Oban Bay Hotel is bought by firm based in Thailand
THE Oban Bay Hotel and Spa is set to be sold to a company from Thailand.
The Crerar Hotel Group is selling its entire portfolio, which consists of 13 hotels including the Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa, the Loch Fyne Hotel and Spa and the Glencoe Inn and Gathering. Of the hotels, 12 are in Scotland, while the other is located in Yorkshire.
In addition to the hotels, FICO Castle Ltd is also purchasing the brand name Crerar Hotels and Crerar’s shortbreak company Easy Breaks. The proposed takeover by the Bangkok-based comany will be in late August.
The price of the sale hasn’t been disclosed, but the net turnover for the Crerar Hotel Group Ltd in 2017/18 is forecast to be around £ 30 million.
Half of the net proceeds will be donated to the Crerar Trust, a charity run by the Crerar family. The trust gives money to good causes that have links to where Crerar hotels have businesses or interests.
A spokesman for Crerar Group said: ‘ We are delighted to announce that, subject to legal contract, we intend to sell all of our assets.
‘The discussions undertaken over the past year have been entirely positive and we feel very certain that the new owners’ input and fresh global perspective will bring out the best in our soon to be former hotels and associated business interests.
‘In particular, we were impressed about the focus, care and attention they demonstrated when discussing how the people in the organisation will continue to be given every opportunity to flourish.’
The other hotels that will be included in the sale are the Ben Wyvis Hotel, Strathpeffer; Chevin Country Park Hotel and Spa, Otley; the Craiglynne Hotel, Grantown- on- Spey; the Deeside Inn, Ballater; Eight Acres Hotel and Leisure, Elgin; Glencoe Inn and Gathering, Glencoe; Golf View Hotel and Spa, Nairn; Go Glasgow Urban Hotel, Glasgow; Scotland’s Hotel, Pitlochry; and Thainstone House, Inverurie.
‘We have been very lucky to have had two amazing supporters over the years and it’s important that we pay tribute to them,’ a spokesman for Crerar Hotels added.
‘Thank you to our great general managers and the fantastic teams they have with them – hospitality is all about people and they are exemplars of what great hospitality is about. And, of course, without the many, many loyal customers of both Crerar Hotels and Easy Breaks, we would have had nothing.
‘I know both these supporters will very much enjoy a refreshed approach that will come with the enthusiasm of new ownership.’