Queens Hotel , Highland

DESCRIPTION

The Queen’s Hotel is a delightful and well-established Highland property, offering a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the heart of Wick, with a prominent roadside position on the popular A99 and North Coast 500 route. Originally built as a church manse in the late 19th century, the property was converted to a hotel in 1953 and has since evolved into a tasteful blend of traditional features and modern comfort. This fine property benefits from Victorian proportions and boasts decorative cornicing, high ceilings, attractive interior archways and high skirting boards. Guests enjoy a flexible range of well-appointed public areas including a breakfast area, elegant lounge bar, a refurbished public bar and inviting dining room. Lovingly refurbished and maintained by the current owners, The Queen’s Hotel is indeed a well-supported business enjoying strong links with the local community. It is presented in turnkey condition, offering a rewarding lifestyle opportunity with strong local support and year-round custom.


REASON FOR SALE

The present owners bought the Hotel in 2004 and have invested considerably into modernising and refurbishing the business into the delightful property it is today. They have enjoyed the rewarding and profitable lifestyle that accompanies ownership of such a successful business. It is their planned retirement from the hospitality sector that brings this desirable hotel to the market.

TRADE

The Queen’s Hotel is a popular destination, combining a great level of local support with a healthy mix of business trade and tourism. Guests can enjoy great cuisine, comfortable accommodation and the excellent service levels. The business trades year-round generating a consistent level of income with excellent profitability. Trade is generated from the 8 letting bedrooms, the large public bar and attractive lounge bar and dining room which combined, can cater for around 60 covers. The business has a modern website which utilises the ‘freetobook’ reservation system and is also marketed through VisitScotland.

New owners may wish to maintain the current successful business model or have the opportunity to develop the accommodation aspects of the business further. The Queen’s Hotel could easily operate on a guest house only basis, providing scope for new owners to develop the ground floor areas into further letting accommodation subject to consents.

The hotel website is

LOCATION

The busy harbour town of Wick sits to the North East of the county of Caithness. Caithness has long been a popular destination for many tourists. The population of Wick is c7000 but with a much broader catchment area. Tourism is one of the main sources of income to the area in the main season being highly popular with walkers, cyclists, ornithologists, archaeologists and anglers, and those undertaking the North Coast 500 route. The Old Pulteney distillery is a popular attraction as is the active harbour and the 18-hole golf course. In terms of infrastructure the town is very well supported and benefits from excellent primary and high schooling, welfare and medical facilities, leisure resources and communication links with a railway station and airport.

Caithness is an area rich in wildlife, home to herds of wild red deer, the otter and the Atlantic salmon amongst other species. Ornithologists are frequent visitors to the county, attracted by the golden eagle, hen harrier, peregrine falcon, short eared owl, black and red grouse, puffin, red throated divers and corncrake. Such are wildlife numbers that a sustainable cull of deer and sporting birds brings stalkers and shooters to the area, generally in the winter months. As for the tourist, there are lots of options. Orkney, which is a day trip away, has numerous sites of archaeological interest plus there is the Castle of Mey and Dunrobin Castle which also attract a number of visitors.

THE PROPERTY

The Queen’s Hotel is an attractive detached property of traditional construction dating back to the latter part of the 19th Century with more recent extensions. A substantial property, stone built mainly under a pitched slate roof, the hotel has accommodation arranged over 3 floors.

PUBLIC AREAS

The hotel entrance faces the main road, an arched outer doorway leads to glazed double inner doors which open into the main entrance hallway. The hallway is fully tiled and has a polished commemorative tile inset noting the date of 1953 when it opened for business as a hotel. In the entrance hallway is the reception desk which conveniently faces the main access and a most attractive stairwell leads upstairs to the hotel’s comfortable letting bedrooms. To the rear of the reception desk is an office space.


Newly Refurbished Public Bar

A standout feature of The Queen’s Hotel is the smartly refurbished public bar, offering a vibrant and modern social space with its own separate entrance and direct access to the licensed beer garden at the rear.

Thoughtfully designed to appeal to both locals and visitors, the bar includes:

Two large-screen TVs showing live Sky Sports
Pool table, darts, gaming and fruit machines
Modern and welcoming interior

Beer Garden

The beer garden is licenced until 9pm for both food and alcohol, making it a popular spot during warmer months and extending the venue’s appeal and trading potential.

