A Perthshire hotel which ceased trading at the end of last year will reopen today.
Mountview Hotels, which owns The Crags Hotel and Abbotsford Lodge, both in Callander, went into administration in January.
Now 13-bedroom Abbotsford Lodge has been acquired by Sirple Ltd, which already operates other businesses in the area.
The property sold for in excess of the £595,000 asking price for the property.
Abbotsford Lodge plans
Sirple Ltd is owned by Crieff couple Craig Gillespie, 32, and Kayleigh Keith, 30, and is the pair’s fourth business.
They started their company in 2018 with the purchase of The Tower, a gastro pub in Crieff with five apartments.
18 months later, when Kayleigh was eight months pregnant with their second child, they acquired Nicky-Tams pub in Stirling.
Last year they added The Crown Hotel in Callander to their portfolio.
Kayleigh said they have a grand plan to acquire “10 properties in 10 years”.
She said they were attracted to Abbotsford Lodge’s setting and believes it will fill a gap in the market.
Kayleigh said: “It’s the first time we’ve not taken over a business as a going concern and started from scratch.
“We got the keys a month ago and have been busy cleaning, clearing it out and bringing the hotel up to the right safety standards.
“We have moved the bar, which makes the dining room slightly bigger.
“It’s a really nice setting and we think it fits a gap in the market. The restaurant will be good quality food that’s good for family occasions or date nights.”
Couple plan more acquisitions
Sirple employs around 50 staff who work between the businesses.
Kayleigh said the couple have complementary skills and plan to keep growing their business.
She said: “Craig and I are both really supportive and respectful of each other’s skillsets.
“Having our two kids has also given us the motivation to succeed and create something for them.
“We have a really good team who know this is not just a place to work, but that we genuinely care about them and look after them.
“We have a working environment where people’s ideas are heard and our staff run the venues like they belong to them.”
Abbotsford Lodge was sold by CDLH Chartered Surveyors.
The firm’s director Alan Creevy said there had been a large number of hotel transactions this year.
He said: “The Scottish rural hotel market has had a phenomenal year in terms of the large number of sale transactions and, indeed, strong hotel operating performance.
“We continue to see significant levels of interest in both rural and city hospitality properties with the strongest interest in hotels from overseas buyers in particular.”
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