Laundy Hotels has appointed Gavin Saunders as its incoming Chief Operating Officer, strengthening the leadership structure of one of New South Wales’ most prominent privately owned hospitality groups.

Saunders will join the business in October, with reports stating that he is due to commence in the role on 19 October. He joins from Liquor Marketing Group, where he has served as Chief Executive Officer and led the business through a period of growth, strategic acquisitions and continued investment in retail innovation and customer loyalty.

The appointment places Saunders in charge of hospitality operations across Laundy Hotels’ portfolio of more than 50 venues. Laundy Hotels described the move as part of the next evolution of its organisational structure, positioning the group for continued growth, innovation and success across its hotel portfolio.

For Laundy Hotels, the appointment is significant because the group is operating at a larger and more complex scale than a traditional family-owned pub business. The company continues to be identified closely with the Laundy family and New South Wales hotel market, but its current footprint, acquisition activity and broader business interests now require a more structured senior operating layer.

Saunders brings an unusual mix of liquor retail, independent business and large-scale operational leadership. His time at Liquor Marketing Group is particularly relevant because LMG operates within a networked independent retail environment, where success depends on supporting operators while maintaining commercial discipline, supplier relationships, customer loyalty and brand consistency. That experience should translate well into a hotel group where individual venues need local character, but the broader platform requires shared systems, performance standards and operational direction.

Arthur Laundy said Saunders brings a wealth of experience, a strong commercial mindset and a genuine understanding of the industry. He added that Saunders has built a reputation for growing successful businesses without losing sight of people, customers and culture, and that he shares many of the values that have long been important to the Laundy family.

That emphasis on values is not incidental. Family-owned hospitality groups often compete differently from corporate hotel chains. Their advantage usually comes from local relationships, operator instinct, speed of decision-making and a strong sense of identity. The challenge is maintaining those qualities while building the systems required for a 50-plus venue portfolio.

Saunders’ role will be to help bring that balance into the next phase of the business. As Chief Operating Officer, he will oversee hotel and hospitality operations while supporting continued growth across the portfolio. Laundy Hotels said the appointment is an important step in strengthening the business for the future.

The timing also matters. Laundy Group has continued to expand through acquisitions and investment. Earlier this year, the group acquired the Woy Woy Hotel on the New South Wales Central Coast from Harvest Hospitality, following a renovation and repositioning of the asset. Harvest said the sale reflected the strength of the repositioned venue and identified Laundy Hotels as one of Australia’s most experienced pub operators.

PubTIC also reported that the group had been active this year with the Ashmont Inn in Wagga and involvement in a syndicate acquiring the Imperial Hotel in Singleton. These moves point to a group that is continuing to adjust and build its venue portfolio rather than simply hold existing assets.

The appointment also comes after Laundy Group’s move into Australian media through the acquisition of Nine Entertainment’s radio assets, including 2GB Sydney, 3AW Melbourne, 4BC Brisbane and 6PR Perth. While Saunders’ role is focused on hotels and hospitality operations, the wider group context suggests that Laundy is entering a more diversified phase in which governance, operating discipline and leadership depth become increasingly important.

For the Australian pub sector, the appointment is another signal that large venue groups are professionalising their operating structures. As portfolios grow, leadership needs move beyond venue-by-venue management. Groups need stronger systems around people, compliance, procurement, food and beverage, gaming, accommodation, capital expenditure, marketing, customer experience and asset performance.

Saunders’ background in liquor retail and customer loyalty could be particularly useful in that environment. Pub groups increasingly need to understand guests not only as walk-in customers, but as repeat local patrons, event customers, food and beverage users, accommodation guests and members of loyalty ecosystems. A COO with experience in retail innovation and customer engagement may help sharpen how the group thinks about repeat behaviour across venues.

The human side of the role will also be important. Laundy Hotels said Saunders brings leadership experience, vision and energy to the business, while Saunders said he is looking forward to joining what he described as an outstanding team and family business.

For a group of Laundy’s scale, culture is not a soft issue. It affects how venue managers operate, how teams are retained, how service standards are maintained and how new acquisitions are integrated. Growth through acquisition can create inconsistency if the operating culture is not clearly managed. A strong COO can help ensure that new and existing venues are aligned without stripping away the local identity that makes pubs work.

The appointment therefore represents more than a senior hire. It reflects the continued evolution of an Australian hospitality group that has grown from family pub ownership into a broader operating platform. Saunders enters the business at a point where scale, structure and local operating judgement all need to work together.

For Laundy Hotels, his arrival adds senior leadership experience at a time of continued expansion. For Saunders, the move marks a shift from liquor retail leadership into one of the country’s most visible pub and hotel operating groups.

As the business prepares for its next chapter, the test will be whether Laundy Hotels can keep the character and family-driven culture that define its venues while building the operating discipline required for a larger, more ambitious hospitality platform.