The hotel has been bought by Australian Property Projects under its Aurora Resorts group.

APP chairman Ian Drummond and general manager Tim Langmaid were in Kingscote this week again to finalise the changeover of ownership and said they could not reveal the names of the new managers because they were coming from one of the company’s other five properties in the NT and SA and staff there had not been told yet.

“They are a couple with a lot of experience in resort and hotel management,” Mr Drummond said.

Mr Langmaid said they were accustomed to working in small communities and looking forward to getting involved in the Kangaroo Island community.

Mr Drummond yesterday revealed his past links to the Ozone – he and wife Jan celebrated their honeymoon at the Ozone Hotel in 1971. They plan to have a second honeymoon there soon.

Mr Drummond also told how the Ozone Hotel fitted with the company’s plans to own hotels in all the gateways to the best ecological destinations in Australia. The company had resorts in Kakadu and Alice Springs and was investigating Broome and Cairns.

He said the Ozone was significantly smaller than their other operations and they usually considered 80 rooms to be a minimum size. The Ozone Hotel has 63 rooms.

“Our goal is to settle in to the local community. We have no definite plans at the moment but we will look at opportunities to increase our room stock,” he said.

Mr Drummond said there would be no dramatic changes in management of the hotel and that groups who relied on the Ozone’s support could continue to do so.

Opportunities for staff movement within the group were already being talked about, with the NT quiet season in summer coinciding with the busy period at the Ozone. Shauna Black