Sir Malcolm Colquhoun, Chair of the family-owned Luss Estates Company, doesn’t do anything by halves, and certainly this is the case when it comes to the refurbishment of the Loch Lomond Arms in Luss. He hasn’t stinted on the spend, some £3m, and everything apart from the facade has been renewed. The 14-room hotel, in the village of Luss, was previously leased out, but in a bid to revitalise the whole estate Sir Malcolm decided to have the estate run the hotel itself.
It re-opened last month and General manager Alastair Borland told me, “The design was to appeal to everybody. What was
here before was, frankly, an embarrassment. The Luss Estates
Company has been going for generations and Sir Malcolm Colquhoun wanted to update the place and pull everything up, so to speak, so that he can leave the estate in the best possible
shape for the next generation.”
He continued, “Previously it was tenanted out and much of the former fabric of the building had decayed – even to the point where part of the roof was missing. The whole renovation took around two years to complete and the façade was retained, with
the rest of the interior being pulled down. In its place we have hopefully re-create the ambience of a pub that’s been tastefully
done.”
So what’s it like? The new whitewashed exterior is clean and inviting and the main door off the main road leads you into a
small reception area with stone flagging. Off this to the left is the library, reserved for more formal dining. Wood panelling, and
traditional dining tables, which probably once graced country houses, as well as copious stuffed birds in glass cases, and of
course a small bookcase, make up the space that is the library.
Alastair explains, “The designer, Serena Williams-Ellis, toured reclamation yards over the course of a few years in order to lay
her hands on a lot of the antique furniture that has been used.
And the birds, which are all antiques, are more than 100 years old, and come from the estate itself.”
Architect Michael Brooke added, “It’s an old coaching inn and the central section is Georgian, so this informed the renovation, and we were careful to stick to this principal in terms of fabrics,
staircases, panelling and we spent time getting the right people to ensure that we followed through on this.”
Leading off to the right from the reception area is firstly the bar, which also boasts wood panelling, high bar stools and wooden
furniture. In fact the stone _ agging, wooden _ ooring, duck egg blue painted walls, new panelling and period _ replaces all make
for a fresh take on a traditional look. The bar is fairly simple in design terms with the same colour blue panelled front, and a back bar comprised of plain back wooden shelving. The bar and eating area are separated by a _ re place in the dividing wall which
is open at both sides, so you can see through it. The chairs have also been upholstered in a tweed material, as well as in a variety
of other colourings in harmony with the walls. The ceiling is fairly low, but there are plenty of windows throughout. Just beyond the
bar is another dining area, slightly less formal than the library.
The tables here are more suited to parties of four or six, but this may change as Alistair explains, “Since opening we have seen a
lot of couples come through, so we may rethink the layout of the tables.”
An outdoor area is accessible from both the bar and the library, and there’s also a separate annexe housing a wedding and
conference facility. Upstairs the bedrooms are all individually styled and have been named after a different Scottish clan. From
four poster beds to attic bedrooms, the style is very traditional with nods to modernism in the shape of the ultra-chic bathrooms.
They are charming and romantic.
However there is a common theme running throughout the building in its public areas …birds. Every variety imaginable, and if
they are not beautifully presented in glass cases, they have been superbly painted or drawn.
So far, according to Alastair, the feedback has been immensely positive. “It has been so well received and we’ve had lots of positive
comments from customers, who tend to hail from Helensburgh during the week, whereas it’s more passing tourist trade at the
weekends. There is a lot of competition in the area, but we are holding our own on the brand front, with the accent on locally sourced products, such as meat from J. Rodgers, including a lot of Scottish brands on optic, Loch Fyne ale and 40 whiskies.”
Design Feature: The Loch Lomond Arms
