DESCRIPTION
The Trentham Hotel is a substantial detached property, dominating the A9 just north of Dornoch. The original building was built during the second half of the 19th century. The property has been sympathetically developed and extended in a number of stages. Purchased by the current owners in 1990, the building has enjoyed some further upgrades to create this very successful operation.
The hotel is well-known and enjoys an outstanding reputation for the quality of the provision offered. With an excellent reputation as evidenced on TripAdvisor, there is no doubt that the purchase of The Trentham Hotel offers an exciting opportunity. The business currently trades year-round, with the majority of trade occurring during the main tourist season (April to October). This hotel offers guests a great standard of accommodation throughout the 6 attractive letting bedrooms.
REASON FOR SALE
Having purchased the property in 1990 the current owners have upgraded the facilities to generate the successful operation it is today. It is now their desire to retire that bring this business to the market.
PROFITABILITY
Despite the vendors decision to now operate at a restricted level, the business continues to demonstrate a good level of profitability. Over the last few years, as the vendors reached retirement age, they made the decision to reduce the working hours of the business. New owners therefore have the opportunity to increase the already sound level of profitability by returning the business to a full operation should they desire.
LOCATION
The Royal Burgh of Dornoch is placed within the historical county town of Sutherland, overlooking the Dornoch Firth, south towards Tarbat Ness and the Moray Coast and North to Golspie, Brora and Helmsdale. The Trentham Hotel is located about 2.5 miles north of Dornoch on the main A9 arterial route, connecting the north of Scotland with Inverness and the south. Dornoch has a population of about 1300 which swells significantly during the main trading season (Easter to October) due to the high number of tourists and visitors to the area. The county of Sutherland has a population of around 13,000. A designated National Scenic and Conservation Area, Dornoch is a popular and tranquil location with its unique atmosphere, outstanding scenery and the mild micro climate making it a popular visitor attraction for many. The world renowned Royal Dornoch Championship course is a wonderful venue and a challenging test of golfing skills. The course is a must do pilgrimage for the committed golfer; the unique setting of Royal Dornoch makes it an aspirational place to play.
Dornoch offers visitors and residents alike a good range of facilities and amenities including shops, hotels, schools and University of the Highlands and Islands facilities plus its Seaside Award as a clean bathing beach. The area has a much broader appeal with walks, fishing, field sports, and water sports all being readily available. There are also a great many places of historic interest within an hours drive. The town has some beautiful Sandstone buildings, including the c.13th Century Cathedral, the Bishops Palace (now a hotel), the Courthouse and Old Town Jail. The town has a charm and elegance that makes this a very popular residential area. Dornoch is only an hour from Inverness, which has an airport and major transport links. The town of Tain is circa 6 miles away which has an extended range of specialist shops/supermarkets and services.
THE PROPERTY
The Trentham Hotel was originally built as a staging post for horses on the Poles Road which connected Dornoch and Rogart together for many years. The property is a prestigious detached villa of traditional stone construction under a slate roof, with a number of sympathetic extensions. The hotel has been extended to the front providing a large restaurant in which to savour the views whilst enjoying a great meal.
To the rear of the building there are a number of outbuildings. These are of a variable standard and offer the opportunity of an area which could be re-developed, into a family home, a staff accommodation block or perhaps as an external guest space.
TRADE
The business currently has a reliable and locally sourced team of staff, who are used to working throughout the hotel therefore offering a good level of flexibility. The hotel operates all year round and the current owners provide evening meals for both guests and locals, with more limited operating hours during the winter months. In January the hotel was shut for routine maintenance. Over the winter months the tourist trade naturally drops with business being split between the recurring local customers and primarily commercial customers, many of whom are regulars.
BAR
The attractive bar, with a capacity for 20 to 30 people, is located to the rear of the property and has a cosy ambience. The bar runs long one end of the room with a lovely open fire. Toilets are to the right-hand side. This area could be considered underutilised so offers an opportunity to new owners.
