It’s been a huge year for Australian pub sales in 2025, with the top 10 deals alone totalling $579 million.
The second biggest deal of the year was signed last week, with Momento Hospitality selling the Silverwater Hotel in Western Sydney for approximately $75 million to Marlow Hotel Group.
While that’s a fair chunk of change, the biggest sale of the year was The Beach Hotel in Byron Bay, which was purchased off market in May by businessman Scott Didier for $140 million from Redcape Hotel Group – the second-highest price paid for a pub on record.
The highest pub sale on record was the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, NSW, which sold for $160 million in April 2022. The venue was sold by the MacDonald family to former Sydney Lord Mayor turned pub baron Nelson Meers.
The sale of Silverwater Hotel (above) was concluded by Dan Dragicevich and Andrew Jolliffe of HTL Property, together with Ben McDonald and John Musca of JLL Hotels and Hospitality. It followed a highly competitive on-market sales campaign that the agents said yielded multiple strong offers to purchase.
“Momento are widely regarded as pioneers in hotel redevelopment, with their current portfolio uniquely made up entirely of hotels they have literally built themselves. As such, Silverwater was a masterful brownfield play; acquiring what was formerly a licenced premises, refashioning it into a full service traditional hotel operation, with the exceptional sales result franking their astute strategy,” said Dragicevich.
“This sale represents the largest Sydney metro pub transaction of 2025 and the depth of the market at this price point is testament to the scarcity of supply for true A-grade trading Hotel assets,” said McDonald.
According to CBRE’s new ‘Raising the Bar – Investment & Innovation in Australian Pubs’ report the sector is “fragmented but resilient”.
CBRE Research Analyst Katya Ezhova said: “As interest rates stabilise and cap rates compress, investor demand – particularly from institutional and syndicate-backed buyers – is poised to support modest uplifts in asset values, especially for venues with strong gaming entitlements and redevelopment potential.”
CBRE Senior Director, Hotel Valuations Kire Georgievski said increased appetite from traditional bank lenders – particularly for assets with strong gaming entitlements and consistent cash flows – was adding further momentum to the sector.
“This resurgence in credit availability is enabling more competitive bidding, especially among private investors and syndicates and is helping to underpin valuations,” Georgievski said.
The top 10 sales for 2025
- The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW (above) – $140 million (seller – Redcape Hospitality; buyer – Scott Didier)
- Silverwater Hotel, NSW – $75 million (seller – Momento Hospitality; buyer – Marlow Hotel Group)
- Richard’s on the Park, Canley Vale, NSW – $64 million (seller – Vicki Webster; buyer – Lewis Hotels)
- The Gem Hotel, Griffith, NSW – $50 million (seller – Jim Knox; buyer – Bill Young)
- Terrigal Hotel, NSW – $47 million (seller – Gallaghers, John Daly; buyer – Hunter Hotel Group)
- The Prince Consort Hotel, Fortitude Valley, Queensland – $45 million (seller – Tilley & Wills Hotels; buyer – Redcape Hospitality)
- Bath Arms Hotel, Burwood, NSW – $43 million (seller – DHI Hotels; buyer – private investor)
- The Plough Inn, Southbank, Queensland – $40 million (seller – Eumundi Group/Kickon Group; buyer – Redcape Hospitality)
- The Australian Hotel, McGraths Hill, NSW – $40 million (seller – Highclere Hospitality; buyer – Warren Livingstone)
- Crystal Palace Hotel, Haymarket, NSW – $35 million (seller – Jimmy Galanakis; buyer – JDA Hotels)