New Skibo Castle MD quits within weeks of taking post

Former boss comes out of retirement to take charge again

A French hotelier appointed managing director of the exclusive Carnegie Club resort at Skibo Castle has quit within weeks of taking up post.

A spokesman for Skibo yesterday confirmed that PhilippeRequinhadleft for “personal reasons.”

Mr Requin was appointed to succeed Peter Crome, who announced in October that he was retiring after running the luxury retreat, near Dornoch, for 13 years.

But the spokesman said Mr Crome, who is also chairman, had returned to the MD’s role and would continue in it for the foreseeable future.

He declined to give any further details about the departure of Mr Requin, who previously worked for Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and Grace Hotels.

The management changes were revealed as new figures showed losses at Skibo were down by more that £1million in its 2015-16 trading year.

Annual accounts for Skibo Limited, released by Companies House yesterday, show pretax losses during the 12 months to March 31 were £485,000, compared to £1.53million the year before.

Although turnover in the latest period was down £90,000 to £9.72million, directors said they were “satisfied” with the performance of the business and “looking forward to continuing growth” in the current year.

Skibo, which has been owned by Bermuda-based Scytherbolle since being bought by Irish-American businessman Ellis Short in 2003, has not made profits since 2006.

Mr Short, who also owns and chairs English Premiership football club Sunderland, reportedly paid £23million for the resort, which includes the 21-bedroom, A-listed castle, 11 lodges and an 18-hole golf course set in an 8,000-acre estate in Sutherland.

It was previously owned by US investment fund Westbrook Partners and UK-based entrepreneurPeter de Savary, who bought the castle and estate at Clashmore in 1990 and turned it into an exclusive private members’ club.

Skibo’s latest accounts show the company still owes Scytherbolle £7.2million from £9.4million borrowed in prior years.

The loan figure had ballooned to more than £16.3milion in the 2014-15 trading year and the repayment deadline was extended to 2024. Skibo issued nearly 1million shares to Scytherbolle to reduce loan and interest liabilities in its last financial year.

Skibo’s spokesman said the firm never commented on its finances.

DEJA VU: Peter Crome, inset, is back in charge at the exclusive resort of Skibo Castle, which he had run for 13 years before retiring