Brothers, 18 and 20, take reins at Perthshire hotel on banks of Loch Tay

Adam and Rory Hitchins are running the Ben Lawers Hotel over the summer.

By Lindsey Hamilton

July 4 2024, 7:00am

Rory and Adam Hitchins outside the hotel. Image: Ben Lawers Hotel

A pair of young brothers have taken the reins of a Perthshire hotel on the banks of Loch Tay.

Adam Hitchins, 18, and brother Rory, 20, are running the Ben Lawers Hotel until September to see how the venue fares.

The hotel, which sits on the northern banks of Loch Tay between Kenmore and Killin, has been owned by their parents – Ian and Sian Hitchins – for the past 25 years.

During the last eight of those, it has been run by tenants, whose lease has now ended – giving the brothers the chance to take it on.

The venue is not currently offering accommodation but the bar and restaurant are open for business.

Ben Lawers hotel — The hotel has stunning views over Loch Tay. Image: Ben Lawers Hotel

Rory told The Courier: “When the tenant’s lease ran out, mum and dad asked if we would like to take it on for the summer season to see how it went.

“We have both grown up in the hotel trade with our parents so we decided to take a chance.

“This is a chance for the next generation of our family to get back into the Ben Lawers Hotel.

‘Really exciting chance’ for brothers at Ben Lawers Hotel

“For now it’s only Adam and me with a bit of help from mum and dad but we may have to look at taking on staff as the summer goes on and it, hopefully, gets busier.”

Rory says he has seen the hotel trade from all sides over the years, having worked in front of house, the kitchen and the bar.

However, it is unclear what will happen when he returns to university after the summer.

He said: “I am currently at Aberdeen University studying finance and economics and I will be going back in September as I still have three years of my course to go.

Ben Lawers Hotel reopens — The hotel is back open for food and drink over the summer. Image: Ben Lawers Hotel

“As a result, I won’t be carrying on with the hotel after that and, as yet, no decision has been made about what will happen to the hotel over the winter.

“I am kind of testing the water to see how this goes and I don’t yet know if I want to make my future career in the hotel trade, which is pretty challenging at the moment.

“However, for the time being, this is really exciting for us and gives us a chance to really learn a lot about the hotel trade.”

The hotel is currently closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.