Sydney’s newest hotel baron snaps up north shore pub in $29m deal

Burgeoning hotelier and developer Glenn Piper has expanded his portfolio after splashing out $29 million to buy the popular Commodore pub on Sydney’s lower north shore.

The hotel has been a fixture on Blues Point Road at McMahons Point for many years. It was sold to the rising hospitality baron by John Azar’s Good Beer Company, which bought the property and business for about $18.5 million in August 2019.

Piper, who owns the Harbord Hotel on the northern beaches, made a bold entry into the industry when he bought the leasehold of the historic quarantine station on 30 hectares of Manly’s North Head in November 2021.

He quickly followed with the purchase of the Merewether Beach Hotel on the Newcastle waterfront for about $40 million and not long after he snapped up his third major hospitality asset, worth a combined $100 million, being the leasehold of Hook Island in the Whitsundays where he plans to open an eco-lodge.

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Piper will receive the keys to the Commodore pub in August, and plans to spend the coming months diving deep into its history and the community that surrounds it to ensure “any refurbishment plans respect the rich culture that it has developed over the decades”.

“Standing proudly on the corner of Blues Point Road, the Commodore Hotel is undoubtedly one of North Sydney’s greatest pubs – and one with an incredibly rich and colourful history,” Piper said.

“I am honoured to continue the Commodore’s long legacy and excited to have the opportunity to elevate it into something exceptional that reflects the community today.”

The deal was completed by JLL executive vice president Ben McDonald, senior vice president Kate MacDonald and managing director John Musca, who called the Commodore a “hospitality institution”.