HOTELIER Paddy Crerar declared yesterday that investing heavily now, as the “world reopens for business”, is a “surprisingly obvious and easy decision” as he unveiled his company’s multi-million-pound plans for improvements to three of its Scottish properties.
Crerar Hotels, founded and chaired by Mr Crerar, said its Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa at Inveraray and Golf View Hotel & Spa in Nairn would benefit from respective total investments of £765,000 and £850,000. It declared that this would complete the first phases of its “ambitious plans to offer outstanding experiences across each of its spa hotels”.
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Work on Loch Fyne’s new ‘Shore Spa’ has begun, with Crerar Hotels noting this “will include additional therapy suites, a healing Himalayan salt room, [and] eucalyptus steam treatment alongside a brand-new terrace with lochside saunas, ice drenches and further improvements to the existing hydro experience”.
It said work was starting at the Golf View to “transform its existing country club” into a “luxurious" spa, named 'Coast'.
Crerar is relaunching the Deeside Inn at Ballater in spring 2022 as The Balmoral Arms. The inn, on Royal Deeside, “will be reimagined to the tune of £2.2 million in the first stage”, the hotel group said.
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Mr Crerar 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.”
The latest investment announcement comes hard on the heels of Crerar Hotels unveiling 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, chief executive 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."
He added: "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."
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