The Queen's Hotel 16 Francis Street, Caithness, KW1 5PZ

Substantial Hotel with Attractive Public Areas and Spacious Owners Accommodation, set in Ever-Popular Town of Wick on the NC500 Route.

• Attractive and traditional, high quality, Highland hotel in the thriving coastal town of Wick on the popular North Coast 500 tourist route.

• Benefiting from a VisitScotland 3-Star grading, this popular establishment has a prominent roadside trading location with an appealing frontage.

• Year-round custom from a well-established mixed income base generating strong profitability.

• Trade generated from 8 well-appointed en-suite letting bedrooms, smart public bar, attractive lounge bar and dining room.

• Spacious owner's accommodation with double bedroom, large shower room, lounge, dining room and private kitchen.

• Excellent business and home lifestyle opportunity in walk-in condition.

DESCRIPTION

The Queens Hotel is a stunning and characterful Highland hotel extending a relaxed and friendly welcome to all of its clientele. It is both substantial and impressive with a commanding roadside presence directly on the busy A99, central to Wick. The property, originally a church manse, dates back to the late 19th Century, opening as a hotel in 1953 and presented today with a smart range of modern facilities which appeal to a broad spectrum of visitors.

This fine property benefits from Victorian proportions and boasts decorative cornicing, high ceilings, attractive interior archways and high skirting boards. The spacious breakfasting room has solid wood flooring, an open fireplace with tiled facing, cast iron inset and is finished with a hearth crafted from local Caithness flagstone. Set off by a range of intimate lighting, this makes an ideal breakfast setting from where to start the day. The hotel has a robust range of well-appointed public areas, from the spacious lounge bar, recently refurbished in a smart bistro style with modern lighting and open fire. This bar has attractive tartan carpeting to one end and solid hardwood flooring to the other. Set off the lounge bar is another substantial dining room with integral lounge area. This popular local's bar, complete with separate entry, is well-supported and offers both pool and darts facilities. The Queens Hotel is indeed a well-supported business enjoying strong links with the local community. The hotel has been extensively refurbished and maintained in the hands of the present owners, resulting in this fulfilling and rewarding home and lifestyle opportunity being brought to the market as a turn-key operation.

TRADE

The Queens Hotel is a popular destination, well supported locally coupled with a healthy mix of business trade and tourism. Guests enjoy a high level of service from the hotel's cuisine, the comfortable accommodation and the excellent service levels. The business trades year-round generating a consistent level of income with excellent profitability. Trade is generated from the 8 letting bedrooms, the attractive public bar and the lounge bar and dining room which combined can cater for around 60 covers. The business has a modern website which utilises the 'freetobook' reservation system. The hotel is also marketed through VisitScotland.

New owners may wish to maintain the current successful business model or develop the accommodation aspects of the business further. The Queens Hotel could easily operate as a more lifestyle business, on a guest house basis only, providing scope for new owners to develop the ground floor areas into further letting accommodation subject to consents.

REASON FOR SALE

The present owners bought the Hotel in 2004 and have invested considerable expenditure into modernising and refurbishing the business. They have enjoyed the rewarding and profitable lifestyle that accompanies ownership of a successful business. It is their planned retirement from the hospitality sector that brings this desirable hotel to the market.

LOCATION

The busy harbour town of Wick sits to the North East of the county of Caithness. Caithness has long been a popular destination for many tourists. The population of Wick is c7000 but with a much broader catchment area. Tourism is one of the main sources of income to the area in the main season being highly popular with walkers, cyclists, ornithologists, archaeologists and anglers, and those undertaking the North Coast 500 route. The Old Pulteney distillery (the most northerly mainland distillery) is a popular attraction as is the active harbour and the 18-hole golf course. In terms of infrastructure the town is very well supported and benefits from excellent primary and high schooling, welfare and medical facilities, leisure resources and communication links with a railway station and airport.

