Dispatches of despair from Scotland's Fawlty Towers (now under new management)

Published on Friday 18 September 2009 20:29

A HOTEL described by guests as "an embarrassment to Scotland" and perhaps the worst in the world has been sold to a couple who have vowed to rid it of its Fawlty Towers image.

The Nevis Bank Hotel, a Fort William landmark at the north end of the West Highland Way and the south end of the Great Glen Way, was slated by tourists on the internet before it was repossessed in November last year.

Visitors posting reviews on the Tripadvisor.com website complained about "rude and hostile" staff and said there was no hot water, faulty radiators and a leaky roof. One reviewer who visited in July 2008 wrote: "The rooms were unclean, they do not change the duvet cover in between guests leaving and arriving."

Another who stayed at the hotel the previous May had a relatively small problem with an iron in one of the rooms, and claimed she was told by the receptionist to "go to Argos".

A tourist who visited in May 2007 said: "My steak was shoe leather tough. My breakfast stone cold. The poor waitress had three whole tables to tend and managed to get every order mixed up."

The 35-guest hotel was this week sold at an asking price of 595,000 to new owners Derek and Bernadine Claase, who have previously owned two other Scottish hotels, the Argyll Hotel in Inverary and the Imperial Hotel in Fort William.

Mr Claase told The Scotsman: "We plan to upgrade the bedrooms and refurbish the restaurant and bar area to provide a family dining experience.

"We plan to open it on 1 April next year. We do not know yet if we will change the name. We know about the horror stories – in fact, we went for a meal there before it closed down.

"It was awful food, the worst we ever had, and we promised ourselves we would never go back on those premises. But here we are, game for a challenge."

Jones Lang LaSalle's Licensed Leisure and Hotels division was appointed to sell the property by the heritable creditor, which repossessed the property.

Keith McBain, of Jones Lang LaSalle's licensed leisure and hotels division, said: "This confirms demand for well-located properties remains strong.

"The hotel benefits from a range of accommodation, from single rooms to suites. The Nevis Bank Hotel is also advantaged by its prominent location which captures the ski, snowboard and mountain biking traffic that Fort William attracts."