A historic boutique hotel in Fife has been placed into liquidation with all staff losing their jobs.
Ken Pattullo and Kenny Craig of Begbies Traynor have been appointed as joint liquidators of the Highlander Hotel Ltd, which traded as the Lomond Hills Hotel in Freuchie, Cupar.
Begbies Traynor said the hotel had been hit by the cost of living crisis on top of the impact of Covid lockdowns, leading to cash flow problems that meant it was no longer viable for the hotel to trade. All 17 staff have been made redundant, with liquidators promising to help staff register any claims to the Redundancy Payments Office and access support services from PACE.
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The 18th-century converted coaching inn dates back to 1733 and sits at the foot of the Lomond Hills. It has 24 bedrooms as well as a restaurant, a public bar and a leisure centre, and was also a popular wedding venue.
Thomas McKay, partner at Begbies Traynor in Scotland, said: “Like many boutique hotels in small villages, the Lomond Hills Hotel has experienced very difficult trading conditions during the challenging winter season.
“Facing a perfect storm of financial pressures, the directors, in consultation with the business’ lenders, made the decision to enter liquidation as the hotel was no longer able to trade. We are currently working with local government bodies to support former employees by ensuring they receive appropriate redundancy advice.
“After almost 300 years as a coaching inn, we plan to appoint agents to present the hotel for sale in early spring and hope that it will again be able to operate in the hands of new owners.”
