Kate and Travis Lee are the proud new owners of the old Rochester Commercial Hotel.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Come March, the 155-year-old Rochester Commercial Hotel will reopen with a fresh look and under a new name — The Local 3561 Commercial Hotel.
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First-time business owners Kate and Travis Lee purchased the pub late last year and have been working hard to breathe new life into the historic landmark.
Mrs Lee said they were passionate about offering another venue where the community could continue to come together.
“It's all about being local and supporting the local area and our locals... that's one of our focuses,” she said.
“We just love Rochy so much, and we don't want to live anywhere else. So we thought, why don't we invest in the town and invest in a building that we want to pay homage to and continue its life.
“I think locally it's important to keep it going... we would never consider doing this anywhere else except for Rochy.”
Kate and Travis Lee have been busy over the past few months getting the place up to scratch.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Since purchasing the pub, the pair have had their sleeves rolled up, racing to complete renovations in time for the town’s festivities in March.
After being closed for an extended period, the building has required significant work before it can reopen.
With the majority of cleaning complete and painting well under way, the couple have turned their focus to fitting the beer system, building a new cool room and preparing the upstairs accommodation for guests.
As demand for more accommodation options continues in Rochester, the four rooms will be a welcome addition to the town.
They also hope to engage local artists in the future to create works for the venue and collaborate once it is fully operational.
While the project has been overwhelming at times for the Lees, their workload has been lightened over the past few months by their friends, family and the community.
Mr Lee said the support from the community had helped keep them motivated.
“I think that's the great thing about doing it in your local town,” he said.
“People are just offering to help. They come and say, what can we do... we’re just so grateful for that.”
While the hotel will not be fully completed by March, work will continue on other areas of the building after its soft opening.
The soft launch will allow the Lees to ease into their roles as publicans and refine their workflows.
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