THE Commercial Boutique Hotel celebrated a milestone in their revival over the weekend following the arrival of their first guests.
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The stay marked the start of their accommodation service, which launched last Friday.
After opening to the public in mid-September, the Sibley family behind the business has worked tirelessly to reach their personal milestone.
Co-owner Justin Sibley said they were proud of what they had achieved to date.
“All the feedback has been very positive and people seem to love what we’ve done,” he said.
Following an extensive hiatus the hotel was bought and nursed back to life by the family who say they’re still in a period of transition.
“Every day we’re finding our feet more and becoming more streamlined,” Cassandra Dillon said.
“We wanted to create a foodie restaurant for the town, and have been pleased with the feedback we hear from our regulars,” she said.
The group has grand plans to further the business despite already pouring a wealth of effort and finance into what’s on show now.
“We are doing things in stages – forever evolving,” Justin said.
The plans include expanding their outdoor section to include a grassy area with seating.
“We’re very family and pet friendly and have ensured we created a family environment.
“We want people who come to keep coming back,” he said.
Employment is always a bugbear for young people in Tenterfield and the business are keen to aid in finding a new avenue for people who have found work hard to come by.
“The biggest challenge has been to find staff – we want to nurture them and push them to expand their skills.”
Ms Dillon said they were already employing around 20 people.
“We want the staff that join us to grow with us and be excited to be a part of the hotel,” she said.
With the help of former Ten FM employee Rebecca Carpenter, the group are looking to branch out and target particular markets.
“We want to see Tenterfield be a destination for people – we’re passionate about getting people from Tamworth, Armidale, Brisbane and the Gold Coast to come to the area.
“We want to be a part of Tenterfield, we believe in it,” Justin said.
Retro weddings, spa packages and local tours are other schemes they are hoping to implement but with rooms, restaurant and bar in full swing the group are focusing on the busy holiday period.
