There’s room at my romcom inn. I just don’t have any customers
Owner says Covid’s ruined film boost
Jenny Morrison A Highland hotel owner who hoped a star- studded festive film called Lost At Christmas would boost business said all he has lost is bookings.
Guy Daynes, who runs The Clachaig Inn in the heart of Glencoe, allowed filmmakers to feature his award-winning pub in the new movie.
The romantic comedy stars Clare Grogan, Sanjeev Kohli and Sylvester McCoy.
Guy planned to hold a mini premiere to mark the winter launch at cinemas across the UK. But as the film prepares to release on December 4, Guy doesn’t know whether his inn wil l even be open in the r u n - up to Christmas.
Guy, who has run the 300- year- old inn with his brother Ed for more than 30 years, said: “The coronavirus pandemic means so many things will be ‘ lost at Christmas’ this year.
“On our website we have said we will be closed from mid-December, that we’ll reopen for Hogmanay and New Year, and close again for another two weeks in January.
“The truth is we don’t know what we’re doing. And it’s impossible to plan from one week to the next.
“Christmas is a time when people want to get together, want to socialise, want to be with family and friends – but they can’t do that.
“We are a Highland business, we are open, we can serve alcohol inside, we can serve food inside, but the reality is there is no one here for us to serve to because our customers come from the central belt and other areas where they are being asked not to travel from.”
Lost At Christmas tells the story of two heartbroken strangers who find themselves single and stranded on the snowy moors of Glencoe before ending up at a remote inn on Christmas Eve.
Actors Natalie Clark and Kenny Boyle play the lead roles, while Still Game’s Kohli plays the inn-keeper and Gregory’s Girl star Grogan and former Dr Who McCoy are among the supporting cast.
Director Ryan Hendrick took over The Clachaig Inn for three weeks of filming starting in January. The hotel keeps its own name in the movie.
Many scenes were filmed in the inn’s Boot Bar. As well as putting up the 30- strong cast and crew in their inn, holiday cottages and chalets, Guy and his family took them on tours of the Glencoe area, including to see where scenes from Skyfall and Harry Potter were filmed.
Grogan posted a picture of herself outside the inn, which she captioned: “Dry January. I don’t think so… #Clachaig Inn – Love this location.”
Other cast members spoke of their love of the Clachaig while being interviewed for a social media video.
McCoy said: “The people around the inn were very welcoming. Everyone was lovely. It was just like having a winter holiday, really. I felt sad when I left – I really did.” Kohli added: “If we had been stuck there in lockdown, I wouldn’t have minded.”
Guy said: “The release of this film should have been such an exciting time for everyone at The Clachaig but things are anything but exciting for us just now.
“We plan to be open for Hogmanay and New Year but things will be very different, with no mixing, music or ceilidhs.
“So many things are going to be lost at Christmas.”