The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Historic hotel taken over by US company
The historic Kenmore Hotel in Perthshire will be redeveloped by the same company behind the proposed transformation of Taymouth Castle.
Discovery Land Company is behind several luxury “worlds” in America and one in Portugal.
Its Perthshire development would be the company’s first in the UK.
Discovery Land Company is an American business owned by entrepreneur and friend of George Clooney, Mike Meldman.
Clooney had been linked to the Perthshire castle, but The Courier revealed in April he is not involved in the project.
The group’s investors include billionaire John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patrón Spirits Company.
The company was acquired by Bacardi for $5.1 billion in 2018.
Discovery Land Company will carry out “extensive” refurbishment work at the hotel.
Kenmore Hotel, established in 1572 overlooking the River Tay, shut in April after two “turbulent” years.
It had previously been expected to reopen next year, but that is now not the case.
Last year, manager William Inglis said it was “on its knees” and losing £40,000 a week due to staff shortages.
A spokeswoman for the new owners said: “Discovery Land Company has been engaged for renovation and operations for a group of properties that has been purchased by a US-based company.
“The properties were previously owned by the same individual and include the Kenmore Hotel, various holiday properties, and the beach at Kenmore.”
Improvements to the beach will be made in time, while there are plans to turn the former holiday homes into houses for estate workers.
However, she said the local post office – which also closed suddenly in May – is not part of the plans.
Mr DeJoria has previously worked with Discovery Land Company on a similar development in the Caribbean island of Barbuda.
Filings at Companies House for Kenmore Hotel Holdings show Kevin Lange, an American financial adviser and investor based in Texas, as one of the directors.
A website has been set up to keep the community informed with the latest information regarding the development.
It states “major investment” is required to save the castle and estate.
“The owner and developer of Taymouth Castle, Discovery Land Company, has a shared ambition to return the estate to its former glory and secure its sustainable future. The Taymouth development provides a unique opportunity to provide tangible economic and environmental benefits to the area,” noted the statement.