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Station Hotel Station Road, Aberdeenshire, AB42 5LY

Leisure for sale

£340,000
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Total price
SOA
Space

Attractive 11-bedroom hotel set within the popular village of Maud in rural Aberdeenshire.

• An attractive and substantial Victorian building set within the charming market village of Maud in rural Aberdeenshire.

• With extensive ground floor upgrades and further development potential, the business offers an excellent home and lifestyle opportunity.

• Trading on a restricted basis (mainly wet sales) through choice of the owners, the business generates a modest profit but offers strong potential for new hands-on operators with a background in hospitality.

• Excellent kitchen facilities, smart lounge, additional dining / function area plus spacious public bar.

• 11 bedrooms in total as well as spacious owners' lounge.

• Extensive grounds and outbuildings offering some development potential (subject to consents) plus off-road parking.

DESCRIPTION

The Station Hotel is a traditional hotel, dating from 1886 and was originally built during the heyday of the railway network. The hotel is a substantial property in a strong trading location with a prominent corner site. Sitting within a popular rural Aberdeenshire village, its location is popular with those undertaking an odyssey of this stunning part of the North-East of Scotland including the many places of historical significance. The vendors have invested into bringing this property into the modern era with the development of a new lounge bar and modern kitchen plus greatly improved bathroom facilities. They have some way to go to make this a fully upgraded business but due to personal circumstances, they now feel that they should pass on this project to a new motivated younger couple who can take the business to the next level.

Enjoying a key roadside location in the popular village of Maud, the impressive exterior of the property is testament to its Victorian origins and likewise, high ceilings, attractive cornicing and characterful natural wood finishes are evident throughout the interior of the building. The property offers great flexibility with a large public bar which generates much of the current sales, plus a popular and cosy lounge bar where meals are served 3 out of 7 days a week. There is also an attractive dining room which is seldom used by the current operators. The hotel has a range of 11 bedrooms (1 en-suite) which would benefit from modernisation with the addition of en-suites. Currently only three bedrooms are used for letting purposes. The hotel has a sound layout and it would be entirely feasible for new owners with an extended family to live and work the business.

TRADE

The Station Hotel is presently only trading on a restricted basis. The business has a turnover of £c130,000 generating a modest profit of £17,000. Food is provided on a Friday to Sunday only, with the bar opening during the evenings throughout the rest of the week; wet sales account for the bulk of the income. The hotel is the only licensed premises within the village and offers a sustainable business development opportunity for new owners to build upon current trade and take it to the next level. There are 6 letting bedrooms but only 3 are currently used and again only to a limited level thus providing scope for immediate trading uplift. The hotel operates mainly year-round. There is scope to generate a high level of turnover through the opening of all services 7-days a week and making the letting bedrooms accessible and up-to-date. The business has a modern website (www.stationhotelmaud.co.uk).

LOCATION

Maud is a small town in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire with a population of circa 780. The town is located approximately 32 miles north of Aberdeen, 15 miles west of Peterhead and 16 miles south of Fraserburgh. There are numerous villages and towns in the vicinity of Maud which has the potential to bolster trade. Maud originally rose to prosperity in the 19th century as a railway junction of the Formartine and Buchan Railway ran through Maud to Fraserburgh and Peterhead. The village features an old railway station, now a Railway Museum, the station closed to passengers in 1965 and the former railway tracks are now popular walks and cycle tracks along the old railway lines; these routes now form part of the Formartine and Buchan Way. There was a mart or livestock market until recently selling local livestock but this has now closed being replaced by a vibrant community centre encompassing a wide range of facilities. There is also a hospital for the elderly which was formerly a poorhouse and opened around 1868. The old town hall, a few minutes' walk from the new complex, is also still in regular use by community groups. The village also has a small parade of shops. The subjects are situated on Station Road in a prominent central location and the hotel is the only public house/ hotel within the village.

REASON FOR SALE

The present owners purchased the hotel in August 2015 with the intention of trading with their chef son who tragically passed away soon after taking up post. They have endeavoured to improve the ground floor trading aspects and had plans to upgrade the rooms on the first and second floors. However, they now feel that it is time to retire and offer scope for enthusiastic new owners to further develop trade beyond its current level.

THE PROPERTY

The Station Hotel is a substantial property of traditional stone construction dating back to 1886. A Victorian property set with 0.24 acres, stone built under largely a pitched slate roof, the hotel has accommodation arranged over 3 levels.

