£10 million invested as Crerar Hotels announces a hattrick of hotel refurbishments
The group is set to spend more than £4.5 million on improvements to Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa, the Deeside Inn and Golf View Hotel & Spa – taking its total spend on its portfolio to over £10 million in the past 12 months.
Announcement follows completion of two refurbishments in 2021
Preeminent Scottish hotel group, Crerar Hotels, is continuing to deliver on its much-publicised commitment to investment in its people and portfolio – this time announcing a seven-figure investment in three of its seven four- and five-star properties.
Both Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa, Inveraray and Golf View Hotel & Spa, Nairn, will benefit from total investments of £765,000 and £850,000, respectively, to complete the first phases of Crerar Hotels’ ambitious plans to offer outstanding experiences across each of its spa hotels.
Work on Loch Fyne’s new ‘Shore Spa’ has already begun, and will include additional therapy suites, a healing Himalayan salt room, eucalyptus steam treatment alongside a brand-new terrace with loch-side saunas, ice drenches and further improvements to the existing hydro experience.
Expected to be fully open by Valentine’s Day, Shore Spa at Loch Fyne is set to cement the hotel’s reputation as one of the finest in Scotland. This work follows the successful launch of Driftwood Spa at the Isle of Mull Hotel earlier this year.
Work is also starting on the iconic Golf View to transform its existing country club into the area’s most luxurious spa – which will be named ‘Coast’. Plans will see the number of therapy suites doubled as well as the addition of Scotland’s first ‘stone bath’ steam alongside a Himalayan salt therapy room.
‘Coast’ will continue to develop into the summer with the addition of the ‘Beach Hut’ – a private spa experience located close to the beach. Much like Isle of Mull Hotel & Spa’s ‘Wilderness Deck’, Beach Hut takes exclusive use within nature to a new level in Scotland.
Finally, the Deeside Inn at Ballater will be relaunched in spring 2022 as The Balmoral Arms, after receiving it’s own five-star royal treatment. The Inn, at the heart of Royal Deeside, will be reimagined to the tune of £2.2 million in the first stage.
Whilst preserving the unique character of the Inn, the refurbishment will bring a range of individual deluxe suites, family suites, couples’ rooms and rooms designed specifically for guests heading to Deeside for outdoor adventure.
A new dining experience, spa treatment rooms will complete the transformation, creating a retreat fit for royalty.
The significant investment across the portfolio comes just months after Crerar Hotels unveiled the results of a £500,000 investment in the five-star Glencoe Inn and a £3.5 million transformation of the Isle of Mull Hotel & Spa.
Chris Wayne-Wills, CEO of Crerar Hotels, said:
“It was always our intention to invest in our portfolio and people coming out of the multiple Covid lockdowns as a way of facing the challenges of the pandemic head on.
“By continuing to invest in our hotels, we are in a better position to enhance our offering – allowing guests to experience the highest standards as they take in all this stunning country has to offer. The results at Glencoe and Mull speak for themselves and, as international travel truly opens up, we believe this further investment in the areas of Inveraray, Nairn and Ballater will not only benefit the Group, but also the wider Scottish tourist industry.
“We want to showcase the best in authentic Scottish hospitality as we open our doors to the world again, and that’s exactly what our continued investment is set to achieve.”
Paddy Crerar CBE, Founder and Chairman of Crerar Hotels, said:
“If being a destination was an Olympic sport Scotland would be a consistent podium finisher, I’d say a Gold Medal winner every time - we should be disappointed with anything less. What that means for Crerar Hotels is we must always focus on being the very best irrespective of conditions. Investing so heavily now is a surprisingly obvious and easy decision - as the world reopens for business , Scotland’s superb offering will pull ahead of the pack and we (all of hospitality) must be right there hunting for that gold. Backing ourselves as winners is how it should be.”