Caithness is an area rich in wildlife, home to herds of wild red deer, the otter and the Atlantic salmon amongst other species. Ornithologists are frequent visitors to the county, attracted by the golden eagle, hen harrier, peregrine falcon, short eared owl, black and red grouse, puffin, red throated divers and corncrake. Such are wildlife numbers that a sustainable cull of deer and sporting birds brings stalkers and shooters to the area, generally in the winter months. As for the tourist, there are lots of options. Orkney, which is a day trip away, has numerous sites of archaeological interest plus there is the Castle of Mey and Dunrobin Castle which also attract a number of visitors.

THE PROPERTY

The Queens Hotel is an attractive detached property of traditional construction dating back to the latter part of the 19th Century with more recent extensions. A substantial property, stone built mainly under a pitched slate roof, the hotel has accommodation arranged over 3 floors.

PUBLIC AREAS

The hotel entrance faces the main road, an arched outer doorway leads to glazed double inner doors which open into the main entrance hallway. The hallway is fully tiled and has a polished commemorative tile inset noting the date of 1953 when it opened for business as a hotel. In the entrance hallway is the reception desk which conveniently faces the main access and a most attractive stairwell leads upstairs to the hotel's comfortable letting bedrooms. To the rear of the reception desk is an office space.

Upon entering the hotel, to the right is the spacious breakfasting room which benefits from good proportions and an attractive fireplace. The breakfast room has a double aspect and real fireplace with wood surround and cast-iron fittings with tile inserts. To the left is the spacious lounge bar; a well-appointed and attractively decorated room with modern bar servery. The attractive space has a tartan carpet to one end and a bay window. Set to around 30 seats, the lounge bar is back to back with the public bar which is both convenient and economic from a staffing perspective. Both bars have an adjoining passage which accommodates the smart new range of ladies, gents and disabled rest rooms incorporating a baby changing facility. The public bar has a separate entrance, access to the beer garden to the rear and offers pool, darts, game and fruit machines together with live Sky Sports via 2 large TVs. Off the lounge bar is the spacious dining room which seats 36 guests and overlooks the rear garden.

LETTING BEDROOMS

The hotel has 8 en-suite letting bedrooms, all located on the first floor, which are all attractively decorated and with controllable central heating. The rooms are well-appointed and most comfortable with modern facilities including hospitality trays, ironing boards, TVs etc.

Room 1 - Single en-suite with shower

Room 2 - Double en-suite with shower

Room 3 - Twin with en-suite shower

Room 4 - 4-poster with en-suite shower

Room 5 - Double en-suite with shower

Room 6 - Double en-suite with shower

Room 7 - Double suite with en-suite shower

Room 8 - Triple en-suite with shower

OWNERS ACCOMMODATION

A separate flat for resident proprietors is situated on the attic floor of the building. This comprises of a large modern fitted and well-appointed kitchen, shower room, bedroom, lounge and dining area / 2nd bedroom.

SERVICE AREAS

From both bars a corridor has access to the chilled beer cellar. The hotel has a well-equipped commercial kitchen and adjoining wash-up area. Substantial storage off the kitchen accommodates additional fridges, freezers etc. There is a dry goods store and laundry room. To the back of the building, from the kitchen is a substantial garage which offers external storage space, there is no shortage of storage space within the hotel.

GROUNDS

The hotel benefits from a prominent corner site bordered by an attractive stone dyke style wall. There is a detached garage to the rear. With a tarmac drive, the hotel has adequate private parking for 8 cars plus there is unrestricted roadside parking. There is a beer garden to the rear of the aspects with picnic style tables and bench seating set to the front of the subjects.

SERVICES

Benefiting from mains electricity, gas, water supply and drainage, the hotel has a gas-fired central heating system and utilises gas for cooking purposes in the commercial kitchen. The Hotel is fully fire compliant and benefits from double glazing throughout. All areas of the business are Wi-Fi enabled. The business has a CCTV system with both internal and external coverage.