Located in an area steeped in local history as one of Australia’s oldest fishing villages established in 1788, the Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel has been operating as a pub and hotel for over 130 years. Owners Fraser Short and Arthur Landy bought the venue from the Doyle family in 2012; they had held ownership of the hotel for 125 years and five generations. Since then, the duo has successfully created a venue that is inviting for families and locals, as well as enticing for millennials and tourists through its strong social media presence.
Fraser Short, co-owner of Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel“It was important to me that when we re-launched the venue, we didn’t alienate any of the locals that had frequented the hotel for generations. With that in mind, we set about creating a venue that invites informal, beachside dining for families, millennials, tourists and more, as well as positioning the venue as an events and wedding space,” said Short.
“Our customers are a mixed demographic, something that we’re very proud of. We boast a family of locals who regularly visit the pub, some of which have frequented the hotel for over 40 years and still come in on a weekly basis for our local badge draw on Thursday nights.
“We also proudly host thousands of tourists throughout the year who come to enjoy a sun-drenched lunch after a dip in the Bay, or linger over a fresh seafood feast in the evening, and have established ourselves as a landmark venue for casual dining, as well as large celebrations, lavish parties and as a must-go-to destination for all to visit."
This year, Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel was crowned 2016 Hotel of the Year, City at the Australian Hotel Association Awards for Excellence, as well as Best Social Media for the third consecutive year. Short said the success was “a combination of tweaking our offering over the past four years to create a winning formula, our hard-working and passionate departments working together in synergy to provide exceptional customer moments, and our loyal visitors providing feedback that helps us to continually improve.”
Part of its winning formula is an emphasis on social media marketing. Short is also the founder of the Sydney Collective, a team of leading industry talent that markets each of its venues as not simply a space, but an experience.
“Across all Sydney Collective venues, social media is regarded as the most important form of marketing and is something that we have invested heavily in to ensure growth and maximise its benefits. The hotel utilises an integrated social media strategy through various channels and is managed internally,” Short said.
“Social media is a huge player in our success, allowing customers to interact, engage and be inspired through the digital world. Within the first 18 months of creation, our Facebook page grew from zero to 28,000, and now has a following of 50,000 plus.”
Instagram, the mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking app, has been a key component in positioning Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel as the place to be.
“The hotel was voted Sydney’s ‘Most Instagrammable Venue’ by the Sunday Telegraph, and our followers certainly resonate with this concept due to the high numbers of photos being posted of our venue,” said Short.
Short took advantage of the venue's landmark status and marketed Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel as a go-to event hosting space.
“Architects told me that I was mad for selling our now Sunset Room as a wedding space (because of the large pillars and architectural structure), we now host over 110 weddings per year!" said Short.
“We’re unique because of the multitude of event spaces we have, and the flexibility we can offer. For example, we can host a kids birthday lunch with face painters, fairy bread and toys in Sunset Room, and then completely flip the room in a couple of hours to execute a lavish 150 guest sit down wedding dinner, all whilst catering to a pumping crowd outside in Beach Club.”
Having created such a successful formula, there seems no stopping Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, with future plans already underway.
“There are always plans for the future, continual improvements, upgrades and events. In the near future, we’ll be launching our new website, which has been a huge project, we’ll also be partnering for a second year with our friends from the US, The Surf Lodge, for a hugely successful NYD party; and lots more to be announced in 2017!” said Short.
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