COVID-19 rethink: Geraldton resort gets creative with new revenue streams

How does a resort that prides itself on its beachfront dining cope with no guests and no diners? By getting creative. Geraldton resort director Scott Cogar says he’s turning his hotel around to face inland, away from the beach, and turning it into a drive-through bottleshop and deli. It’s an unusual idea that he stopped short of saying is the first of its kind in the Mid West, but of which he’s proud nonetheless. “We’ve put a bit of work back into four businesses in town,” Mr Cogar told the Geraldton Guardian. Those businesses are two local building companies, a lighting company and a sign company — all hard at work on the new-look facility while maintaining social distancing. For a resort with a large restaurant and wine cellar, it’s not as simple as just serving take-out, Cogar said. “Sit-down restaurants and hotels are shut,” he said. “It’s quite a big pub. For us to fire this back up, we can’t do that for 10 meals a day. We need to get reasonable scale.” He’s certainly done that — all the bulbs and older-style lights in the main restaurant have been replaced with flat-panel LED lighting, and he’s building a “great wall” in the back area. “We’re turning the hotel backwards,” Mr Cogar said. “We’re building a bottleo out the back (with) a 3.7m high wall in the drive through. He’s also built a new wine display and is planning to sell resort wear, picnic backpacks and convenience items. “We’re moving into the holiday experience space,” Mr Cogar said. “It’s a really big repositioning. The new normal I don’t think will be the old normal.” Midwest Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Joanne Fabling said while times are tough now, businesses like Mr Cogar’s are showing creativity. “Some are thriving, some have repurposed,” she said.