Breakfast Room

Upon entering the hotel on the right lies a spacious and welcoming breakfast room, thoughtfully designed to provide a comfortable start to the day. The room is fully carpeted, creating a warm and homely ambiance.

A striking open fireplace, with a tiled surround, cast iron inset, and set on a traditional Caithness flagstone hearth, adds a touch of Highland character. Soft, relaxed lighting enhances the atmosphere, making this an ideal setting for guests to enjoy a peaceful breakfast before exploring the beauty of Caithness.

Lounge Bar

To the left of the main entrance is the hotel’s spacious and versatile lounge bar, offering a warm and inviting atmosphere for guests to relax and unwind. One half of the space is carpeted and arranged with comfortable sofas surrounding a charming open fireplace, complete with a cast iron inset and traditional Caithness flagstone hearth. The other half features polished hardwood flooring and is set with tables and chairs in a stylish bistro style dining area, ideal for casual meals, drinks and afternoon teas. Modern lighting enhances the ambiance. The lounge bar sits back-to-back with the newly refurbished public bar, allowing for efficient staffing and streamlined service. Conveniently located between the two is an adjoining passage leading to the smart new range of ladies, gents and disabled rest rooms incorporating a baby changing facility.

Dining Room

Leading off the lounge bar, the spacious dining room comfortably seats at least 24 guests and enjoys a pleasant overlook over the rear garden. This offers a bright and welcoming setting for meals and gatherings.


LETTING BEDROOMS

The hotel features 8 attractively decorated en-suite letting bedrooms on the first floor, each offering a comfortable stay with individual central heating and a range of modern guest amenities, including hospitality trays, ironing boards, and TVs. In addition, a shared bathroom between Rooms 1 and 2 provides added flexibility for guest use.

Room 1 – Single en-suite with shower
Room 2 – Double en-suite with shower
Room 3 – Twin with en-suite shower
Room 4 – 4-poster with en-suite shower
Room 5 – Double en-suite with shower
Room 6 – Double en-suite with shower
Room 7 – Double suite with en-suite shower
Room 8 – Triple en-suite with shower


FINANCE AND LEGAL SERVICES

ASG Commercial Ltd is in touch with several lenders who provide specialist hospitality business finance and would be delighted to discuss your financing requirements with you and make an appropriate introduction. We have access to a large team of legal experts who can act in all matters arising.

SERVICE ROOMS

The hotel benefits from direct access from both bars to a chilled beer cellar, with an additional corridor leading to an external delivery point for ease of operations. A well-equipped commercial kitchen with adjoining wash-up area supports food service, complemented by extensive storage, including space for fridges, freezers, and dry goods. Additional facilities include a laundry room and a large rear garage, providing ample external and internal storage throughout the property.

OWNERS ACCOMMODATION

A separate flat for resident proprietors is situated on the attic floor of the building. This comprises of a large modern fitted and well-appointed kitchen, shower room, double bedroom, lounge and dining area / 2nd bedroom.


SERVICES

Benefiting from mains electricity, gas, water supply and drainage, the hotel has a gas-fired central heating system and utilises gas for cooking purposes in the commercial kitchen. The Hotel is fully fire compliant and benefits from double glazing throughout. All areas of the business are Wi-Fi enabled. The business has a CCTV system with both internal and external coverage.

EPC RATING

The EPC rating of this property is G.

ACCOUNTS

The Queen’s Hotel is a profitable business with strong turnover. Accounting information will be made available to seriously interested parties subsequent to formal viewing.


TITLE NUMBER

The property’s title number is CTH859.

PRICE

Offers in the Region of £425,000 are invited for the heritable property complete with goodwill and trade contents (according to inventory), excluding personal items. Stock at valuation.

OFFERS

All offers should be submitted in writing to ASG Commercial Ltd with whom purchasers should register their interest if they wish to be advised of a closing date should one be set.

GROUNDS

The hotel occupies a prominent corner site enclosed by an attractive stone dyke style wall, adding to its traditional Highland charm. A detached rear garage provides additional storage, With a tarmac driveway offers private parking for up to 8 vehicles with unrestricted on-street parking also available.

To the rear, a well-maintained beer garden provides an inviting outdoor space, complete with picnic-style tables, while bench seating at the front offers a pleasant spot for guests to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

LICENCE NUMBER

The business operates a license under the Licensing Scotland Act 2005 and a copy of this will be made available to interested parties post viewing.