TAG DESIGN & BUILD
Two venues in one A major renovation of the Longueville Hotel creates a second venue space behind the pub, while also taking its style to a new level of excellence.
ABOVE: The Villa at Longueville Hotel Images courtesy of Paul Kelly Design RIGHT PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: A Palm Springs aesthetic served as the inspiration for The Villa A kiosk-style bar serves up a more cocktailbased offer than inside the hotel Longueville Hotel’s new public bar The majority of the furniture in the venue has been custommade in Sydney and Melbourne
GRAHAM CAMPION’S family have owned the
loving venue to create a more upmarket, female-
Longueville Hotel on Sydney’s Lower North Shore,
friendly space that was reflective of the Lane Cove
since it was built in 1929 – back when it was a Tooth
community and demands. Enter The Villa, an
& Company hotel. In almost a century, the hotel
outdoor balcony space that has been transformed
has evolved with the times and the demographics
into its own venue within Longueville Hotel.
of the area. This latest renovation of the hotel is no different, with Campion wanting to bring the venue
The Villa
up to and exceed the expectations of patrons, and
While the main part of Longueville Hotel needed
the standard set by the industry.
some operational overhaul as well as some
The last time the hotel had a major renovation was 15 years ago, when a terrace was added at the
separate concept so as to create a second venue
back of the hotel. A decade ago, a smaller internal
within the hotel offer, that offered something more
cosmetic upgrade took place, with the help of Paul
chic and female-friendly. It’s the kind of outdoor
Kelly Design. Kelly and his team were on hand to
cocktails experience that well-to-do residents of
help with this latest major renovation, which has
the area would enjoy if they wanted an entertaining
been in the works for about 18 months.
experience that was a bit more high-end than a
“It was due for a renovation. Being a commercial space, a hotel, it gets a lot of foot traffic, a lot of wear
classic pub offering. Hence, The Villa was born. “There are two key features. One is the circular
and tear. And also, as important as that, it’s about
pergola area that houses a gas firepit. It’s a really
keeping up with industry standards and the demands
cool firepit with crystals inside of it. There’s also an
and expectations of customers,” explains Campion.
outdoor bar which is in a kind of kiosk-style set-up.
One major motivation behind the renovation was to move away from a very masculine, sports-
22 | Australian Hotelier
beautifying, the rear balcony was given its own
It has a beautiful selection of really demographicspecific drinks. Lots of Campari and different