Grantown's Grant Arms Hotel is sold to overseas buyer
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One of Grantown's best known hotels has changed hands.
The Grant Arms Hotel in The Square has been sold by England-based birdwatching firm BWWC Ltd to an overseas buyer yet to be revealed.
The hotel is the company's first leisure business acquisition in Scotland and the UK.
A spokesperson for the sellers – UK property firm Graham + Sibbald – said the new owners intend to undertake phased enhancements to the hotel that are sensitive to its historic character.
The purchase price has not been disclosed but Graham + Sibbald had been inviting offers over £1.85m for the historic hotel which Queen Victoria once stayed in.
The 50-bedroom hotel was acquired by the Bird Watching & Wildlife Club established in 2008 to offer visitors to the Highlands a new kind of wildlife watching experience.
The BWWC created its own unique facility within the hotel with a club room consisting of a wildlife information centre and a bookshop, a natural history library and a 100-seater lecture theatre called the ‘Osprey Suite’.
It has been used as a venue to screen films and host evening talks from a range of visiting guest speakers.
BWWC Ltd has carried out upgrades and refurbishments to the property during its 13 years at the helm.
The Grant Arms Hotel is a traditional town centre hotel and is a Category C Listed Building with accommodation over four principal floors.
Graham + Sibbald said the original building was constructed in 1765 making it one of the oldest hotels in Scotland.
Alistair Letham, hotel consultant with the agents, commented: “The business at the Grant Arms, whilst well established, has significant scope to develop further, capitalising on its recent four-star status.”
