Peppers Convent hotel relisted for sale in Hunter Valley
Former Newscorp Australia boss and ex-RM Williams chairman Ken Cowley is having another attempt at selling Peppers Convent, the boutique Hunter Valley hotel he bought with his family for $6 million in 2010.
The 17-room boutique hotel in Pokolbin, as well as the renowned Roberts Restaurant – now called Circa 1876 – has been listed by Alan Jurd of Jurd's Real Estate alongside Rob Cross of CBRE Hotels.
Peppers Convent was last on the market in 2013 as part of the Tower Estate portfolio of rural retreats in the Hunter Valley by the Cowleys and a group of high-profile investors.
The Tower Estate winery and luxury lodge sold to Karen and Michael Hope of Hope Estate, but the hotel failed to sell.
The convent dates to the 1870s when it was built for the Brigidine nuns in Coonamble, NSW. In 1990 it was dismantled, relocated and rebuild in Pokolbin by media magnate James Fairfax in collaboration with restaurateurs Robert and Sally Molines. The former home of the Brigidine Order of nuns, which was transported to Pokolbin was restored as a five-star guesthouse.
Current occupancy sits at about 70 per cent with room rates around $350 a night on weekend.
Peppers Convent is up for sale as a going concern with a 10-year licence agreement with Peppers, part of the ASX-listed hotel operator Mantra Group.
The Peppers brand dates back to 1984 when Mike and Suzi O'Connor opened Peppers Guest House in the Hunter Valley.