Overview
If you've partied on the Mornington Peninsula sometime in the past couple of decades, chances are you'll know 'The Conti' — the big limestone boozer overlooking Sorrento's Main Street, that has played host to many a sweaty, smoky late-night dance floor sessions, especially in those summer months.
But the The Continental Hotel's future is steering down a very different path. Melbourne developer Steller plans to transform the heritage site into an $80 million luxury accommodation, entertainment, wellness and dining destination.
Work has already kicked off on what will be Sorrento's biggest ever tourist investment, with the 140-year-old hotel set to score some impressive restorations helmed by Six Degrees Architects, as well as three new interconnecting buildings.
The Continental 2.0 will be unveiled in two stages, with the first slated to be up and running by September 2019. This initial offering will include a marble-clad Champagne bar, a new public bar and bistro — named Coppin's, after the building's famous founder George Coppin— and a fine dining restaurant dubbed 1875, in a nod to the year the building opened.
They'll be followed by a wellness centre, with a day spa and gym, five-star hotel, cafe and wine bar, and assortment of event spaces — all yet to be approved, but with a forecast launch date somewhere in spring 2020.
The Continental Hotel is located at 1/21 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento. Its bar, bistro and fine diner are slated for opening in September 2019.