One of Portarlington’s oldest hotels set to undergo grand transformation

A CELLAR door, sports bar, steakhouse and internationally acclaimed gallery are among new additions set to put the grandness back into Portarlington’s oldest hotel.
Three experienced and driven businessmen – Darryn Lyons, Bill Votsaris and Mario Gregorio – are the new licensees of the Grand Hotel, and have big visions for its future.
Speaking at a Portarlington Business Development Association function last week, Mr Lyons shared his excitement and plans for transforming the Grand Hotel but cautioned that it would take some time.
Mr Lyons said Portarlington had a very special place in his heart given he was born and bred just down the road, and spoke about his great-great uncle Cecil Lyons, who died during World War I.
Cecil’s parents lived in Drysdale all their lives – just down the road from the Grand Hotel, which was newly built at the time.
Mr Lyons said the hotel’s transformation would restore the grandness of yesteryear and become a warm and welcoming venue for locals, similar to that of his other hotel The Elephant & Castle Hotel.
He said the first thing locals would notice when everything was finalised in the not-too-distant future was that the giftware store to the left side of the hotel would become a sports bar.
“Then we will open up that huge wonderful deck, which is quite cold in the winter I’ve discovered already… there’ll be wood fire ovens and pizzas, that will be a whole new concept, and with blockages off the street it will be a lot more of a welcoming place.”
Mr Lyons said the front bar would become more like a cellar door and there would be Bill’s Bar and Grill.
“Then the TAB area on the right will be a waiting room/cocktail bar before you enter a restaurant that will be Mr Lyons, but it’s not this Mr Lyons, it’s from Palm Springs in California, and if you look it up on the internet it’s an old glamorous Hollywood steakhouse that I think is going to work fantastically well.”
Mr Lyons said the hotel would retain its relaxed bistro and add a new kids’ playground, and that there would be a pub menu, boasting your classics from club sandwiches, to great burgers and parmies, and also specialty nights on offer.
“I always say don’t fix what’s not broke,” he said.
To top it off, Lyons Gallery and a piano bar will be located upstairs, along with a function space.
“This will be a world class gallery and some of the images will blow your mind,” he said.
“I see this as becoming a huge attraction for Portarlington.”
PBDA president John Rae said he was delighted that the Portarlington Grand Hotel had new licensees that had the knowledge, experience, drive and commitment to make the town’s hotel grand again.