A NEW management company has been brought in to run three prominent hotels on the Isle of Skye after their previous operator fell into administration.
Perle Hotels has taken on a long-term contract to run the Broadford, Marmalade and Bosville hotels - less than a year after Skye Hotels was appointed in a similar capacity.
Skye Hotels had been contracted to manage the hotels by Blaven Skye, a vehicle set up to buy the properties after previous owner MacLeod Hotels went into administration.
But it moved into administration in July after running into severe cash flow problems and rising operating costs.
The extent of the company's debt has yet to be established.
Skye Hotels had been created by the former owners of the hotels with the sole purpose of running the hotels.
Documents at Companies House list Singapore-based Fasih Rehman as a director of both Blaven Skye and Perle Hotels.
Iain Fraser and Tom MacLennan, the administrators to Skye Hotels at FRP Advisory, insisted that in spite of the changes it is business as usual for the hotels, which remain open and continue to take bookings.
The estimated 50 to 55 staff employed across the three hotels have transferred over to the new management company.
Asked to comment on financial health of the hotels, Mr Fraser said: "From what we have learned over the last week having been involved in this they are at the top end of Skye hotels. They are at a higher level and good quality.
"My staff who were out at Skye last week said they are nicely presented hotels."
He added: "For the avoidance of doubt, the three hotels and their owners are not in administration and remain in a strong financial position. It is only Skye Hotels that has gone into administration."
The hotels are currently in the day to day hands of Springboard Leisure, a management company, which has a three-month deal to run the businesses until Perle puts a new senior management team in place.
Springboard managing director Derek Bain said Perle has already signalled its intention to invest in the three businesses, which he said carried no debt and were bought outright by the owners. Noting that the transition from Skye Hotels to Springboard had been "seamless", he said: "There are also plans for extensions and renovations which the current owners are eager to progress.
"There is going to be investment here, and there is money behind it to do investment. The conversations I've had with the owners over the last three days have been positive.
"It was very important to get in and let the staff know it [business] is not going to be run into the ground, we are going to invest in this."
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