EXCLUSIVE: Speculation grows iconic Daintree Village Hotel could re-open by end May
NEWS AWAITED
There might soon be some very welcome local news for residents and visitors in Daintree Village.
Newsport has it on good word that the Daintree Village Hotel, which closed suddenly on March 24 – leaving the village without its sole ‘watering hole’ and tavern-style dining venue – might soon be re-opening.
Details are scant at this point, but we have been told from a close source that the Hotel is “hoping to open again by the end of the month,” with a date and possibly further details soon to be publicised.
Both staff and customers of the Hotel were caught by surprise when they were given just a few days’ notice of its closure, and since then many locals and visitors in the ‘town with no pub’ have expressed their disappointment at the lack of any news about its re-opening.
The Hotel and attached general store have since late March been open only for mail collection and bottle shop sales from 2.30pm - 4.30pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday, with its bistro and bar remaining shut.
It was also recently revealed that the property, along with two others in the Daintree Rainforest area owned by the same company, would be listed for sale this month. The Hotel, the renowned Daintree Ecolodge and the Red Mill House Bed & Breakfast, owned by the Morris family’s Northern Escape Collection, are being offered individually or in “one line” through CBRE Hotels.
It hasn’t been determined yet whether there has been offer or even a purchase of the Hotel by new owners. Newsport has approached CBRE Hotels for comment on the progress of any possible changing of hands, but we have not heard back yet.
In an earlier media release about the listing of the three properties, CBRE Hotels’ Wayne Bunz said: “More and more, we are seeing tourists seek out sustainable yet high-quality eco-tourism experiences within Australia. As a result, we expect interest and enquiry throughout this campaign to be strong from a variety of investment sources looking to gain a significant foothold in the industry via the Daintree Ecolodge.”
Over the Hotel property’s large 2,023sqm freehold landholding, there is an additional three-bedroom owner’s residence, three walk-in cold rooms, a walk-in freezer and further vacant land.
Unless sold prior, the properties were to be sold via an ‘expressions of interest’ campaign closing mid-June 2023.
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