The first day of winter marked an exciting new chapter for Launceston with the arrival of the Peppers Silo Hotel’s first guests.
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Now the tallest building in the city, the nine storey hotel at North Bank will officially open to the public on Saturday following a launch event on Friday night.
A project two years in the making and about 10 years in planning, developer Errol Stewart said more than $25 million had been spent on the hotel.
“It has been a wonderful project from a local point of view,” he said.
“Everyone in town has got a real gig out of this.
“It is a great hotel and we think it will be iconic as we go down the road.”
About 80 of the hotel’s 108 rooms had been booked for Friday night’s official opening, with more than 1000 guests expected to attend the VIP launch event.
Featuring a day spa, hairdresser, gym, a restaurant, private dining rooms, a bar and cafe, principal architect Scott Curran said the hotel was something Launceston should be really proud of.
“We are pretty pleased with the results,” he said.
“I think a hotel like this is something that is very important for a city like Launceston to have.
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“It is a really good example of the potential of a lot of existing, vacant buildings we have here.
“We need to be looking past that exterior facade and start looking at the potential of what it might be.
“This project is an excellent example of that.”
Originally the site of four disused grain silos, Mr Stewart first tried to buy the silos in 2006, but was unable to due to the zoning and the location of Gunns close to the site.
The firs plans of the development were revealed in January 2013, with construction starting in 2016.
Mr Stewart said he was incredibly excited to finally open the hotel to the public in a time of “unprecedented” development in the city.
“The confidence has come and more developers are starting to have a go,” he said.
“Medium sized developers are starting to bring projects on.
“And generally in my working life of 25 years in Launceston, I don’t think the city has ever been going better.
“Initially I knew I wanted to build a tall building and I looked at the silos and thought about what we could do with this project.
“We were convinced there was room for more accommodation and that is how it started.”
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
