One of the north Highlands’ "most iconic family-run hotels" has been put up for sale for the first time since 1955.
Mackays Hotel on Ebenezer Place in Wick, Caithness, is currently owned and operated by Murray and Ellie Lamont, the third generation of the Lamont family to have been caretakers for the hotel for over 67 years.
Ebenezer Place is said to be the world’s shortest street at just six feet, nine inches long.
Mackays has been a leading accommodation provider and a cornerstone of local community life in Caithness for over six decades since being purchased by the first family member in 1955, Murray Lamont’s maternal grandmother.
The award-winning hotel is located on the world-famous North Coast 500, has 30 en-suite modern bedrooms, supports around 30 local jobs and welcomes around 54,000 global visitors to the North Highlands each year.
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Mackays Hotel also offers a selection of six self-catering apartments as well as providing exclusive events spaces for weddings, corporate events, meetings, private functions and other special occasions.
Located by the river Wick and Wick harbour, Mackays Hotel’s No 1 Bistro celebrates and supports the best local and seasonal Highland food and drink, including Mey Selections beef and lamb, Caithness Smokehouse and Scrabster Seafoods.
Murray and Ellie took over the management of Mackays Hotel in 1983 and went on to purchase the property from the rest of the family in the 1990s.
Since then, the hotel has gone from strength to strength winning a number of industry awards and accolades, including Caithness Business of the Year’ in the Highland Business Awards 2016, overall winner of the Developing the Young Workforce category at the Highland Business Awards 2017, an AA Rosette for No.1 Bistro at Mackays Hotel in 2014, and a Gold Tourism Award as part of The Green Tourism Business Scheme.
During the 2020 lockdown, the Lamont family worked with Royal British Legion Scotland project to provide Caithness veterans and pensioners with regular hot meals and companionship whilst self-isolating at home, as well as a meals on wheels home delivery service for people in and around Wick.
Accommodation was also donated to the NHS providing accommodation to doctors seconded to Caithness General Hospital.
The "unique" sale also presents buyers with the opportunity to develop the hotel’s grain store, which previously had planning permission for a new three-story extension with the potential to add further bedrooms.
Murray Lamont, current owner of Mackays Hotel, said: “Our family is incredibly proud to have been the caretakers for our family-run hotel for 67 years. During that time Mackays Hotel has become an integral part of local community life here in Caithness.
"The hotel has gone from strength to strength, winning a number of industry awards and accolades and welcoming over 50,000 global visitors to the north Highlands and famous North Coast 500 each year.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on our warm Highland welcome to guests from across the world every single year and have some very happy memories from our time as owners of the hotel since the 1990s. We’d like to thank all our guests, staff, suppliers, local community and friends for their continued loyal support over the decades.
“We now feel the time is right to hand over the reins of Mackays Hotel to new owners who we hope are as passionate about Wick, Caithness and north Highland life as we are.”
Mackays Hotel is being marketed by Drysdale & Co in three lots. The three lots include the 30-bedroom Mackays Hotel, six self-catering apartments (supplementary letting accommodation) and a vacant Church building for separate negotiation.
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