One of South Australia’s largest family-owned hotel groups, Matthews Hospitality, has finalised the purchase of the Salisbury Hotel which it purchased from Clampett Beverages for an undisclosed amount.

It is the first time in 35 years that the hotel had been offered, having undergone a $3 million upgrade in 2018.

Now Matthews Hospitality group employs around 350 people across all of its venues including Feathers, Maylands, Buckingham Arms, Eyre, Mount Gambier, Park and South Eastern Hotels, as well as Colhurst House B&B. 

Matthews Hospitality CEO, Andrew Kemp said acquiring the Salisbury Hotel would extend the footprint of the family business into the outer northern suburbs. 

"We currently have a strong presence in the eastern suburbs and regional South Australia and we now look forward to bringing our customer-first hospitality approach to the Salisbury community,” he said.

"We want to maintain everything that customers enjoy about the Salisbury Hotel while enhancing its offering through an expanded bistro layout and food offering.

"Matthews Hospitality strives to be part of the communities we serve and to offer great hospitality experiences for our customers. We also champion South Australian businesses through our ‘homegrown heroes’ approach, sourcing produce and services from local suppliers."

At the time of announcing the sale, Matthews Hospitality announced that the purchase is just one part of a broader $13 million round of investment being made by the company in its properties across the state. The boom in regional trade is one of the contributing factors in the decision to make - and to be able to make - these investments, a spokesperson for the business said.

“The resurgence of intra-state travel as a result of Covid-19 has resulted in strong patronage at our regional hotels and we are pleased to create new tourism experiences in the South East. These are intended to grow visitation to encourage more visitors to Mount Gambier to enjoy the world-class experiences and produce the Limestone Coast has to offer," said Kemp.

Refurbishments by the group include:

  • extensive renovation of the Maylands Hotel, due for completion by the end of June, including a complete internal refurbishment
  • accommodation upgrades and the creation of local tours and overnight tourism packages at the Mount Gambier Hotel. The group has received a $336,740 grant via the latest round of Tourism Development Industry Fund which forms a small part of the business' $1,122,500 refurbishment of the Mount Gambier property
  • investment in new technologies across its hospitality venues, including support for the attraction and retention of staff. 

In mid-2020, the family implemented a succession plan with Matthews Hospitality now wholly owned by third generation siblings Lisa, Scott and Ward Matthews.

“We have been fortunate and humbled by the support of our customers following Covid-19,” Mr Kemp said. “This investment is our way of giving back to our communities and playing a role in their future success.

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