Hotelier was a true inspiration
Tributes to Henrietta after sad loss
Tributes from the Highland Perthshire community and beyond have been made to an “inspirational”hotelier after she passed away last week.
Henrietta Fergusson died peacefully at the age of 68 on Thursday, October 1.
Proud owner of the popular Killiecrankie House Hotel near Pitlochry since 2007, she passed away after a brave 10-month battle with cancer.
Henrietta grew up in the south west of Scotland where her father was a Church of Scotland minister.
After a brief stint as a personal assistant in London she was offered a summer job at the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe.
Following her success there she went on to work in the hospitality sector for the rest of her life, including two early jobs at Perth’s George Hotel and Timothy’s Restaurant, among other key roles outwith the region.
But in 2007, Henrietta decided to venture out on her own and bought the Killiecrankie House Hotel.
Within a few years she had transformed it into one of Scotland’s leading hotels, winning the Good Hotel Guide’s top award in 2011, and was adored by locals and customers alike.
Killiecrankie House Hotel general manager Calum Robertson described her as “an inspirational mentor and friend”, who treated every guest the same and refused to let standards slip no matter the circumstances.
Brother JG Fergusson said:
“She knew her market, she would never let standards slip and she gained a reputation as a first class hotelier.
“The Killiecrankie Hotel thrived under her ownership, with occupancy rates increasing each year, and the number of repeat bookings at an impressive 65 per cent.
“But in January, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and stepped back from involvement in the day to day running of the business, although never lost her interest in the hotel, its staff or its guests.
“In mid-September, with no further treatment possible, she returned to Killiecrankie where she continued to welcome friends to her house until the end.
“She died in her home behind the hotel on Thursday evening.”
Waves of tributes have been made on the hotel’s Facebook page, from guests in America, former staff members in New Zealand, and many who have enjoyed her hospitality over the years.
A post on the hotel’s social media page said: “She was an exceptional hotelier, a friend to many, and will be greatly missed by all those whose lives she touched.”
Henrietta had been planning to retire for some time and had discreetly put the hotel on the market two years ago.
The hotel was sold recently and will close, under the present management, on October 26.
It is understood the building is to shut for a refurbishment before reopening towards the end of 2021.
She was an exceptional hotelier, a friend to many, and will be greatly missed by all those whose lives she touched.