The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Art dealers see big picture
Development: Fife Arms could be transformed into ‘unique five-star experience’
Two of the world’s most influential art dealers hope their “unique” multi-million pound revamp of a 19th-century Deeside hotel can be one of the top resorts of its kind in Scotland.
The Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar could include a 40-seater cinema and be adorned with paintings, sculptures and murals from high-profile contemporary artists.
The current estimates are that 90 full-time jobs would be created in the process.
The property’s new owners, Swiss art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth, are committed to stripping back the building to its Victorian-era roots and blending it with modern designs and artwork.
However, while promising a “five-star experience” for visitors, the developers have vowed the hotel will remain at the heart of the community and offer facilities for locals.
Community leaders last night welcomed the news about the plans.
The new-look Fife Arms is scheduled to open in 2018, after the original building closed at the turn of 2015 to allow for refurbishment. Mr and Mrs Wirth run Hauser and Wirth and are considered among the globe’s most powerful art dealers. They are progressing the plans through their firm, Highland Hospitality Ltd.
They own galleries and other properties in Zurich, New York, London, Somerset and Los Angeles.
The Fife Arms was established in the 1800s by the Duke of Fife and thrived as a tourist resort after Queen Victoria made the Balmoral Estate her Highland home.
The hotel’s general manager, Frederica Bertolini, confirmed the firm was now in the process of restoring the Fife Arms into a “first-class” hotel in keeping with the building’s long and fascinating history.
She added: “They (the Wirths) fell in love with Braemar.
“They saw the hotel as kind of neglected, needing some repair and they decided to do it, to invest this money, almost to switch a button. You can see how things changed over the decades and the wars. I think Mr and Mrs Wirth understand this place had been something very special and still is something very special.
“What we are wanting is a building that, yes, will have a huge amount of reference to the Victorian times, but around the hotel, elements of tradition will be mixed with contemporary arts.
“Some of the artists who work with Mr Wirth will be commissioned to do works in the hotel.
“We want to do this out of respect for the building and the history of the building. We are also wanting to transport it into the 21st century.
“We don’t want it to be an exclusive experience, we want it to be an inclusive
“They decided to do it, to invest this money, almost to switch a button” “This has been done very thoroughly with a huge amount of thought”
experience. There will be something for everybody.
“There is a great community spirit in Braemar, you see that in the amount of stuff that goes on in Braemar all the time.
“It is a big thing for the village. This has been done very thoroughly and with a huge amount of thought and effort.
“There is such a diversity of people that come here. You have got sporting people – skiers, walkers, mountain bikers, families, and you have got international tourists. Braemar has got so much to offer.
“The strength of Scotland as a tourist destination is unquestionable. We know there is a lot more we can do to drive people to the north-east.”
The development will involve reducing the number of rooms from 80 to 46. There will be a spa, cocktail bar, restaurant, banquet