Odd Culture Group to Take Over The Imperial Hotel Ahead of $5 Million Redevelopment

Odd Culture Group will assume operations of Sydney LGBTQIA+ institution The Imperial Hotel Erskineville from September 1st, ahead of a planned $5 million redevelopment.

The hospitality group will operate the venue, affectionately known as “The Impy”, in partnership with its current owner, Universal Hotels.

Scheduled to begin in early 2027, the redevelopment will nearly double the venue's ground floor footprint via an expanded beer garden, which the operators say will become one of the largest in Sydney's Inner West. 

Plans also include a new 24-hour club, as well as broader upgrades to the venue's dining, entertainment and hospitality offerings. 

“The Imperial has spent more than 40 years helping to shape Sydney's queer culture. This redevelopment is one of the biggest investments in its history, but more importantly, it's an investment in the next 40 years,” Odd Culture Group founder and director James Thorpe said. 

“Our ambition is not simply to preserve one of Australia's most iconic queer venues, but to ensure it continues to evolve as one of the world's great queer institutions for generations to come.”

Universal Hotels chief operating officer Richie Haines said the company had been working through the venue's planning approvals while considering its long-term future. 

“We've been taking our time obtaining the necessary planning approvals, and carefully considering the future of the venue,” Haines said. “We're committed to making The Imperial the best it can be, for the local and broader community. Partnering with Odd Culture Group will ensure that happens — we're impressed with their ambition, and confident that we can work together to bring it to life.”

Odd Culture Group operates a portfolio of inclusive hospitality venues across Sydney, while Universal Hotels' properties include Universal, The Oxford and The Riley.

Thorpe said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to supporting queer nightlife, creative communities and cultural spaces.

“The past few months have shown just how fragile the queer cultural infrastructure can be. Creative spaces don't just need operators with ambition, they need landlords with the conviction to stand behind them,” he said. 

"Both Odd Culture and Universal Hotels understand that queer venues are living cultural institutions. They're places where artists experiment, communities gather and culture continues to evolve. That isn't always comfortable, and it isn't always universally embraced, but it's essential.

“That's what makes this partnership so exciting: we're aligned in our commitment to protecting The Impy's legacy while giving it the confidence to be ambitious.”

The proposed 24-hour club is also being positioned as a contribution to the continued recovery of Sydney's night time economy following the introduction of the city's lockout laws in 2014. 

“Sydney has come a long way since the lockout laws with vibrancy reforms creating the conditions for nightlife to flourish again. But we feel there is still a gap in the form of a truly ambitious large-format club capable of standing alongside the world's best,” Thorpe said. 

“So we are aspiring to contribute to this missing piece by creating one of the world's great queer clubs and a destination capable of attracting audiences from around Australia and overseas.”

The Imperial will continue operating as usual ahead of the redevelopment, with further details about the restoration and its updated venue offerings expected in the coming months.