The owner of an Inverness hotel is eyeing retirement after 37 years in charge, with the hotel on the market for £1.4 million.
Fiona Newton has been in charge of the Heathmount Hotel since 1986 when she took over with her late ex-husband Patrick Buxton.
Implementing her own ideas, it transformed from just a pub and restaurant into an eight-bedroom hotel.
The boutique hotel is located on Kingsmills Road has been put on the market following a “bittersweet” announcement from Fiona.
How Fiona changed Heathmount Hotel
Ex-nurse Fiona bought the business as a pub and restaurant, which housed the manager and assistant manager at the time.
She said: “When we took charge it certainly wasn’t a hotel – just a bar and restaurant.
“The manager and assistant manager lived in and the top three rooms were used for workers at Ardersier Port.
“Improving it took a lot of hard work and time but in the end we’d made it a hotel.
“All the rooms were made en-suite and the rooms are still updated and revamped every year.”
Fiona said the 37 years have flown by and it was an easy decision to stay as long as she has.
Now she is planning to enjoy a retirement as well as devote more time to her grandchildren.
She added: “I am still here because I love people and I love working with people.
“It’s a really healthy business as well – the rooms have been fully booked since the first week of April up until the end of this week.
“The season is getting longer and unfortunately I am also getting older.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully a smooth transition and a busy retirement with the grandchildren.”
Staff the key to success, says owner
Fiona has attributed the success of the business to her staff and said they “put everything” into their work.
She said: “I would say 90% or maybe even 100% of the hotel’s success is down to staff.
“In the last couple of years I haven’t had a lot of influence over the workflow and we receive fantastic reviews.
“The feedback is superb and that’s down to the team here. I’ve has two staff who have been with me for as long as 26 years and another for 14 years.
“We have a fantastic housekeeping team and three young staff who work in the restaurant – they’re tremendous.
“It’s the people out front who make a difference to guest’s experiences. They’re often the first person they see in the morning and the last at night during their stay.”
A thank you to customers
Fiona said its great to have see thousands of faces over the years and owes plenty to her “faithful” cliental.
She said: “It’s been amazing – there’s been a big cliental which has come in for the past 20 years.
“I’m thankful for every one of our customers – our faithful cliental as well as tourists who have stayed with us.”
The hotel, priced at £1.4m, is being marketed by Graham + Sibbald. It said the hotel offers an opportunity for new owners to build upon its “stellar reputation”.
The property, which underwent a £250,000 refurbishment in 2017, has a room occupancy which sits at over 90%.
Conversation