INVESTORS have shown confidence in the prospects for Scottish hotels amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus by acquiring a landmark property in the Perthshire Highlands.
The Loch Rannoch hotel has been acquired by a business whose directors include sector veteran Nick Pattie, from Bathgate-based Macdonald Hotels, for an undisclosed sum.
The 48-bedroom hotel has remained closed amid the lockdown imposed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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The new owners expect to reopen the business in time for the key Easter period next year.
They plan to complete a major refurbishment of the hotel and related facilities, which is expected to involve hefty investment.
The hotel lies close to the eponymous loch. It is surrounded by 85 lodges, some of which will be available for rental.
“We are extremely excited by the opportunity to renovate the hotel and modernise and extend the facilities at Loch Rannoch for the benefit of our hotel guests, local residents, lodge owners and many regular customers,” said Mr Pattie, who has run hotels in the UK and overseas.
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Gordon Fraser, group managing director of Macdonald Hotels, said it was pleased to have reached agreement on a deal that would see The Loch Rannoch Hotel continue to welcome guests from all over the world for many years to come.
Last month Macdonald Hotels said it was consulting staff about possible jobs cuts as it declared there was no realistic prospects of a return to anything like normal trading for the foreseeable future.
The company said around 485 roles were were at risk in 10 hotels and three resorts in Scotland. A total of 1,800 jobs were at risk out of the 2,229 people it employed across its 31 hotels and resorts around Scotland and England.
Mr Pattie is managing director of the Whitebridge Hospitality consultancy.
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