A licensed venue in Umina will complete a six-month $3.5 million renovation in June and is hoping to fill 20 positions via a recruitment day at the end of the month.
Ocean Beach Hotel manager Mr Richard Neal said the two-stage renovation had been underway since November. Stage one involved completion of a new beer garden, a new sports bar and a new gaming room. “We are about four weeks off stage one and stage two will only take another six to eight weeks which should see us finish about mid-June,” Mr Neal said. Mr Neal described the hotel, which is part of the Woolworthsowned ALH Group, as having been “tired for quite a while”. He said he believed the facelift would “reposition the hotel into a welcoming family environment. “We want to do family days on the weekends and appeal to the tourists and everyone in general,” he said.
“It had an old bloke stigma about it because it was tired. “We are installing a kids’ play area at the front as you walk in to the bistro but we are also looking at having jumping castles and petting zoos on the weekends. “We are looking at having food specials and discount cards and we want to get on board with some community sponsorship,” he said. Through the renovation process, the Ocean Beach Hotel has lost staff and now wants to replenish its employee numbers before relaunching. “As we have gone through this renovation, we haven’t really had the hours for anybody but, for the relaunch, rather than put out numerous ads, we will start with a recruitment day on Monday, April 30 at 10am.
“By doing that, people have the opportunity come down, bring their resumes, say hello and see if there is something available. “I have positions everywhere: I still need two assistant managers, another head chef, a gaming supervisor and numerous bar and gaming attendants so we are probably looking at a minimum of 20 people. “I believe it will become a new, modern facility that will create interest in the area. “I want it to be a destination hotel. “We’ve got 19 rooms and I want it to be a place where people come to enjoy themselves and enjoy the beach.” I am anticipating that with the recruitment day, we will attract a number of people who are currently having to commute to Sydney at the moment,” he said. “This will be a local hotel where you can bring the grandparents to have a nice meal with their grandkids,” Mr Neal said.
SOURCE: Interview, 18 Apr 2018 Richard Neal, Ocean Beach Hotel Reporter: Jackie Pearson