Guests forced to hide as heritage-listed hotel break-in causes $30,000 in damage

Guests forced to hide as heritage-listed hotel break-in causes $30,000 in damage

A group of people have caused more than $30,000 worth of damage to a heritage-listed hotel in Kalgoorlie, terrorising guests and causing a woman to hide in a wardrobe.

The owner of the historic Grand Hotel in WA’s Goldfields, Mal Rogerson, told ABC News that a large group began damaging cars outside his property before breaking down the front door to force entry last Thursday night.

“The front doors were smashed down, furniture was smashed, paintings were ripped off walls, door handles were torn off. They kicked the panels in on the car out the back,” Rogerson said.

A few members of the group ran through the hotel and shouted at guests.

Jo Searson, who was staying at the hotel with her husband Tim, told ABC News she was waiting in a communal area at the time the door was smashed in.

“It was just the noise that frightened me. I was trying to turn the lights off in the room that I was in,” she said.

“In the end, I couldn’t find the light, so I got into the cupboard.”

Tim Searson said the man who kicked down the door and was first to run into the hotel was not wearing a shirt, and was acting irrationally before running upstairs to look for Rogerson.

Rogerson said a group of guests tried to control the situation by standing in front of the door.

“But because [the intruders] were charging through the front door and both doors were already smashed down, [the guests] let them through,” he said.

The Grand Hotel was built in 1895, before the first telephone service came to the area.

Image source: The Grand Hotel Kalgoorlie

Rogerson said the front windows of the hotel were all smashed during the break-in and were originals.

“There were kids here, there were ladies here, they were all hiding in wardrobes inside the hotel and everybody was scared,” he said.

Rogerson said he rang the police five times about disturbances in the street in the hours before the incident, and it took half an hour for them to arrive at the hotel once he informed them of the break-in.

However, police told ABC News that two officers were on the scene 11 minutes after the call was made.

Goldfield’s superintendent, Brad Jackson, said police tried to calm the situation instead of making arrests.

“We can always conduct our investigations at a later stage and make the appropriate arrests, and that is the case in this instance,” he said.

“It is an active investigation and we are reviewing the evidence and trying to identify potential offenders.”

Latest News

  • Hotels

Albury’s luxury boutique hotel, CIRCA 1928, is up for grabs

Luxury boutique hotel business CIRCA 1928, in the heart of the Albury’s CBD, is up for grabs. CRE Brokers has been appointed as the Exclusive Agency for the leasehold sale of the hotel in a major regional growth centre of NSW. Set in the tree-lined Dean Street, surrounded by the retail, food and entertainment offerings, […]

  • Hotels

Regent announces opening of the Regent Santa Monica Beach

Regent has returned to the US with the opening of Regent Santa Monica Beach, a beachfront resort combining the glamour of Los Angeles with the splendour of the coast. Regent Santa Monica Beach, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle portfolio, reintroduces the Regent name to Los Angeles and becomes the brand’s first […]

  • Events
  • Tourism

CATO unites at World Travel Market London

The Council of Australian Tour Operators is poised to make a significant impact that the 2024 World Travel Market (WTM) in London. Supported by the Australian Government’s Reinvigorating International Travel Grant (RITG) program, CATO’s impressive attendance signals a clear commitment to revitalising the travel industry and accelerating Australia’s outbound tourism recovery. WTM London has served […]

  • Events

ICC Sydney hosts Global Nature Positive Summit

The International Convention Centre Sydney, managed by ASM Global, hosted the world’s first Global Nature Positive Summit from 8 to 10 October. Around 1,000 delegates including international Ministers, environmental policy experts across government and corporate sectors, Indigenous People, and investors attended the landmark event. At the Summit, leaders explored effective ways to realise global commitments […]

  • Conferences
  • Food & Beverage

Centennial Homestead welcomes The Paddock and Treehouse Rooftop Bar

Centennial Homestead, in Sydney’s Centennial Parklands, is stepping into a new era with its new The Paddock and Treehouse Rooftop Bar. Nestled with the stunning Parklands as a backdrop, the new spaces will be offering breakfast, lunch, weekend drinks with a view, or events. The Paddock seats more than 200 guests comfortably. With seamless integration […]

  • Destinations

Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort offers the perfect weekend itinerary for a boys’ trip

Located in the heart of the Hunter Valley, Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort offers the perfect weekend itinerary for men to enjoy a customised adventure or wellness weekend. “Boys’ weekends” have come a long way from fishing, footy, and pub grub, with guys keen to get away to destinations that offer everything from actions and adventure […]

  • Conferences
  • Events

Club Med launches inaugural Meetings and Events Sustainability Report

Club Med has launched its inaugural Meetings and Events Sustainability Report, a new source of key information to support companies with the implementation of sustainable initiatives at their events. As its MICE sector continues to accelerate, the pioneer of premium all-inclusive holidays commissioned a survey on 200 key opinion leaders from a range of different […]

  • Hotels

Hotel review: does Amanpulo in the Phillipines outshine the Australian coastline?

We set our sights on Pamalican Island, curious if its beauty might outshine the familiar splendour of our own Australian coasts. Upon our arrival, what Amanpulo presents is a transformation of natural beauty into something that borders on ethereal. The journey by seaplane – a cinematic touch – adds an air of mystery, as if […]