Chris Hart and Malcolm Fleming took over the lease for the Law Courts Hotel on April 1 and are trying to get it refitted in time for King’s Birthday weekend.
Mr Hart said they were not aiming to build the Bellagio, but rather a place that consistently met the expectations of patrons and had character as well as comfort.
Magic-themed restaurant Magic Moments has gone and the hotel was set to return to its roots with a "royal revival".
The bar area had been updated with a TAB service and a big screen for sport and track events.
Mr Hart said the hotel would be a social anchor as a place for stories, connection and a few laughs.
When he told his mother Dotty Cooper, of Cromwell, he was buying the hotel, she lit up with memories, he said.
She had travelled to Dunedin in 1954 to see Queen Elizabeth II wave from the Law Courts Hotel balcony.
She told him the room the Queen stayed in better be reserved for her when she visited.
Mr Hart is a part owner of the North Dunedin establishment Baa Bar and Mr Fleming is returning to the Law Courts after running things at the Waterloo Hotel in Caversham for the past four years.
"It’s a big beautiful building and we want to give it some love," Mr Hart said.
"We’ll make out like we know what we’re doing.
"Hospitality is about enjoyment and we want to make it a place where people feel welcome."
The duo would either be working or talking to the patrons on any given night.
PKB Builders were in charge of refitting the hotel.
The revamp of the hotel included refitting part of the restaurant side of the hotel and naming it "The Chambers", which would accommodate overflow from the bar area.
The menu was also receiving an update.
Mr Hart said he wanted people from out of town to feel just as comfortable as locals at the hotel.
"If you come off the boats and you’re walking past, the beer will be cold."
