In 1994, the Castello family founded the Castello Group with the primary focus of the business being hospitality where Castello’s was formed.

Their first acquisition was Castello’s Chelsea Hotel which underwent extensive renovations to set the benchmark in the Mornington Peninsula and transform the hotel creating a more inviting family-friendly environment.

In 1996, Castello’s Kealba Hotel was born. From just a bar, gaming room and bottleshop, the Hotel began a rapid transformation undergoing major renovations creating a complex within itself for all ages.

Between 1996 to 2001 saw the family business grow taking over the Castello’s Royal Oak in Cheltenham which enabled the group to diversify and take on its biggest project to date. Thriving on a challenge and the opportunity to deliver quality results, Castello Group began the construction of the Castello’s Berwick Springs Hotel, which opened in June 2001 employing in excess of 100 staff.

The strategic growth continued for the Castello Group with the purchase of 2 more establishments in 2002 — the Castello’s Pakenham Hotel and Castello’s Croydon Hotel, with the Castello’s Waterloo Cup Hotel located in Moonee Ponds acquired in 2004. Now employing more than 370 staff across its hotels, saw the Castello Group continue to build a strong strong presence in the hospitality industry.

In 2007, the Castello Group grew to 11 hotels, acquiring the Templestowe Hotel in August, Anglers Tavern in Maribyrnong and Castello’s Foresters Arms in Oakleigh in October and the Castello’s Pakenham Inn in December.

In 2008, the Castello family celebrated the milestone of achieving 15 years of service to become a leader in the hospitality industry. The Castello Group now employed over 900 people servicing southeast, west, and the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. In 2010 the family decided to exit the day to day operations of the hospitality industry and sold 11 of the hotel businesses to the Dominion Hotel Group while still retaining the free-hold properties.

In 2012 Castello’s re-entered the hospitality market with the purchase of the Victorian Tavern in Gisborne. This was the springboard for the Group’s reinvestment strategy followed with the purchase of the Foresters Arms Hotel, the Pakenham Hotel, Daisey’s Hotel and the Cardinia Hotel (formerly the Pakenham Inn).

In 2014 Castello’s also acquired the Powell Hotel (Footscray), Jim Dandy Hotel & the Players Hotel both in Dandenong.

In 2017 Castello’s completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the Pakenham Hotel, creating a venue with a state-of-the-art TAB/Sports bar, brand new gaming room and a 300 seat international buffet that caters to all age groups including families.