The 2016 documentary “Hotel Coolgardie,” which was made by Pete Gleeson, served as a loose inspiration for Kitty Green’s Australian thriller “The Royal Hotel.” Hugo Weaving, Jessica Henwick, and Julia Garner play the key parts. The film centres on Hanna and Liv, two travelling backpackers in dire need of cash who take a job as barmaids at an isolated hotel in Australia. Viewers need to be eager to learn more about the Outback town’s culture because the film does so through the hotel of the same name, which acts as the main location for the narrative. Here’s all the information you need to know if you’ve been wondering about the existence and veracity of the Royal Hotel. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The Real-Life Royal Hotel
In the movie, Hanna and Liv, two Canadian backpackers visiting Australia, find themselves in a difficult situation at the Royal Hotel. The main location of the film is the hotel of the same name, which is partially inspired by a real-world site. Filmmaker Pete Gleeson’s 2016 documentary film “Hotel Coolgardie” served as a loose inspiration for the film. The film investigates the poisonous and misogynistic atmosphere of a tiny Coolgardie, Western Australia, tavern. Denver City Hotel is the name of the tavern in the documentary. It’s safe to assume that the Denver City Hotel served as the model for the fictitious Royal Hotel because the feature film is based on the documentary.
However, Adelaide, Australia was the primary location for filming. The crew of the movie opened up shop in a real city two-story pub. Kitty Green, the director, disclosed that her grandfather had a tavern. It’s possible that Green’s grandfather’s bar served as some sort of visual inspiration for the Royal Hotel. In Coolgardie, Western Australia, at 73 Bayley Street, sits the actual Denver City Hotel. Steph and Lina, the focus of the first series, worked as backpackers in this pub where they encountered dangerous situations. There is lodging available at the two-star Denver City Hotel. It is the only hotel in the town and was built in 1898. To avoid any legal issues, the name was probably changed to the Royal Hotel because the feature film follows a more fictitious path.
Does Denver City Hotel Still Exist?
The unsavoury pub guests’ constant harassment of Liv and Hanna pushes them to the breaking point in the climactic scene of ‘The Royal Hotel’. Liv and Hanna smash the pub’s liquor cupboard and then light it on fire in the closing seconds. Viewers are then left to wonder whether the actual hotel that served as the model for the Royal Hotel still stands. The barmaids at the Denver City Hotel did not set the hotel on fire. somewhat, the documentary ends somewhat depressingly, with the women being forced to leave the pub following a series of violent episodes. For the feature film, however, director Kitty Green opted for a more powerful conclusion, which sets up the last scene in which the barmaids set the tavern on fire.
The Denver City Hotel is really still open to guests. It is interesting to note that the restaurant had burned down twice since it was built in 1898. Only the third of the Denver City Hotel’s three versions is a two-story building, though. It is safe to conclude that Liv and Steph did not work at the hotel when it burned down. The hotel’s management allegedly underwent a makeover after the documentary exposed the establishment in a poor light. The Denver City Hotel has a female owner and fresh management as of late. It is also said that the hotel now hires locals instead of barmaids under the work tourism programme. There are a lot of favourable customer evaluations for the Denver City Hotel, despite the harsh portrayal of the hotel in the 2016 documentary.
