The Royal Hotel Station Road Elgin Elgin The City Of Elgin, IV30 1QW

Modern and highly attractive Victorian town house hotel with 18 en-suite letting bedrooms in Elgin. Excellent public facilities including a causal cafe/bistro sun room, formal dining room and bar area.

• Stunning and prestigious 'B' Listed Victorian town house hotel benefiting from a prominent and impressive trading location central to the ever-popular City of Elgin in beautiful Moray.

• Strong and sustainable business benefiting from recent extensive modernisation, offering year-round trading, producing strong turnover and a high profitability.

• Individual and unique accommodation including 18 spacious en-suite letting bedrooms; 8 within a modern annex, offering exceptional quality and comfort.

• Superb public facilities to include a casual cafe/bistro sun room, formal dining room and bar combining to provide around 100 dining spaces.

• Car parking for 22 cars and a disabled access.

DESCRIPTION

The Royal Hotel is a traditional built Victorian town house dating from 1850 with a strong history as a busy hotel situated close to the railway station. This category 'B' listed building has iconic status within Elgin, being strategically positioned on the A941, the arterial route from Speyside to Elgin. The character and prominence of the building, provides an air of grandeur reflective of its Victorian origins. The hotel boasts a wide range of period features including some of the finest cornicing available in such a property. This distinctive building radiates a tremendous ambience with the ground floor public rooms providing a complementary blend of modern facilities and lavish Victorian features offering a diverse range of amenity space to allow a range of quality services to be offered.

The bar, which can seat up to 26, is a lovely space and is popular for private events. The comfortable dining room has a lovely ambience, with its bay window and feature fireplace, for guests to enjoy a quality evening meal with 36 covers for dinner service but up to 46 for formal events. The stunning and modern the cafe/bistro set to the side of the hotel is a recent addition (2017) and can be accessed from the car park via a disabled ramp or via the hotel. This bright and modern area, offers a large glass frontage and glazed roof section offering a light and bright area with a modern servery to seat up to 40 guests.

Whilst being reflective of its Victorian origins, the building has been greatly refurbished and upgraded under the guidance of the current owners. In addition to this the current owners have tirelessly endeavoured to continually upgrade facilities to offer exceptional comfort and service provision. This is truly a rare business opportunity for anyone wishing to own a prestigious hotel in the heart of the Highlands, in a popular city which is a centre of commerce year-round with a strong tourism trade during the period April to September. The hotel trades 18 quality guest bedrooms, all with modern en-suites. The service areas include a modern, professional and well-equipped kitchen with additional food preparation, storage and laundry facilities. The hotel has ample off-road parking.

REASON FOR SALE

The present owners purchased The Royal Hotel in 2016 and have enjoyed operating this impressive and rewarding business. However, it is their desire to focus on family life and follow new challenges that brings this superior proposition for a discerning buyer to the market.

TRADING ASPECTS

The Royal Hotel operates on a year-round basis, closing over Christmas and the New Year period. The business trades successfully maintaining a strong level of turnover with a high profit conversion ratio. Income is generated through the 18 quality en-suite letting bedrooms with additional revenue from licensed wet sales, evening meals and cafe. Trading as an independent hotel, the proprietors focus their operation to offer a high level of service and facilities.

The vendors have developed the trading aspects over their tenure, making this a truly delightful and profitable walk-in enterprise. The Royal Hotel has a well-established positive reputation, being a popular City centre destination venue benefiting from a high level of repeat trade and being highly commended on numerous visitor review websites. The business has a website, a good social media presence and utilises a number of portal websites, all driving a sound level of occupancy.

The hotel's clientele is derived from a balance of holiday makers and business people who visit Elgin and the surrounding areas. The location and stature of the hotel is such that it is easy to locate for those who have booked via the internet or for the casual passer-by. The vast majority of room occupancy is booked in advance and forward bookings are always at a consistent level. The business utilises it own modern website and other portal booking agencies.

STAFF

The business is overseen by the current owner with managers controlling each area of the operation. There is a team of around 18 staff, ably controlled by a Head Chef and a Front of House Supervisor. The team are all sourced locally.

