The fit out of the Commonwealth Hotel in Ipswich is now underway.
The historic building, which has been brought back to its former glory days, will be fitted out to modern standards by construction company SHAPE.
It comes after Ipswich City Council handed the keys over to Aushotels last week.
The hotel group did a deal with Ipswich City Council for the lease of the Commonwealth Hotel in 2022.
Venue Manager Sarah Knopke said that they’re super excited about taking over the project.
“It has been long time coming and there’s been delays that have been unavoidable but it is very exciting to get our contractors in there and start the fit out.
“It’s a step towards opening the doors,” she said.
Ms Knopke also revealed that they hoped to be operational by October.
“We’re hoping for October we haven’t got a definite date as yet and we will be keeping people on our socials and things up dated as we get closer.
“There is a still a lot of work to be done as it’s just bare bones on the inside at the moment.
“We have to build bars, build the walls, put the ceilings in – so there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“The keg rooms, the cold rooms still have to be built downstairs and all the beer lines and piping has to be run through the building to get the product up to the different levels of the hotel,” she said.
Venue Manager Sarah Knopke said that they are also beginning the process of recruiting staff for the historic hotel.
“We have got a Seek Ad out at the moment looking for a Head Chef, which is a pivotal role in what we want to do at Hotel Commonwealth
“We want to do exceptional food, more like a gastro pub but still with those pub classics.
“As we get closer to opening we will be advertising for all the other positions,” Ms Knopke said.
The Commonwealth Hotel will feature indoor and outdoor dining, a cocktail bar, beer garden and function rooms once the fit out is completed.
The hotel, which was formerly known as Murphy’s pub, was built in 1910.
