Shoal Bay and the CBD of Nelson Bay was abuzz on Wednesday with whispers that The Shoal Bay Country Club had just been purchased by a businessman, who is the owner of several other hotels in the Hunter Region.

In 2014, after 20 years of being completely family owned and operated, the Shoal Bay Resort and Spa leased one of its major sections, the hotels operations to the Wyndham Hotel Group.

The resort became part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest and most diverse hotel business, with a global
portfolio of nearly 8,000 hotels and approximately 683,300 rooms in 73 countries.

The resorts name changed to the Ramada Resort Shoal Bay
The Country Club Hotel, except for the individual apartments and villas, were all owned by the McPhee family.

In 2014, Mr Jay McPhee told local media that other big name chains had approached the family in the past, but Mr McPhee had picked Wyndham because they held similar standards to his own and he felt that it could help boost tourism in the area.

“This property holds special meaning for generations of Australians who have enjoyed its hospitality over the decades,” Mr McPhee said.

Coastal Pubs are highly sought after, and with such natural beauty looking over the crystal clear waters of Shoal Bay, it was only a matter of time before a buyer was going to snap up this iconic landmark.

A spokesman for the Shoal Bay Country Club told Bay News Of The Area, “I have no comment to make at this stage in regards to the sale of the resort.”

Bay News Of The Area will keep you updated as news comes to hand.

By Jewell DRURY