Castle Hotel Group buys historic Fishers Hotel in Pitlochry

The Castle Hotel Group, which already runs eight hotels in the UK and Ireland, will be investing £3m in refurbishing and upgrading Fishers hotel over the next four years.

Two weeks after the acquisition, the new owners have already closed down 80 bedrooms in the 19th Century hotel, and have started refurbishment work to bring the rooms up to a four-star standard.

Refurbishment​

“Fishers is operating now with 50 good bedrooms, and as each room is refurbished we’ll be adding that on again,” said Fionn MacCumhaill, MD and majority shareholder of the Castle Hotel Group.

“I came out of retirement to buy this hotel because I didn’t want to see it deteriorate in the middle of Pitlochry. It’s a gorgeous hotel, it just never got the right attention. We’re going to convert it into a bright, cheery, happy place; we’ll give it a new lease of life,” he told BigHospitality.

Located on the town’s main street but set within 2.5 acres of garden grounds, the hotel is said to have been “prestigious in its day”.

After changing hands repeatedly over the past two decades, it was most recently owned by an investment fund and was operated under management. The Castel Hotel Group purchased the property from the investment fund last month and will invest in the property to bring it up to a four-star standard.

The new owners say their focus will be on “getting the product right”, with a priority on “serving and being friendly”, and upgrading the premises “without overcharging guests”.

“A property has to be maintained,” said MacCumhaill. “Lack of investment means lack of profits, so we’re going to get the product right first and then the good business will follow.”

Investment will go into refurbishing bedrooms, changing the heating system, renewing the kitchens and maintaining the gardens.

The hotel’s restaurant has already had its menu revamped but said “it won’t be a personality-driven restaurant; everyone in the kitchen is part of the team.”

Pitlochry destination​

The Castel Hotel Group already operates another hotel in Pitlochry, the Atholl Palace Hotel. Their hope is that the Fishers Hotel will now become a “premier destination” in the centre of Pitlochry.

Alistair Letham, from Colliers International who handled the acquisition negotiations, said: “The new owners will be investing in and improving the facilities on offer at the Fishers Hotel ensuring that it is in good heart for the increasingly discerning clientele of the 21st Century and re-establishing the hotel’s pre-eminence.”