Charlotte Varcoe
PENOLA’S two hotels are now under the same ownership after Mark and Bronwyn Millie handed over the keys to the Prince of Wales Hotel.
Duxton Pub Group have now taken both the Prince of Wales and the Royal Oak Hotel under its wing with the manager of the two hotels, Tony Gleeson, labelling the change as a positive for the community.
“We now have two different venues and hotel services in town that we will be renovating over the coming months,” Mr Gleeson said.
“Having both hotels available gives two different options for patrons and is a positive thing for the town and visitors as well.”
He said staff had been kept on board at both hotels and trading at the Prince of Wales would continue as is.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of having two hotels up and running,” said Mr Gleeson.
“There was nothing wrong with the Prince of Wales Hotel but we are looking forward to putting our own spin on it,” Mr Gleeson said.
“We are happy to be there and look forward to the future especially over the next 12 to 24 months.”
He said more live music was on the cards once Covid-19 restrictions ease.
“The Royal Oak Hotel will have more life in the beer garden as we cannot do much indoors due to restrictions,” Mr Gleeson said.
“We are looking at Friday and Sunday evening sessions and, see what happens in regards to restrictions for the Prince of Wales, but both venues will have live music once restrictions are eased.
“One of the biggest bonuses is that we are now able to move staff between both hotels, which is an advantage, and provides more education and experience to all staff involved.”
Farewelling the Prince of Wales Hotel after several years, Mr and Ms Millie have since moved to Beachport where they look forward to taking some time off.
“We have a house in Beachport and we have had it for quite a while but it was always the plan to retire here as we think it is a nice sleepy town,” Mr Millie said.
“We will relax here for two or three months, have a break and then look at what we will do next.
“The last several years have taken its toll and adding that to the 22 years we have been in the hotel industry, we thought it was time for a break.”
He said it was unlikely the two would return to hospitality, stating they had ‘done their bit’ for the community.
“It takes its toll after a while because we do an eight hour shift and then all of a sudden we are doing another eight hours into the night,” Mr Millie said.
“We want to have more family time with our grandkids too now because our main focus has been the business but now it is time to relax and spend time with our beautiful family.”
The two said they had no plans to start another business around Beachport and thanked the community, wineries and sporting clubs of Penola for their support over the years.
