AN AWARD-WINNING hotel on Islay is targeting an increase in revenue after securing bank support for its expansion plans.
The five-star Glenegedale House, which has received prestigious accolades from awarding bodies such as the AA, aims to add four bedrooms, upgrade existing rooms and develop a new bar and restaurant.
The plans are being supported by a banking package worth £410,000 from Royal Bank of Scotland.
Owners Emma and Graeme Clark are progressing their expansion ambitions after buying Glenegedale outright, having previously rented the hotel for nearly seven years. The hotel, which is located between Bowmore and Port Ellen, offering views of the Mull of Oa and the Atlantic, has become popular with tourists since opening in February 2013, and now welcomes more than 1,500 guests a year.
The owners hope to increase revenues by providing a more luxurious stay for visitors and encourage more local business through the new bar and restaurant.
Ms Clark is credited with being a driving force behind Islay’s tourism industry, and is supporting plans for its first food, drink and foraging festival, Taste Islay and Jura, in partnership with Argyll and Islay Cooperative and Islay and Jura Marketing Group. She said: “Islay is a beautiful island with a vibrant community within a tranquil environment. We’re pleased to say Glenegedale House will continue contributing to that for years to come.
“It has been a wonderful experience building a business on the island I grew up on and to see it go to strength to strength as more visitors come to stay every year, has been fabulous. “
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