The restored hotel at 34-36 King St, Queenscliff will be auctioned on December 7.

A FRESH push is on to find a buyer for a historic Queenscliff hotel after an extensive restoration spanning several years.

The former Royal Hotel, a grand gateway to the seaside holiday town, is on the market with a $3.75 million to $4.1 million price tag.

Renovating the building has been a labour of love for vendors Katalin and Stephen Blond, who bought the property in 2013.

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The building has been meticulously renovated.

They reopened the hotel, at 34-36 King St, briefly in 2015 under the name of Hotel Q after completing an opulent ground floor with an entrance foyer, restaurant, ballroom and bar and speak-easy style cellar.

Ray White, Oakleigh agent Lee Botsios said the unfinished first floor offered a blank canvas for buyers who could take advantage of updated plumbing and roofing.

He said some buyers had expressed interest in converting it into residential apartments, with scope to reinstate a hospitality venture downstairs or even turn the property into a private mansion.

The cellar fit-out was inspired by America’s speak-easy bars.

The ground floor draws inspiration from the style of Singapore’s Raffles Hotel.

“It’s a mixed bag, there’s interest across the board,” Mr Botsios said.

“That building is pretty interesting to everyone, people are just fascinated by the history.”

The Royal Hotel, as it was named in 1860, was the first hotel built in Queenscliff in 1854 but burnt down in 1881 and was then rebuilt.

The current owners originally listed the restored building for sale in 2017 but they have since subdivided off an adjoining vacant 710sq m block at 38 King St.

Both properties will be auctioned on December 7 at noon, with the block expected to fetch $910,000 to $1 million.

The restaurant leads out to a garden space on the 1354sq m site.

The grand staircase.

Mrs Blond, who has restored many heritage buildings, said she fell for the hotel’s beautiful structure, which is topped off by a three-storey tower with commanding views.

She channelled a bright and white British colonial vibe on the entry level and turned the cellar into a New York-inspired bar with exposed bricks and dark colours.

“I’m just incredibly proud of the work my husband Stephen and his team have put into the meticulous renovation,” she said.

“They have restored and retained a part of Queenscliff’s heritage and I believe they have made the gateway to the town much nicer.”