AN ABANDONED hotel is to be given a new lease of life after being bought by a Dunblane company.
The Ballinluig Hotel in Perthshire has lain empty for a year since its previous owner left, leaving the crockery on the tables and tinsel hanging off the walls.
Now its new owners plan to transform it into a luxury getaway location, renamed the Red Brolly Inn, with a £360,000 revamp.
It is expected that the venture will create 15 full and part-time jobs in the village when it opens in the spring.
Situated just off the A9, the hotel is to become a family-friendly, eight-bedroom establishment, featuring an all-day kitchen, coffee house and bar and grill, with the Fusion Group at the helm.
Managing director Alex McKie, who also operates the popular self-catering Logierait Lodges, said: “The Ballinluig Hotel is in a prime position to capitalise on travellers venturing north and south and is a stone’s throw from popular visitor attractions, such as the Nae Limits Centre and three well-established independent garden and craft centres, not to mention being only a few minutes away from our self-catering park at Logierait Lodges.”
Mr McKie said that he had been inspired to take on the new venture by feedback from people staying in the lodges and the limited number of food and beverage outlets that are open throughout the year in the area.
The Red Brolly Inn will target several different markets, from holidaymakers staying or travelling through the area, to business travellers, to residents of Perthshire seeking all-day dining.
The Red Brolly Inn’s manager is Joseph Newbold, formerly of Crieff Hydro, who will be overseeing the pre-opening works, which are starting straight away.
Mr Newbold said: “I am delighted to have joined the Fusion Group and to be working with Alex and the whole team in creating this exciting new hospitality brand.
“We see masses of potential and are looking forward to greeting our first guests.
“I am confident that we can quickly establish a multiple market presence as I think we are pitching the Red Brolly Inn correctly.”
ktopping@thecourier.co.uk