'Hotel hotspot' to get further boost with £7m Aberdeenshire development

28-Nov-2013 - Last updated on 28-Aug-2024 at 09:19 GMT

The former Potarch Hotel will re-open as the Ballogie Hotel & Spa in 2015. Photo credit: Karen Vernon

An area of Scotland dubbed a ‘hotel hotspot’ is to receive a further boost with the £7m development of a 40-bedroom hotel, spa and conference centre.

Ballogie Estate Enterprises is to develop the former Potarch Hotel, in Aberdeenshire, with a projected opening time of autumn 2015. The refurbished hotel will be known as the Ballogie Hotel & Spa.

The land management company plans to create up to 40 jobs as a result of the development.

Last month, De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts chief executive Robert Cook claimed Aberdeen was a ‘hot’ city - one reason why his company was targeting Scotland so heavily.

Destination venue

Randall Nicol, partner at Ballogie Estate Enterprises, said he wanted the hotel to be a principal attraction for people in the north-east of Scotland.

He said: “We are passionate about Ballogie and this part of Scotland. The aim is to create a destination around that will appeal to visitors throughout the UK and further afield.

“We believe that this development will be unique in Scotland with its rural situation and its level of bedroom, spa and event facilities, coupled with an outstanding food and drink offering.”

The company said an informal bar-style area and a more ‘formal’ bistro with seating for 60 will be at the heart of the food and drink offer. Meanwhile, the events venue will be capable of hosting around 200 people for receptions or 150 people for weddings, conferences or other events. Ballogie Estate Enterprises plans to attract corporate business from Aberdeen.

City developments

The latest announcement follows a spate of hotel and restaurant developments in and around Aberdeen in recent months. In August, a 40-cover Rock & Oyster seafood restaurant opened in the city centre, followed in October by café chain Patisserie Valerie launching a restaurant format.

Also in October, Apple Apartments announced that it is to expand into Aberdeen to take advantage of businessmen and women from the oil and gas industries frequenting the city.

Simpson’s Hotel will re-open as the Chester Hotel in January, following a luxury makeover. Dominvs, meanwhile, will develop two hotels after gaining planning permission to develop on a four acre site next to the city’s airport.