Work kicked off on the Cliff Road venue’s major refurbishment last week, with a complete refit and name change expected over the next month.

The bar’s 1980s-style dark interior is set to be replaced with white-washed timber walls, floor-to-ceiling bi-folds, splashes of yellow in the lounges and booths and nautical features.

Food and wine will also be a talking point of the revamped bar - expect seafood, local produce and an extensive list of wine and cocktails.

Novotel general manager Steve Savic, who took over the hotel in September, said the watering hole aimed to complement the Illawarra’s emerging small bar scene.

“We want it to be like a small bar with more volume,” he said.

“We want it to have that kick-backed, coastal feel with a bit of class and elegance - think Bondi’s waterfront venues and coastal locations around the world like St Tropez and the Greek Islands”.

The bar renovations are part of the North Beach hotel’s overall make-over, which kicked off this week with work on the first block of hotel rooms.

The whole project is expected to take up to 18 months but Mr Savic hopes it will help to activate business along Wollongong’s beachfront.

“In the past, it was always sort of just us, Diggies and the Harbourfront but there’s a lot more venues popping up now with the Pavilion, the Meatery and other Cliff Road restaurants,” he said.

“We want to create a food and wine hub at this end of town - it’s about activating spaces outside the CBD so there is more than just one place for people to visit.”

The hotel is keen to hire new staff for the bar, hosting a recruitment day next Thursday.

Mr Savic said management were looking for at least 30 to 40 staff for the bar’s initial opening, along with a regular roster of casual staff.

The recruitment day will be held at the hotel from 9am.

The bar is expected to open in December.