The George Hotel in Inveraray has gone into administration after being on the market for a number of months. The 165-year-old hotel, a former winner of Sunday Mail Pub of the Year, has been owned by the Clark family for seven generations and its financials difficulties occurred because of ‘historic debt’ which “crippled cashflow”, according to administrators.
Thomas McKay from administrators Begbie Traynor said, “The business has been in the Clark family for seven generations and their priority was to safeguard the jobs and future of the 60 full and part-time employees. The hotel has a fantastic history and beautiful location, offering excellent accommodation and food. The staff have also been fantastic in their hard work, and everyone is determined to find the best possible outcome for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
The 24-bedroom property features a restaurant that holds an AA rosette He added, “The administrators are also urging the local community and customers, including over 25,000 subscribers, to continue supporting the hotel during this challenging time. “We are now entering the spring period with summer trade to follow, so it is business as usual and we are fully open for trade as a hotel, which we believe will be attractive to many interested parties,” they stated.
Susan Young, Editor of DRAM Scotland said, “My heart goes out the family. They put their heart and soul into The George. It is a great venue and whoever takes it over will benefit greatly from the goodwill that the family have created, not just in Inveraray, but further afield too.”