Bluebell House Bed and Breakfast 31 Kenneth Street, Inverness, IV3 5DH

Charming bed and breakfast with 7 splendid letting bedrooms plus a superb dining room set near Inverness City centre. Includes spacious and private owners accommodation.

• A charming Victorian 4-Star (VisitScotland) bed and breakfast opportunity set within the ever-popular tourist destination of Inverness.

• Simple seasonal trading model offering a "home and income" lifestyle opportunity, enjoying sound profitability.

• Prominent corner trading location on a major arterial route, in the capital of the Highlands within a 5-minute walk of a wide range of facilities and amenities.

• Includes 4 most attractive en-suite letting bedrooms with 2 standard rooms for use in conjunction with en-suite's plus a further single standard bedroom used as an office.

• Stunning dining room plus private owner's accommodation with a spacious dining kitchen, utility room and en-suite double bedroom, with direct access to an enclosed garden.

• Beautifully maintained garden areas with ample parking for guest and private needs.

DESCRIPTION

Bluebell House Bed and Breakfast is a most attractive late-Victorian property dating from c1890. This attractive property should be considered as a strong proposition for anyone wishing to operate a charming and thriving business in the Inverness area. Throughout, the property is presented in excellent condition reflecting the many years of inward investment by the vendors. The trading elements offer flexible accommodation to include 4 en-suite letting bedrooms plus an additional 3 standard rooms; 2 used purely in conjunction with the existing letting accommodation and the third as an office. All en-suite letting accommodation is presented to an exceptional standard which is reflected in the excellent on-line reviews and the award of 4-Star status by VisitScotland. The house offers a beautiful breakfast room with attractive period features. The property has a character and charm seldom seen in such a business and exudes a unique ambience. In addition to the income earning aspects, the owner's personal living space provides a 'snug' lounge and a double en-suite bedroom. There is also a spacious dining-kitchen and a well-appointed utility room, which all combine to make a superb home and income earning proposition. This business is beautifully appointed and presented in walk-in condition.

REASON FOR SALE

The present owners purchased Bluebell House in April 2003 and have enjoyed operating their successful business to date. However, due to their wish to retire and focus on their extended family, they have reluctantly placed this superb business and excellent home to the market.

TRADE

Operating from a most prominent trading location, the business offers a quality 4-Star (VisitScotland) 4-bedroom bed and breakfast. The business trades from Mid-April to Mid-October, making this a true lifestyle business, operating below the VAT threshold whilst providing a good level of profitability. However, there remains some scope for new owners to maximise trade further, should they wish to do so by extending the season and possibly utilising on-line booking agencies in the low season.

The current owners provide an excellent level of service and facilities, as recorded on the Trip Advisor review site; at the time of schedule production the business was rated #7 of 242 B&Bs / Inns in Inverness, with 395 reviews all being excellent or very good. The business is an established and popular destination for those wishing to visit Inverness benefitting from a strong reputation which drives much repeat trade. The bulk of the business is generated from the many holiday makers who visit Inverness and the surrounding areas. Tourism is a key income stream for many B&B's in Inverness. The area attracts a high level of visitors who wish to play golf, fish, undertake walking and climbing holidays or partake in a more sedate excursion of the Highlands taking in the many sites and historical features. However, there is capacity to trade during the low-season as demand for accommodation from visitors and business-to-business related activity remains steady.

The current owners do not utilise commission-based portal websites, yet maintain a strong level of business during the season. The location and stature of the building is such that it is easy to locate for those who have booked via the internet and for the casual passer-by seeking accommodation. Bluebell House is well-signposted and is supported by a well-structured, interactive website (www.bluebell-house.com), utilising the web-platform freetobook with forward bookings generally at a good level.

LOCATION

Bluebell House is located on the arterial A82, being only a few minutes' walk from the City centre and ideally situated for those either visiting nearby shops, restaurants etc. or working in the City. Inverness has extensive facilities for visitors boasting three golf courses, an excellent indoor swimming complex, cinema, bowling and ample opportunity to enjoy evening entertainment at a range of venues which includes Eden Court Theatre. Nearby Cawdor Castle offers a taste of Scotland's medieval past while Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre is an ongoing testament to Bonnie Prince Charlie's final futile attempt to gain the throne in 1746. Whether it is a whisky trail, a boat trip on Loch Ness or a visit to one of the many accessible Scottish castles, the property is ideally situated to allow guests to undertake their odyssey of the Highlands, being within easy reach of a wide range of visitor attractions. Inverness is a vibrant and growing City and with such expansion comes many opportunities in both commerce and social activities. Such growth benefits established hospitality businesses and ensure a year-round trade, if so desired.

