Blackfriars Inverness hit the headlines this week after being featured on Four in a Bed.
The Academy Street hotel failed to impress on the hit Channel 4 show, where hoteliers and B&B owners stay at each other’s properties and compete to be named the best host.
Monday’s episode introduced Dean Slater as the owner, however, The Press and Journal has been informed that he was the general manager.
“He was removed from his position last June when I took over,” explained new general manager Graham Calley.
Mr Calley said the £400-a-night room prices mentioned on the show are just the “summer rates.”
“Just now, we’re about £110 per night, including breakfast,” he said.
£400-a-night is ‘going rate for rooms in Inverness’ in summer
The 66-year-old welcomed The P&J into the downstairs restaurant before politely offering a coffee.
When asked about the price criticism on the show, he explained that they are “not more expensive” than other Inverness hotels.
The general manager said: “That is the going rate for rooms in Inverness for that time of the year.
“He made a mistake because that was filmed last March and the rate then was not £400 a night, but around £120 per night including breakfast.
“He did it at the right time of the year but then used the summer prices, and Inverness summertime prices are crazy.
“And how on Earth could he have dirty unclean rooms when you’re going on a show; unbelievable! It just wouldn’t happen now.”
How has Blackfriars improved since Four in a Bed?
Cleanliness was flagged as one of the issues on the show and one of the main reasons why none of the other hoteliers/ B&B owners wouldn’t return to stay at Blackfriars.
Mr Calley explained they have “upgraded” all nine rooms since the show was filmed in March 2024.
The Press and Journal was taken upstairs into the Kessock Room (standard) and the top floor Cromwell Suite.
“We’ve changed the bedding completely; we are now using Egyptian linen, repainted to a very high standard and all the bathrooms have been renovated,” he said.
Mr Calley added: “If you look at Booking.com and look at our reviews, we are getting 10s all the way through, our reviews are fantastic”.
Blackfriars currently has an overall 8.7 and a 9.1 for cleanliness on Booking.com.
Meanwhile, the quality of the breakfast sausages was also raised as a concern on the episode.
The manager replied: “We’ve got very good reviews for our breakfast.
“All our meat is bought from Millers of Speyside, it’s very good quality meat.”
Blackfriars almost “fully booked” for the summer
Despite the high summer prices, Mr Calley claims they are “almost fully booked” for the summer months.
He said: “We have 100% rates of occupancy for summer months and 70% during winter months.
The manager explained that the average high-season cost for a room is £350 while it is £90 for the low season.
He concluded: “Our prices are in pair with the average, we are not more expensive than the average Inverness hotel, but our rooms are superior to most city centre hotels.”
How did Blackfriars compare to other Four in a Bed venues?
Blackfriars was up against Bogenraith House in Durris, Cairngorms Glamping and The Lovat Hotel in Perth.
Each competition is aired over one week Monday to Friday, with an episode dedicated to each venue before the winner is announced on the final show.
The last episode is also ‘payment day’, where the hoteliers and B&B owners get together to discuss their stays, give feedback and decide how much they think each stay was worth.
So how much will the contestants pay to stay at Blackfriars? Tune in to Channel 4 at 5pm on Friday to find out.
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