The Carriers Arms, now known as the Church Street Hotel, closed in January 2019 to undergo renovations and will reopen next week.

Bar supervisor and manager Hannah Lieschke said after more than a year of work, the venue will be unrecognizable to patrons.

She said the exact open date was still up in the air with final touches still taking place but assured keen patrons the hotel would be up and running next week ahead of the weekend.

"It's been completely gutted and completely renovated," Miss Lieschke said.

"It's very modern we're gone for Scandi-tropical vibes, it's very fresh with natural lighting.

"We wanted something more welcoming than your average pub, more of a bar, restaurant vibe."

The Carrier Arms first started serving drinks in the 1870s, and Miss Lieschke said the pub's reopening was much anticipated.

"We've had people walk past and yell out over the fence 'when are you going to open?'," she said.

"We've let a few people and friends walk through and everyone has the same reaction - wow.

"Everyone that's seen it before can't recognise it at all."

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Leigh Esler, who owned Albury's Penny Black until its closure in January, bought the Carrier Arms in 2018 from Wagga-businessman Greg Evans.

Renovations were initially expected to run for three to six months, with no firm re-open date set at the time of closure.

Miss Lieschke previously worked at Penny Black with Mr Esler before moving over to the new venture.

She said about 15 people were employed by the Church Street Hotel, on a casual, full-time or part-time basis.

Although the hotel has a brand new look, it still aims to be a comfortable and affordable local for residents.

Miss Lieschke said the revamped hotel would have a focus on locally-produced beer and wine but also stock traditional favourites.

"We want it to be somewhere people will go as a group after work or on the weekend, we hope it'll be a go-to," she said.

"People can expect amazing food, we have a very talented chef and we wanted the food to be reasonably priced, something that people can afford so they enjoy and come back."

Miss Lieschke said Wodonga had undergone a revitalisation in recent years and the hotel was upgrading to keep pace and attract patrons. She said nothing has been planned for the opening weekend at this stage, but the hotel was hoping for a big crowd after the City2City event on Sunday.