building that dates back to the 1850s, it’s not too hard to find inspiration.

“You’ve just got to scratch around to find the stone and iron and all those great things they used to build with in those days. Then you use them to recreate a venue that has all that old-world charm but in a modern, contemporary facility.

“It’s a great place in summer because it’s got the extended verandah that looks over the Tintara grounds with all their heritage trees. The biggest one of those is the gigantic Moreton Bay fig, which is reputedly the biggest of its kind in Australasia.

“And in winter, it’s a warm and cozy, olde worlde pub.

“We reinstated the original fireplaces and added some new ones too, so it works in all seasons.”

REPUTATION

The awards judges highlighted “exceptional service, ambiance, and dining experiences” from a team that “share their knowledge and educate the patron on the offerings of the region, through their passion for local products”.

The reputation Martin is seeking revolves around being ground zero in the region - the first stop, the last stop.

“There are a few restaurants in the area but a lot of them are linked to wineries.

“The pub is neutral ground, it’s a place where everyone can come.

“You can go to any winery and they have a great restaurant but obviously they only sell their wine, which is understandable.

“Then there are lots of people who work in the industry or don’t live in McLaren Vale but visit it and they are looking for something more representative of the whole region.

“And that’s what we are. We are representative and we continue to strive to get better at being a major reference point for the whole region. Not many places can do that.

“We’re really working on building that reputation.

Locals and visitors are returning to the pub in everincreasing numbers.

The primary market is local people, including residents and those who work in the area.

“If we were just catering to the tourists or the visitor market we’d have what I describe as a donut – it might be good on the outside but hollow in the middle.”

WINE OFFERING

The drinks menu not only encompasses many of the region’s wineries and styles, it also supports local distilleries and breweries.

“People in the wine industry drink more beer than any other industry I know,” Martin laughed.

“McLaren Vale is a very broad term – there’s Upper Tintara, there’s Sellicks, there’s Blewitt Springs, there are lots of different sub-regions and those regions produce different types of wines so we can serve the purpose of helping people understanding the region better.

“Personally, I’m really enjoying the Grenache and the Grenache Blancs that are starting to be the new emerging varietals for the Vale.

You can go to any winery and they have a great restaurant but obviously they only sell their wine, which is understandable.

“While Shiraz is almost seen as the South Australian varietal, I think Grenache is going to be the thing that is going to take McLaren Vale to a slightly different place over the next few years.

“But it’s not just about the wine, it’s about the food too.”

IMAGINATION

The Bellevue Dining Room’s menus change seasonally but is heavily protein-based, embracing the seafood the nearby coastline offers, complemented with locally grown vegetables.

Martin draws similes between the McLaren Vale and another famous business in his stable.

“2KW is into its tenth year of trading this year,” he said.

“I don’t think I’m exaggerating to say that when people come to Adelaide, it’s very much on their list of things to go and visit and see and experience.

“But it actually takes a long time to get to the point where it’s universally accepted as the thing you want it to be.

“The location is just the starting point. At the end of the day, it’s got to have substance. That comes down to food, beverages - the whole experience.

“You think about McLaren Vale as being regional, 2KW being an iconic rooftop city venue and Arkh’e is very much at the forefront of new age culinary experiences.

“What I like about all these businesses is that they all have a different element of imagination.

“I think you just have to be a bit imaginative in the first instance to be creative.”

ENTREPRENEURIAL

If imagination is a key ingredient of successful entrepreneurship, then so must be at least a dash of chutzpah.

“When I look back at some of the things I’ve done, I sometimes think, ‘well gee, that was actually quite risky’ but at the time I didn’t look at it like that.

I think you just have to be a bit imaginative in the first instance to be creative.

“I just say, ‘this is what we’re going to do and this is how we’re going to do it’.

“Maybe upon reflection it’s a bit like that but I wouldn’t say I was reckless.”

Martin learned how quickly money can be gained and lost, starting his working life as a share broker, having studied business and marketing.

But pubs had run in his family as far back as the 1970s with a part interest in the Morphett Arms.

So it was almost fate that he was drawn back into the industry.

“By the early 90s, business in Adelaide was pretty tough with very high interest rates and I got some pretty sage advice from my father.

“He identified that the hotel industry was really bottoming out and there was only one way it could go which was up.

“So I decided to make a small investment in a leased pub and that’s how it started.”

That pub was the Warradale, now part of the Palmer Hospitality Group’s key holdings, along with the Morphett Arms, the Highway Hotel, AGSA_eat (at the Art Gallery of South Australia) and Paloma Bar & Pantry.

When I look back at some of the things I’ve done, I sometimes think, ‘well gee, that was actually quite risky’ but at the time I didn’t look at it like that.

But there are no further ventures on the horizon for now, he said, as he watched Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp celebrate a 4-1 win over Chelsea that kept his Reds atop the English Premier League, days after announcing his retirement at season’s end.

“I just turned 60 so I’m starting to think about a few of those things …”