Hotel Owner Hotel Owner May 2017 digital | Page 34

FRONT OF HOUSE | ARDEONAIG HOTEL
The hotel has been around since the experience in managing staff, and I’m
16th Century, can you tell me about its hoping to build a very friendly, professional
history? team of passionate people. We don’t push
In the time that we’ve known it, it’s always staff to stay here if they don’t want to
been a high-end hotel. It’s always been be here because it is so remote, so we’re
a hotel that people go to for a special gradually building a team of staff who
occasion. We are continuing along that line enjoy the remote location and enjoy the
customers, watching the customers being
although we are trying to cater for other
west Loch Tay. And we still own all three of trade. It does have a history of changing them. The Ardeonaig hotel is one that I’ve owners every three to five years over the known in the 20 years that I’ve been here. What makes the hotel stand out?
last 20 years or so. Given that we’ve had It’s always been a high-class hotel, and it Its main feature is its complete and utter
one hotel in the area for 20 years, we like had a massive refurbishment, £1.8m in 2008 peace and tranquillity – and the views.
to think that we’ll be around for many which I followed closely.
Since acquiring the hotel, how has it
years to come and watch it build steadily.
What attracted you to the Ardeonaig? enriched your existing portfolio?
What is your background in the Just my love for that hotel. It’s in a glorious We’re catering for all the markets now, the
industry? location, so it’s overlooking the Lawers mass market. We are also catering for the
I’ve been in this industry since I was 17 and mountain range. It’s amongst the highest more determined customer, the higher
I’m now 48 so I’ve been doing this for 31 mountains in Scotland, often snowcapped. end, four or five star market, who we have
years. I got a degree in hotel management The hotel overlooks Loch Tay and the discovered to be a very easy market to
and I moved up when I was 25. I was mountain range; it’s absolutely incredible. please because the product [we have
managing a hotel in the Lake District, then I It has a lovely great big garden and it’s got acquired] is so exceptional.
met my wife and we moved up to Scotland high class accommodation.
How does the Ardeonaig differ from
20 years ago in 1997. We bought a small
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happy.
markets to an extent with our lunchtime hotel on the side of Loch Tay and then 10 What experience have you brought to your other properties?
years ago bought another hotel. And then the hotel? It’s much higher class. We have got four
recently, bought the Ardenoaig hotel. So it’s I’ve got a lot of experience in marketing or five star accommodation, the ambience
been all around Loch Tay, north Loch Tay, and bringing customers in, as well as is much more relaxed, the customer
www.hotelowner.co.uk
May 2017