Inverness is also a popular city in which to live with a vibrant cultural offering and the presence of many social and entertainment venues close-by. The city also has excellent communications links (bus and rail station, with the airport 15 minutes' drive away). Schooling in Inverness is plentiful plus UHI provides a wide-range of tertiary level courses. The welfare amenities in Inverness are also excellent with a major hospital plus many outreach services.

THE PROPERTY

Of traditional stone construction under a mainly pitched slate roof, with a rear extension under new fibre-glass roof. The original subjects were built c1890, Bluebell House is a substantial end-terraced villa. The property is deceptively spacious with accommodation being laid out across two floors. Most areas of the property benefit from double glazing and have been extensively modernised in recent years.

GUEST ACCOMMODATION

Entry to the property is via a substantial solid wood outer door which leads into a vestibule and thereafter, through an inner door leading to a spacious reception hallway. The hallway exudes the character and charm of a Victorian property, so well reflected throughout. To the left of the hallway is the bright guest dining / breakfast room which is set to 4 tables. This attractive public room has beautiful wood flooring and attractive feature fire place. The breakfast room has double aspect windows offering a good level of natural light. A letting bedroom is accessed off the main hallway with the further 6 bedrooms being up the attractive stairs, with wooden banister and balustrades, to the first floor.

LETTING BEDROOMS

In total the bed and breakfast has 7 potential letting bedrooms (4 en-suite) set within subjects. Five rooms are located on the first floor and a 6th room is situated on mezzanine floor plus a further on the ground floor. The ground floor room is ideal for less able guests. All en-suites offer modern and smart facilities; each is equipped with tea & coffee making facilities, television, hairdryers etc. All rooms are presented to an exceptionally high standard and are configured as follows:

Ground Floor

Bluebell Room - 4-Poster bed with en-suite shower room

First Floor

Bedroom 1 - Double with en-suite shower room

Bedroom 2 - Single room (let in conjunction with room 1)

Bedroom 3 - 4-Poster bed with en-suite shower room

Bedroom 4 - Single room (let in conjunction with room 5)

Bedroom 5 - Double with en-suite shower room

Bedroom 6 - Single room (used as an office)

OWNERS / SERVICE ACCOMMODATION

An attractive feature of this sale is the bright and compact owner's accommodation all set to the ground floor to include a double bedroom with en-suite/shower room, benefitting from a power shower. In addition, there is a smart dining-kitchen with separate lounge area plus office space on the mezzanine floor. The dining/kitchen comes with a range of modern fitted units and integrated appliances, offering ample space for both business and personal use. There is a utility room off the kitchen. The owners' accommodation has a door leading to a private patio garden to the rear which is fully enclosed.

DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

The property has been granted planning permission (17/05614/FUL dated 10th January 2018) to demolish and extend the owners accommodation to the rear of the subjects. Details can be found on the Highland Council website where full plans can be reviewed.

GROUNDS

With prominent signage, Bluebell House benefits from a corner site, offering a tremendous trading location in the City of Inverness. The main frontage of the building is highly attractive and benefits from a surrounding feature stone wall surrounding those areas adjacent to the street level. The front and side garden areas are beautifully presented with easy-to-maintain gravel and shrubs. The rear garden is set to patio offering excellent amenity space and BBQ area. This area is fully child and pet secure with a gate leading to a tarmac parking area suitable for four vehicles. In addition, there is permit parking on the main road; the business currently has a guest permit and visitor permit which are available from the council on an annual basis. There is ample parking for owner/business use. A garden shed is situated to the rear of the property.

SERVICES

The property benefits from mains electricity (3-phase), gas, water and drainage. Central heating and hot water is gas-fired. The bed and breakfast is fully double glazed. The business complies with fire and environmental health requirements, and has Wi-Fi throughout.