TWO lochside hotels which closed earlier this year with the loss of around 50 local jobs are set to re-open in 2021.
The Claymore Hotel in Arrochar, formerly known as The Cobbler Hotel, and the Tarbet Hotel nearby, both of which were operated under the Bay Hotels brand, shut in May after owners Specialist Leisure Group (SLG) collapsed into administration.
More than 40 UK venues ceased trading as the tourism industry was devastated by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Bespoke Hotels, the UK’s largest independent hotel group and the company which also owns the Arrochar Hotel, finalised a five-year management agreement on the majority of the ex-Shearings sites in August and 12 have since re-opened.
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SLG also owned the Shearings brand, which has been revived by Leger Holidays.
A spokesperson for Bespoke Hotels confirmed to the Advertiser that the Tarbet Hotel and Claymore Hotel will retain their names, without the ‘Bay’ prefix, and plans are in place to re-open the venues in March and April next year.
The spokesperson said: “Staff recruitment for each hotel will commence a couple of months prior to opening. The roles and structure may be slightly different but previous team members will of course be very welcome to apply.
“It is wonderful to see that in the hotels we have re-opened so far, a large number of previous staff have returned and we would hope to see this again in March, although we appreciate that they may have found other positions in the meantime.”
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Almost all of the hotels from the Bay, Coast and Country and Country Living collections have joined the Bespoke Hotels banner, which was formed in 2000 and has grown to represent more than 200 properties worldwide.
These include The Caledonian in Fort William and The Pitlochry Hydro, the latter of which was among the first to re-open following the acquisition in late August.
“This news is particularly welcome in these trying times for our industry,” said Bespoke Hotels’ CEO Thomas Greenall.
He added: “This new arrangement ensures that we can create jobs at a challenging time for employees in the sector.”
Re-opening updates will be announced on the Bespoke Hotels website – www.bespokehotels.com.
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