The Kent Hotel marked its 90 year anniversary by restoring the heritage building to its former glory. The renovation focused on the relocation of the gaming facilities to the rear of the venue, allowing the bistro to take a more prominent position on Beaumont Street.

“The new bistro has a luxuriously fresh feel, while maintaining the character of the hotel,” said owner Stephen Hunt. “We were thrilled to uncover some of the building’s original features, including stunning leadlight windows, pressed metal ceilings and even a section of tiling where matches had been struck over the years to light cigarettes.”

The changes have also helped reduce the hotel’s environmental footprint by being less reliant on mechanical heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting. The key to this increased efficiency is the conversion of the doors on Beaumont Street into an open-air dining bench. This opens up the hotel to fresh air while maintaining control of patron access points. Combined with high level louvres at the rear of the building to expel hot air, cross-flow ventilation is greatly improved, allowing the building to breathe in summer.