Iconic Hunts Hotel sold as family closes final chapter

When Harry Hunt died in February this year it was the end of an era that had lasted more than 60 years.

Now his family have announced that they have sold the iconic Hunts Hotel at the Cross Roads to the Laundy Hotel Group.

“Always looking forward, it was one of Harry’s final wishes that the family was to follow their own path and pass the hotel on to new owners,’’ explains his daughter Sue-Lei Hunt-Mingay.

Sue and her husband Paul, who previously ran Narellan Motor Inn, took over the management of Hunts Hotel after Harry passed away at the age of 77.

Sue says the sale price is confidential, but the new owners will continue to run Hunts as it is.

“They have kept on all staff at my request and are keeping the Hunts name as they too recognise the history and heritage of Hunts,’’ Sue said.

In early November the family held one final soiree to thank and honour the staff and friends that came to call Hunts Hotel home.

“It is indeed the end of an era as we bid farewell to yesterday and, just like Harry, look forward to what tomorrow may bring,’’ Sue said.

Harry Hunt was often called Mr Liverpool, and so his name will live on, especially once council finds a fitting place to name after him.

History will remember Harry Hunt as a leader in small business, industry, philanthropy and a passionate advocate for the people of Liverpool and Macarthur.

It all started back in 1960, when Harry’s father and siblings began what was then known as Hunts Motel, a modest family business that would grow to become a landmark of the Hume Highway and indeed the Liverpool area.

Perched both literally and figuratively at The Cross Roads, the motel offered 11 rooms when Hunts first opened its doors.

It catered to travellers heading up and down the old Hume Highway with room tariffs a modest $5.50 a night, a reasonable ask for the 1960s.

In 1971 Harry married the love of his life Sybra, a union that would endure for over 50 years.

She would go on to become an integral part of the success of Hunts.

Together they would have three children, with his two daughters Maylei and Sue-lei born and raised in the beloved hotel their parents owned.

Hunts Motel further expanded in the 1970s to include a first class seafood restaurant, an indulgence that was practically unheard of in South Western Sydney at the time.

 In the 1980s, Harry would buy the business from his siblings and begin a re-development. He predicted a wave of change in the demands of the market, as more and more businesses and residents moved into the surrounding areas.

 He capitalised on this new age of prosperity, building more hotel room wings, townhouses and apartments, and constantly working to improve his facilities and services.

By the time Harry was finished Hunts was a 140-room hotel and conference centre, boasting more than five acres with its own pool and tennis court.

But there was more to life than just running a business to make a living: Harry Hunt served as president on the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce for many years, was also involved in NSW Business Chamber, was the founder and president of the South-West Sydney Tourism Taskforce and Development Economic Taskforce, among many others.

As a successful businessman, Harry was also compassionate and generous.

He was a supporter of multiple local charities and hosted many fundraising events, breakfasts and dinners for Lifeline, Youth Solutions, Liverpool Quota and Liverpool Rotary.

For many years, Harry and his wife Sybra put on a Christmas lunch for those in need at Hunts Hotel, and this led to the next chapter of his unfolding story.

First, he started with providing accommodation to those left homeless due to the wildfires in NSW in 2019.

As it turned out, this was to be a valuable trial run for when those needing accommodation when Covid-19 came knocking, and then the floods in 2020.

This program then evolved into providing emergency shelter for people escaping domestic violence situations and other family emergencies.

There was a lot more, but there is enough here to show why Harry Hunt was a giant of a man.