The Australian retailer Mark Foy began to purchase the site in 1902 for the purposes of a hydropathic sanatorium under the belief that the land contained mineral springs.

The Hydro Majestic site was originally three different land holdings and their buildings.
The first was the country retreat of W.H. Hargraves, registrar in Equity and a trustee of the Australian Museum in Sydney, son of the man who claimed credit for the discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851.
The single-storey house, with elaborate tree and shrub plantings, was bought by Mark Foy in 1901 and developed into the Hargravia section of the Hydro.

The second was the hotel.
It began as the Belgravia Hotel which was completed in 1891.
The hotel was a health retreat and the building was constructed in Queen Anne style.
It was owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Ellis and was acquired by Mark Foy in 1903.

The third was a cottage owned by Alfred Tucker, whose widow later ran the Wonderland Park guesthouse to the north of the gatekeeper's cottage.
At that stage the town was known as "Medlow" and Mark Foy successfully petitioned the New South Wales government to change the name to Medlow Bath, the current name.
It is not known if he requested the name change to make it sound more prestigious, or if he wanted to avoid confusion with another town called Medlow, also in New South Wales.

Foy spared no expense, building gardens, bringing in his own herd of cows for milk and, not a man to be bested, is said to have had electricity and a working telephone four days before metropolitan Sydney.

By the time the hotel opened in 1904, the mineral springs (if they ever existed) had dried up.
Mark Foy had mineral water imported from Germany in large steel containers.
After travelling in these containers from Germany to Australia the water reportedly tasted awful, and so it was assumed that it must have been good for a person's health.
Guests of the hotel were instructed to drink this water on a regular basis.

By 1906 the popularity of this sort of health retreat had passed and Mark Foy set about rebranding the establishment as a luxury retreat, renaming it the Hydro Majestic.
All health treatments and remedies were removed from all advertising, although many remained available on request.

In October 1913, it was reported that Foy had sold the property to businessman and NSW parliamentarian James Joynton Smith for a reputed £60,600.

During World War II a building on the grounds was turned over to the 118 General Hospital for U.S. troops.

Fire destroyed the gallery building in 1905, the laundry in 1912, and the original Belgravia wing in 1922.
Being surrounded by the Blue Mountains National Park, bushfires have regularly threatened the hotel.
Bushfires were extremely close to the hotel again on 8 December 2002.
The Australian retailer Mark Foy began to purchase the site in 1902 for the purposes of a hydropathic sanatorium under the belief that the land contained mineral springs.
The Hydro Majestic site was originally three different land holdings and their buildings. The first was the country retreat of W.H. Hargraves, registrar in Equity and a trustee of the Australian Museum in Sydney, son of the man who claimed credit for the discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851. The single-storey house, with elaborate tree and shrub plantings, was bought by Mark Foy in 1901 and developed into the Hargravia section of the Hydro.
The second was the hotel. It began as the Belgravia Hotel which was completed in 1891. The hotel was a health retreat and the building was constructed in Queen Anne style. It was owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Ellis and was acquired by Mark Foy in 1903.
The third was a cottage owned by Alfred Tucker, whose widow later ran the Wonderland Park guesthouse to the north of the gatekeeper's cottage. At that stage the town was known as "Medlow" and Mark Foy successfully petitioned the New South Wales government to change the name to Medlow Bath, the current name. It is not known if he requested the name change to make it sound more prestigious, or if he wanted to avoid confusion with another town called Medlow, also in New South Wales.
Foy spared no expense, building gardens, bringing in his own herd of cows for milk and, not a man to be bested, is said to have had electricity and a working telephone four days before metropolitan Sydney.
By the time the hotel opened in 1904, the mineral springs (if they ever existed) had dried up. Mark Foy had mineral water imported from Germany in large steel containers. After travelling in these containers from Germany to Australia the water reportedly tasted awful, and so it was assumed that it must have been good for a person's health. Guests of the hotel were instructed to drink this water on a regular basis.
By 1906 the popularity of this sort of health retreat had passed and Mark Foy set about rebranding the establishment as a luxury retreat, renaming it the Hydro Majestic. All health treatments and remedies were removed from all advertising, although many remained available on request.
In October 1913, it was reported that Foy had sold the property to businessman and NSW parliamentarian James Joynton Smith for a reputed £60,600.
During World War II a building on the grounds was turned over to the 118 General Hospital for U.S. troops.
Fire destroyed the gallery building in 1905, the laundry in 1912, and the original Belgravia wing in 1922. Being surrounded by the Blue Mountains National Park, bushfires have regularly threatened the hotel. Bushfires were extremely close to the hotel again on 8 December 2002.
Hydro Majestic Hotel