Crieff Hydro cashes in on revamp

CRIEFF Hydro, the 200-bed four-star Perthshire hotel, has posted a rise in profits and turnover as the 143-year-old business benefits from a refurbishment.

But chief executive Stephen Leckie warned of tough times ahead amid looming public sector jobs losses and concerns over lacklustre consumer confidence.

Leckie, who is also chairman of the Scottish Government’s tourism leadership group, has invested £40 million in his family’s hotel since taking the reins in 1994. He has now brought in John Jennett as the hotel’s managing director to allow him to oversee diversification, including a proposed care home.

Accounts due to be filed at Companies House show turn-over edged up 2.7 per cent in the year to 28 February to £17.2m, with underlying pre-tax profits rising by 4.7 per cent to £601,795.

Leckie hailed the success of the latest refurbishment programme, which included building a new front lobby and refitting the main hall and corridors.