One of Scotland’s oldest coaching inns has exchanged hands in a deal worth £750,000.
London-based Flodrive Properties has sold the Huntly Arms in Aboyne to a West Midlands-based group, Talash Hotels Group.
The acquisition is the first move for north of the border for Talash, owned by brothers Ravi and Sanjay Kathuria. The group owns and operates six “character” hotels in Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and the West Midlands. Last year the group also acquired the the Grade II listed Risley Hall Hotel near Derby from Flodrive for £1.45million.
Flodrive, which is owned by multi-millionaire property tycoon Tony Khalastchi, acquired the Huntly Arms in 2006. It was part of a group of hotels the firm snapped from administrators after its previous owners, London and Edinburgh Swallow Group, collapsed. Flodrive picked up a portfolio of 68 hotels and 172 pubs, many based in Scotland.
The group was then operated by Mr Khalastchi’s group, Oxford Hotels and Inns. The management of the three and four-start hotels was then handed over to another firm, Bespoke Hotels, in 2012.
The property, built in 1432, is said to have played host to Jacobite leaders and Queen Victoria. The hotel also features the “Dinnie window”, a stained glass panel that gives tribute to 19th century Scottish strong man, Donald Dinnie, who was born near Aboyne. It is now a 50-bedroom hotel, which also features a restaurant and bar plus wedding and and conference facilities for up to 190 guests.
The Huntly Arms sits within 1.47 acres of private gardens and grounds, bordering Cairngorms National Park and close to Aboyne Golf Club.
Tom Cunningham, hotels director at Savills, handled the sale for Flodrive. He said: “This historic coaching inn is now an established hotel with a strong trading record boosted by its popularity as a wedding and conference venue. We are pleased with the swift result achieved on behalf of our client.”