LOCATION

The Royal Hotel is situated in a prime trading location close to the centre of the City of Elgin, highly convenient for guests wishing to walk to the excellent range of nearby shops, restaurants etc. Elgin has a variety of facilities for visitors and sits at the confluence of three major tourism 'trails' dedicated to golf, castles and distilleries. Elgin Cathedral was consecrated in 1224 and the City has been Moray's main centre for over 800 years. With a new leisure centre, Johnson's Cashmere Visitor Centre, the Motor Museum and Baxter's of Fochabers not far away there is a wide range of choice and activities for visitors to pursue. Only a few miles away are the golden sandy beaches of the Moray Firth; the Moray Firth is also home to the most northerly school of bottlenose dolphins.

The ancient City of Elgin enjoys an ideal geographic location as a base from which to tour both the Highland and Grampian regions of Scotland.

Elgin is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray and has an excellent bus station, train station and a hospital. There is primary schooling in the city and two secondary schools plus Gordonstoun School is approximately 6 miles away for private schooling. The larger cities of Inverness and Aberdeen are within easy driving distance, being 38 miles and 64 miles respectively, both of which have airports and regular daily scheduled flights.

THE PROPERTY

Of traditional stone construction, built c1850, The Royal Hotel is a substantial detached villa under a pitched slate roof. This 'B' listed building is deceptively spacious with accommodation being laid out across 3 floors. There is a modern 2-floor Annex which was constructed in 1996. The property exudes many original Victorian features which adds to the charm of this stunning hotel. There is a modern 2-floor Annex which was constructed in 1996, providing further bedroom accommodation.

GUEST ACCOMMODATION

The Royal Hotel offers excellence in both the fixtures and fitting and decor; this is matched in equal measure by the service provision. The property also benefits from Amtico flooring throughout the ground floor. All public rooms offer individual character and ambience. The building not only has a striking presence from the external aspects but the Victorian quality period features include extensive cornicing, ceiling mouldings and an abundant use of period wood features and high skirting boards. The entrance hallway is impressive, as are the wide feature stairs which have wrought iron balustrades.

The main entrance is situated to the front of the hotel and leads into a beautifully presented reception hallway and thereafter to a reception desk. Off the reception hallway is the spacious and attractive lounge bar. To the left of the reception hallway is the main dining room which leads to the new extension (2017) allowing the creation of a new cafe/bistro, which along with the reconfiguration of the ground floor has benefitted the hotel greatly. The lounge bar has been replaced and the dining areas have been opened up and are freshly decorated with modern furniture, fixtures and fittings. The public areas are supported with excellent bathroom facilities.

LETTING BEDROOMS

An attractive feature of this high-quality hotel is the flexible and attractively presented letting bedrooms. The rooms are delightfully decorated and have been finished with quality furnishings. The modern en-suites come in differing configurations but are all attractively appointed. The current owners have strived to provide high levels of in-room service in keeping with the demands of the modern-day holiday maker. In-room facilities include TV, hospitality trays, hairdryers and toiletries. 4 rooms within the Annex are located on the ground floor offering ease of access for less able guests. Each room has controllable central heating and are configured as follows:

Annex - Ground Floor

Room 1 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 2 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 3 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 4 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Annex - First Floor

Room 5 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 6 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 7 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 8 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

First Floor

Room 9 - Triple / family room with en-suite shower over bath

Room 10 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 11 - Double with en-suite shower room

Room 12 - Triple / family room with en-suite shower room

Room 14 - Triple / family room with en-suite shower room

Room 15 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Second Floor

Room 16 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 17 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

Room 18 - Double with en-suite shower room

Room 19 - Double / Twin bedroom with zip and link beds and en-suite shower room

SERVICE AREAS

The business is supported by a range of service and storage areas. The functional and attractive commercial kitchen comes with a range of modern fitted units and an extraction unit. The kitchen provides ample workspace for a full commercial operation and has extensive ancillary areas plus storage space with the capacity to meet the demands of a high level of food service. The bar is served by a cellar / store room. There is a reception desk and office area located on the ground floor. Laundry facilities and further utility area are available. There is a single room set aside for staff needing to stay overnight.

GROUNDS

With excellent signage, The Royal Hotel is a substantial property benefiting from an elegant and prominent trading location. Entry is via a pillared entrance off the A941, which is one of the main arterial routes into Elgin. The property has car parking for about 22 cars. A disabled access ramp gives access to the main hotel bars and restaurants.

SERVICES

The property benefits from mains electricity, gas, water and drainage. The property has a gas-fired central heating system. The Royal Hotel is fully compliant with extant fire regulations; the main hotel and annex have standalone independent systems. The business meets all environmental health requirements. There is free Wi-Fi access at the hotel.