Paul Brownlie had been working at the Invercarse Hotel in Dundee for less than a month when the conversations started. Would he consider becoming a co-owner of the hotel?
Martina and Gordon Whiting, who had owned the Perth Road hotel for more than 20 years, were looking to sell to the right owners.
They’d identified their successors as Sean Burke, the general manager, and Paul, who’d just joined as the restaurant manager.
Paul hadn’t even received his first month’s pay, said recalled: “I was just in the door so it was a bit of a whirlwind for me.
“I hadn’t had a pay cheque before the previous owners started talking about selling to us.”
Sean said Paul joining the Invercarse gave him the ideal partner for a managerial buy-out.
He said: “With Paul’s experience and how he was fitting into the team, it was a quick decision for them.
“They wanted to make sure the hotel stayed locally-owned and not sell to a multi-national.
“They saw us as two local guys, with the right experience but still young enough to take the hotel to the next level.”
After the idea was put to Sean and Paul in October 2021, it then took months to agree a price and get the deal over the line. The sale completed at the start of last year.
Sean said: “For us it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. We know how popular the hotel is, how well it’s been run and how profitable it is as a business.”
£250,000 investments at Invercarse Hotel
Since then Sean and Paul have invested almost a quarter of a million pounds into upgrades at the 68-bedroom property.
This has included new carpets in events spaces, refurbishing the restaurant and public bathrooms as well as “splurging” on Christmas decorations.
The final eight bathrooms to need upgraded at the property have been done.
Sean said: “There’s also been new cutlery and glasswear and new menus.
“We are away to spend on the gardens and on new uniforms for staff.
“Every little tweak we’ve done has gone done well with customers. We’ve been more active on social media and word of mouth has grown.”
Reintroducing lunches which had stopped since Covid-19 was another important move.
Tough times for hotel sector
It couldn’t have been a tougher year to start being a hotel owner with energy, labour and food and drink costs all rapidly increasing.
And at the same time, people are cutting back as the cost-of-living crisis bites.
However, Sean and Paul have no regrets.
Sean said: “We still had a successful first year and that’s thanks to the public more than anything. They have really supported us.
“This year we’ve noticed that accommodation is being booked a bit slower. Mid-week is mostly corporate bookings for us and we think companies are also cutting back.
“However, the events business on the books is strong. We get a lot of high school proms, uni balls, sportsman dinners and weddings.
“We enjoy being the owners. Every day is totally different and has its challenges.
“It was the opportunity of a lifetime to buy the hotel and be my own boss.”
Paul adds: “It’s not something we regret. We are here every day and just want to crack on.”
The upgrades to the hotel have been noticed by Best Western. Although the Invercarse is independently owned, it pays a membership fee to use the Best Western booking system.
It will soon move to being a Best Western Signature hotel, a higher level which reflects the high standards at the Invercarse.
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