Close Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Read Our Newspapers Online
    • Read the Latest Western Port News
    • Read the Latest Mornington News
    • Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
    • Read the Latest Frankston Times
    • Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
  • Competition
  • Home New
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Friday, July 4
Facebook X (Twitter)
MPNEWSMPNEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
Breaking News
MPNEWSMPNEWS
Home»News»Partnership to restore hotel
News

Partnership to restore hotel

By Stephen TaylorDecember 11, 2017Updated:July 16, 2024No Comments3 Mins Read
Picture: Yanni
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Picture: Yanni

THE owner of the Continental hotel in Sorrento, Julian Gerner, has entered into a joint venture partnership with property developer, Steller.

Under the terms of the deal Steller will refurbish and renovate the 1875 icon and then lease it back to Mr Gerner to run as a going concern.

The announcement is likely to calm critics worried it might fall further into disrepair after lying idle since Mr Gerner took over from long-term owners the Di Pietro family in mid-2016 for a reported $13 million.

Two years of inactivity at the gateway to the main street is “not a good look”, Sorrento-Portsea Chamber of Commerce vice-president Marc Clavin said.

The National Trust-listed Ocean Beach Rd hotel built in 1875 by the “Father of Sorrento”, comedian, actor, entrepreneur and politician George Coppin, is believed to be the largest limestone building in the Southern Hemisphere.

Since taking over Mr Gerner has won contentious planning approvals for extensive redevelopments behind the old pub, even getting the go-ahead to buy a rear car park for $1.98 million – a windfall which he described recently as the “missing link” in the hotel’s viable future.

He now has a piece of the action in the $22 million redevelopment that will feature a public bar and bistro, restaurant, dining room and champagne bar, two function rooms, 38 hotel rooms, cafe, gymnasium, day spa, 25-metre lap pool, deck, spa, sauna and steam room, car park and 16 apartments.

Steller managing director Nicholas Smedley said “building works will complement and enhance the existing heritage and provide a landmark tourist destination for the Mornington Peninsula”.

“Sorrento has grown significantly over the past decade and continues to evolve with year-round population and tourism,” he said. “Steller has had a close eye on the historic hotel since Julian announced plans for restoration.”

Mr Gerner said the “magnificent limestone building [is] deserving of restoration and preservation”.

“I am very proud to be the new custodian of the Continental hotel and to breathe life back into a Sorrento landmark,” he said.

Work will start early next year with a completion date set for early in 2019.

Mr Gerner took over the Beach Shack in 2013 and, since then, has opened the Norfolk Pines Wine Bar and Morgan’s Fish & Chipper. He lives in Sorrento with his wife and young family.

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 December 2017

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Advocates celebrate abuse law change

July 3, 2025

Railway station scam

July 1, 2025

Flinders result unaffected by poll blunder – AEC

July 1, 2025

Grand Hotel’s tower revamp signals new chapter for icon

June 26, 2025
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Peninsula Essence Magazine – Click to Read
Peninsula Kids Magazine – Click to Read
Letters to the Editor
Property of the Week

14 Bass Street, McCrae

June 3, 2025
Council Watch

Shire secures $3.9m to tackle road safety

June 16, 2025

Kinder flyer flag snub prompts councillors to take over

June 10, 2025
100 Years Ago This Week

Baxter – On The ‘Wallaby’ with a walking group

July 1, 2025
Interview

Firefighter shows skills from sea to snow

February 5, 2024
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
About

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

MPNG also publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

Facebook X (Twitter)
© 2025 Mornington Peninsula News Group.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.