Pub tsar Justin Hemmes has cemented his position as the largest single owner of popular Sydney pubs, splurging more than $70 million on the purchase of three major hotels over the past three months.

Having snapped up Bondi's Royal Hotel on Wednesday, the string of purchases gives Mr Hemmes' Merivale Group an almost unassailable lead in the sector, ahead of restaurateurs such as celebrity chef Matt Moran's Solotel group and established pub owners such as the Laundy family.

Part of Justin Hemmes' pub stable now: The Royal Hotel on Bondi Road was established in 1904 and hosted the first meeting of the Bondi Lifesaving Club three years later. Credit:Jessica Hromas

Since August, Mr Hemmes has bought the Collaroy Hotel on Sydney's northern beaches for about $21 million, the Vic on the Park in Marrickville for about $23 million and now the Royal Hotel for more than $30 million.

Contacted by Fairfax Media on Thursday, Merivale confirmed the deals, without giving financials. It said it expects to receive the keys for the Bondi hotel next July, with plans for the venue to be "announced in due course".