11 Jul 2022
Words Lisa Calautti real commercial.com.au

In the pink: eye-catching Gold Coast icon hits the market

A prominent and eye-catching pink retro hotel located on prime coastal land in the Gold Coast, and the only property of its kind left in the region, is up for grabs.

The Pink Hotel and Eddie’s Grub House in Coolangatta has become something of an icon of the area and is a popular backdrop for instagrammers for its pink exterior and retro-fittings.

It has also been favoured by celebrity guests including director Baz Luhrmann and musician Davey Lane of Aussie band You Am I, while it has also been the scene of actress and singer Sophie Monk’s photo shoots.

Eddie’s Grub House was previously a Chinese restaurant, which featured in the Australian cult hit movie, Muriel’s Wedding.

A popular icon of the area

ResortBrokers Gold Coast broker Greg James said the property, which comprises 17 individually decorated rooms in Scandinavian and Mid-century style, appealed to everyone with its funky vibe.

“The risqué pink painting, orange furnishings and neon-lit poetry on the walls adds to its retro renaissance,” he said.

“Because it’s Coolangatta and everybody that I have spoken to seems to have holidayed here at some time when they were growing up, they know the property.”

The Pink Hotel opened in 1963 as The Ocean View Motel and was restored in 2018.

No official records of the property can be found prior to the 1960s, but it is believed it opened as early as the 1940s.

Samuel Diklich, who is one of three of the hotel’s owners, said when they began restoring the hotel they wanted it to be something different.

“You’ve got white four walls and a lot of hotels are kind of the same and we’ve definitely exposed its former glory because everyone who comes past says, ‘Oh I got married here,’ or ‘I had my honeymoon here’.” he said.

“So we wanted to keep a piece of the old Coolangatta and the old Gold Coast as well. We definitely ramped up the retro appeal of it.

“The Pink Hotel is the last of its kind along the strip and even further up the Gold Coast as well so it’s a bit of a classic, so we are trying to keep it as it was.”

A tourist drawcard

Mr Diklich said the hotel was popular amongst travellers, with the area’s restaurants and bar scene also proving strong drawcards.

Last year, Coolangatta received 249,000 domestic visitors, which was down 22.3%  on pre-pandemic levels. In 2019 there were 320,000 visitors to the area, according to Tourism and Events Queensland data.

Of those, 161,000 or 64 % were holiday visitors.