Hotel doubles its rooms

A luxurious independent Highland Perthshire hotel has invested in‘staycations’by doubling its accommodation.

Amid the continued uncertainly around foreign travel, the now 18-bedroom Old Manse of Blair Boutique Hotel in the Cairngorms National Park has geared itself to capitalise on the rising demand for staycations.

The hotel in Blair Atholl first opened in 2018 following a two-year renovation of the fine stone country house, which dates from the 1820s.

Then the owners, the Macdonald family, used lockdown to forge ahead with more development in response to a rise in Scottish breaks instead of foreign holidays.

The resulting accommodation has doubled the number of guests the five star hotel can welcome.

The Macdonalds have developed a former stables block into five en suite, ground floor rooms and created two separate, en suite rooms dividing up Railway Cottage, a detached property in the 10-acre grounds around the main hotel.

The stable block has been converted into five rooms with en-suite facilities, including one fully accessible suite, designed for the less mobile.

Estate owner Anne Macdonald collaborated with renowned Glasgow-based artist and designer Iona Crawford to create stylish interiors for the seven new rooms, taking inspiration from the history and heritage of the estate buildings and their equestrian and railway connections.

Anne Macdonald said:“The accommodation expansion was committed to prior to the pandemic, so we had to navigate a perfect storm.

“During that time, we were resilient. We slowly and carefully project managed completion of the renovation works, doubled our capacity and came back fighting.”

Lockdown also prompted the business to diversify foodwise when the Orangery Restaurant had to shut.

To keep the business operating the Old Manse of Blair offered‘Good Food To Go’, targeting the local community and reaching the most vulnerable.

They started the Little Farm Shop and take away, with a sociallydistanced picnic area.

Anne said:“The investment in creating more rooms for guests wanting a luxury break in Scotland has been sensible, albeit often challenging during times of uncertainty. However, we are in a positive position to meet the demand for staycations by investing for growth and adapting our business model.”

Additionally, The Old Manse has plans approved for 10 suites in a walled garden, with work scheduled to start in January 2021, opening in April.

In the current climate, reservations are fully exchangeable to new dates if postponed due to COVID-19 when booked direct with the hotel.