Positioned proudly in the heart of Newcastle’s CBD, The Lucky Hotel represents the latest renovation of a historic building that has been a hub for local nightlife since the 1800s. Bromic Heating’s Tungsten Smart-Heat™ gas heaters have been crucial in ensuring the profitability of this experimental establishment, something that they’re happy to tell anyone smart enough to listen.

“It’s not an entertainment venue,” the Lucky Hotel’s manager, Grant begins. “The venue is more food oriented, it’s for families. The McCloy Group bought this hotel in 2007 and developed the venue with a Southern American Barbecue restaurant theme in mind. We wanted to be a little bit up-market while offering something different that caters to all aspects of the community.”

The Lucky Hotel as a venue is truly unique in design, with the heritage-listed building wrapping around a large, contemporary courtyard that juxtaposes modern design with raw, retro revitalisations from the pub’s past. “The central courtyard is very important to the Lucky Hotel,” says Grant. “We’ve got the drum bar, which was the old public bar, and we’ve got a lounge area, but the courtyard is the theme of the hotel. It’s why people come here, along with the food of course!”

Entering this space, one is struck by the contrast between gorgeous exposed brickwork, vibrant vegetation and the industrial steel beams that provide both structural reinforcement and a base for the courtyard’s semi-enclosed roof. “When designing the courtyard, “Grant explains, “we were told by experts that it would stay at 23-degrees all year round. They suggested we install water misting lines and fans for the summer, which we did. In winter, however, we found that you’d quickly lose the day’s heat, so we had to install heaters.”

“Fixed gas heating and water misting lines were not only the most feasible, but also the most cost-effective way for us to control climate,” Grant continues, walking through why Bromic’s Tungsten Smart-Heat™ Gas heaters were the only real choice for him. “I’ve used those stainless steel wall heaters with the elements and they’re not very effective. Same goes for the standard portable ones, plus you’re constantly swapping gas bottles. Our heaters run on town gas so you don’t touch them. You turn them on and off you go. It’s easy, it’s time saving, it’s cheaper to run and within 5-minutes, the 5 heaters have heated our large courtyard. It’s a tall area where heat rises, but Bromic’s heaters direct heat downward and I was amazed at how well they service all of our tables. It gets down below 0°C here but sometimes, it still gets a bit too comfortable and we have to turn them off!”

“If you’ve got comfort, you stay longer” notes Grant, highlighting the exceptional return on investment available through effective outdoor heating. “If you’re too cold or too hot, you’ll get up and leave, or go somewhere where you can get that comfort, and that doesn’t pay our bills. With the Bromic heaters going, you can sit there in winter in just a shirt, so people don’t feel the need to move on. They stay, and they’ll stay ‘til close. Between the early and late sittings at the restaurant; we’ve found that the late sittings fill up first as people want to stop in the venue because it’s the place to be at present. We’ll be trying our best to retain that!”

“The experience we’ve had with Bromic Heating in our courtyard has led us to consider introducing al fresco dining out the front of the hotel on Crown St,” Grant adds. “The courtyard is a large area and it had to be heated, so the fact that 5 heaters can do it is unreal! It was money well spent, so the next heaters we purchase will be the same ones without a doubt. The good thing about them is you just hit a button and they come on. You’re not standing there trying to repeatedly push a button or light a pilot, which is just a pain. Bromic heaters look good, they’re not obtrusive, they fit with the overall theme and they work well. I just rate them, and that’s why we put them in!”

Bromic Heating