Mull hotel set for £3m, 4-star major revamp

A major revamp costing more than £3 million has started at a prominent Mull hotel, creating a four-star coastal resort as well as 20 full-time jobs.

The four-star hotel will boast 72 luxury bedrooms and bathrooms. Picture: contributed.

The investment is being made by owner Crerar Hotels, with the property set to reopen in April. Guests will be able to enjoy the 72-bedroom property, with a range of sea view suites being added, complementing the venue’s spa offering and 17-metre swimming pool.

The hotel’s public areas will also be fully refurbished, with a new restaurant and two bars being added. A new external balcony next to the restaurant will offer views across Craignure Bay.

The grounds surrounding the hotel are also due for redevelopment, with a full remodelling and landscaping planned throughout the gardens right down to Craignure Bay, and the hotel will be adding a range of outdoor facilities, including an enchanted fairy walk, sea deck dining, boat moorings and external spa treatment rooms.

Chris Wayne Wills, CEO of Crerar Hotels, praised the 'total facelift and major internal renovation. Picture: contributed.

The refurbishment brings Crerar Hotels’ total investment into its hotels to more than £11m in the past 20 months, and follows extensive renovation at Oban Bay Hotel. The Mull hotel revamp is being backed financially by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, allowing the renovation plans to kick off ahead of schedule.

Crerar Hotels chief executive Chris Wayne Wills said the Mull hotel would receive a “total facelift and major internal renovation”. He added: “This will bring the Isle of Mull Hotel & Spa up to the level of our other flagship hotels including Loch Fyne Hotel & Spa, Oban Bay Hotel and Golf View Nairn, all of which have received a significant redevelopment in the past few years.

“In spite of the current external economic environment, Highlands and Islands Enterprise continues to support local businesses and the region. Their backing has unlocked this opportunity for us and, in return, will help continue to push the hospitality offering on Mull.

“The first stages of the multi-million pound plan to create the brand new coastal resort are already under way and we look forward to welcoming guests back to the hotel in April.”

Paddy Crerar, founder and chairman of Crerar Hotels, added: “In Scotland we have the greatest natural assets in the world. If there is good to come from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s surely the lesson that we must take every chance to make the most of what we have on our doorstep."

He added that Covid-19 had also been “incredibly tough, however, we’re not letting that slow us down as we push ahead with our extensive renovation project at Isle of Mull Hotel & Spa”.

“We’re very positive that Scottish tourism will continue to flourish as we move into 2021. Mull is a fantastic destination for everyone, from foodies to historians and hill walkers to water sports fanatics, so our belief in the island and the hotel is unwavering.”

He also chairs the Crerar Trust that shares more than half of the hotel company’s distributable profits with local causes and charities. Its portfolio also comprises Deeside Inn, Ballater; The Glencoe Inn & Gathering; and Thainstone House, Inverurie.

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