The décor is fresh, offering a mix of bar stools, tables and chairs, in front of the well-equipped and sizeable bar. The flooring is timber. One end of the bar can be used for live music performances, adding another dimension to the opportunities this hotel could present the new owners. There are a good range of the usual bar facilities.
RESTAURANT
The restaurant is located to front of the building and accessed via the main entrance to the hotel. It looks out onto the spectacular open views of the Dornoch Firth and can seat up to 70 people. The restaurant has the benefit of a separate bar allowing the area to be easily controlled.
There is a dining room across the reception area from the restaurant room which is used for breakfast. This area can also be used for private functions and seats up to 26 people. There is a further smaller area, the meeting room, which can seat 10 to 12 people comfortably just inside the main doors on the right-hand side which is perfect for small intimate private functions.
These areas are attractive with comfortable tables and chairs, pleasantly decorated and good lighting. The restaurants atmosphere is relaxed and offers a quieter dining experience where guests can enjoy good quality food away from the main public bar.
The restaurant has its own dedicated toilets which are fitted out to a high standard. The hotel’s main kitchens are located directly adjacent to both the restaurant and dining room.
LETTING ACCOMMODATION
Entry to the first-floor accommodation is via the main stair at reception.
In total, the hotel offers 6 letting bedrooms which are all light, airy, and well-equipped with attractive furniture. All rooms have comfortable beds and are centrally heated. The in-room services include TV and hospitality trays. Ironing boards and irons are stored centrally. The shower rooms are presented to a high standard throughout. The letting rooms are configured as follows:
Room 1 – Twin single room
Room 2 – Single room
Room 3 – Twin single room
Room 4 – Twin single room
Room 5 – Twin single room
Room 6 – Twin single room
SERVICE AREAS
The hotel benefits from an appropriately laid out commercial kitchen. The kitchen is fully equipped including a large LPG range stove with oven under, LPG grill with oven under and LPG hot plate over, single LPG fryer and microwaves, all with an overhanging canopy connected to a grease filtered extraction system. There is a separate prep and wash up areas with a commercial dishwasher, ample servery areas and storage including a walk-in fridge, walk-in freezer and dry stores.
OWNERS ACCOMMODATION
The owners accommodation is a secure area located to the rear of the hotel, accessed between the restaurant and public bar via the dry goods store. It is a comfortable area and easy to maintain. The accommodation is arranged over 2 floors and comprises a lounge, large double bedroom, bathroom and utility room down stairs with a shower room and double bedroom upstairs.
Throughout the building there is a good level of distributed storage for linen, cleaning materials and hoovers etc. The building also provides separate toilets for guests and staff.
GROUNDS
The public grounds offer hard finished car parking and delivery spaces. To the front of the Hotel there is a sizeable car park. This area benefits from sun throughout the day and views over the Dornoch Firth. The car park is located directly outside the main entrance into the reception. To the side there is also direct access to the kitchens, allowing for easy delivery of produce. The bar can be directly accessed via a rear entrance, making alcohol deliveries simple.
The area to the west of the hotel provides an owners garden where they current grow vegetables and herbs in raised beds. There is plenty of scope to expand those beds should new owners desire. Alternatively, the area could be further developed to allow guests access to enjoy al fresco meals and drinks, with the appropriate permissions.
SERVICES
The property benefits from mains electricity, oil heating and electrical heated hot water, LPG gas for cooking, mains water and dedicated on site water treatment for drainage. The hotel complies with environmental health requirements, has an integral hard-wired fire alarm system, and is Wi-Fi enabled throughout.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS
There are a number of development options available to the purchaser should they wish to expand operations. These are:
Utilise the internet to generate a high online profile and operational economies.
Open the bar more regularly to generate all year-round local trade, possibly encourage live music.
Re-develop the outbuildings to the north of the main building into complimentary accommodation for the hotel.
Improve the utilisation of the bar area.
Change the use of the owners garden space for commercial purposes.
