ANDY Murray has served up a winner with his newly opened luxury country house hotel after it was named the best in Scotland.

The Cromlix, based near the tennis star's home at Dunblane in Perthshire, which was acquired and refurbished by the ­Wimbledon champion's family, was named Hotel of the Year at the 2014 Scottish Hotel Awards.

Judges described the castle-like Victorian mansion as a "national treasure".

The accolade comes days after Murray was awarded the freedom of Stirling at a special meeting in Dunblane High School.

The 15-bedroom hotel, which has a private chapel, opened at the beginning of this month after being entirely redesigned and some parts rebuilt.

"This superbly balanced combination of solid investment, vision and hugely experienced management has made Cromlix the unanimous choice of judges this year", said awards' chairman Gary McLean Quin.

"Hotels often have sizeable sums of money spent on them but that's only half the battle," he added.

"What impressed us - and specifically enabled this award - was the involvement of award-winning management and individuals in every department - people of excellence we have known for a decade.

"The result is no less than a national treasure and we pay tribute to Andy's mother Judy who played a great part in the transformation."

It is managed by Inverlochy Castle Management International, which controls eight other properties around Scotland and won the Hotel Management Company award for the fifth year in a row.

The awards, presented at a sell-out gala dinner in Edinburgh attended by more than 500 hoteliers and their guests, are Scotland's most comprehensive awards programme for the hotel and accommodation industry.

Host venue the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa took two major awards, for Business Hotel of the Year and Service Excellence.