PUBLIC / SERVICE AREAS

The main entrance to the hotel faces the main road and has an attractive stone feature. The focal door leads into a spacious vestibule which benefits from a fully tiled floor, reflective of the building's Victorian origins. A further door leads into the main hallway which provides access to the lounge bar (right) and the public bar (left) via a service corridor. This hallway also offers access to the stairs leading to the first and second floors and via a corridor to the dining / function room to the rear of the aspects. Off the lounge bar and dining / function room are disabled, ladies and gents W.C.s.

Lounge Bar - This area has been totally renovated by the current owners with redesigned bar counter making extensive use of slate and wood. The room has been designed to allow the natural flow of light and for ease of service. Set comfortably to about 24 covers, the lounge bar is popular with diners being set to bistro style tables and chairs with modern wall and floor covering. This bright room benefits from contemporary ceiling lights plus additional wall lights.

Dining / Function Room - This attractive room has glorious ceiling roses and is ideal for small functions and private parties. It can seat c50 at a formal event and accommodate 70 at less formal buffet-style functions. There are ladies, gents and disabled W.Cs; the latter with baby changing facilities, adjacent to the lounge bar and dining room.

Public Bar - The public bar has a separate access from the street and opens into a well-presented trading area. There is a long bar servery and the bar can accommodate up to 50 seated customers, also featuring two darts lanes. There are ladies and gents W.C.s off the bar.

Letting Accommodation - Off the reception hallway the main stairwell leads upstairs to the owner's accommodation and letting bedrooms. The letting accommodation is contained within the rear aspects on the first and second levels with each floor providing three bedrooms and a bathroom; making 6 letting bedrooms in total. Currently only three of the bedrooms are let on the second floor; these are well-appointed and very comfortable with central heating, tea/coffee making facilities and televisions. There are plans to make the bedrooms en-suite and make one of the bathrooms a further bedroom with en-suite; consents have yet to be obtained.

Kitchen - There is a modern kitchen which is well-appointed and fully equipped to meet a demanding level of trade. The kitchen has a modern extraction unit, and additional service areas off including a small pot-washroom with dishwasher and stainless-steel double and single sinks, plus a cool room utilised for sweet service etc. There is a staff W.C. off the kitchen.

OWNERS / STAFF ACCOMMODATION

A private stairway off a central landing on the first floor provides access to extensive owner's accommodation. This comprises of 4 bedrooms (with 1 being en-suite) and a private bathroom. In addition, there is a spacious lounge dining room. The tremendous flexibility of the living accommodation offers new owners' ample room for an extended family or where additional letting accommodation may be sought, these rooms provide exceptional potential subject to consents.

GROUNDS

The property sits within a footprint of approximately 0.24 acres. There is a courtyard to the rear of the hotel where there is a large covered area. The courtyard is laid to block and slabs and provides ease of access of deliveries etc. There is also a large stone-built utility building with pitched slate roof which has undoubted development potential; this building is under utilised at this time. Although the hotel has its own extensive car parking to the front and rear of the property, there is also good on-street car parking opposite.

DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

This business is being traded at a reduced level due to the preferences and unique circumstances of the owners. There is no doubt that a couple with a hospitality background could easily transform the current operation into a thriving hotel. The bar and food production infrastructure are already sufficiently developed for new owners to come in and stamp their own personality on the business. The letting rooms need some inward investment to bring them up to modern standards but much of the equipment has already been purchased. Indeed, there is a large external building which could be developed further to either provide private owners accommodation or additional letting accommodation.

PLANS

Plans of the property can be obtained by contacting the selling agents ASG Commercial.

SERVICES

The Station Hotel benefits from mains electricity, water supply and drainage. Oil-fired central heating provides hot water and heating. Cooking utilises LPG gas. The main property is fully double glazed. The hotel is fire compliant and meets EHO requirements. There is Wi-Fi throughout. The hotel has a CCTV system installed.

Listed Features

  • Development
  • Reception
  • Parking
  • Outdoor Space
  • Period Design
  • Pubs/Bars/Clubs
  • Lounge Area
  • Refurbished
  • Kitchen
  • WC Facilities
  • Wi-Fi Network
  • Hotel
  • Multiple floors
  • Modern Design
  • Heating
  • CCTV
  • Double Glazing
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Property Marketed By
ASG Commercial Ltd