Mhor Estate receives £1.7m investment to fuel growth

Monachyle Mhor, Mhor 84 and Calair Cottage, a collection of retreats in Scotland, have received more than £1.7m in investment from The Cumberland Building Society. The Mhor Estate is owned and operated by chef and hotelier, Tom Lewis, whose portfolio consists of a boutique hotel, a roadside motel, a self-catering cottage, a retail concept store and a bakery business, Mhor Bread in Callander. The refinancing of the Mhor Estate was granted to help “future-proof and grow the business”, with some £980k being allocated to major infrastructure works at the main hotel, including investment in a hydro-dam, harnessing the power of local waterways to generate electricity. Elsewhere, £475k of the investment is being used to support Mhor 84, an informal, casual motel, restaurant and bar strategically positioned on the A84 road up to the Scottish Highlands. The remaining funding has been split between Mhor Bread and Calair Cottage, a self-catering accommodation beside the Balvaig river. In addition, the investment will see Mhor Bread expand its artisan bread business to a takeaway service Monachyle Mhor is known for its “unique experiences”, including Apitherapy (bee therapy) which involves staying in a cabin with beehives engrained in its structure, with some studies suggesting it can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing. Stuart McNaughton, Commercial Relationship manager at The Cumberland said: “The legacy that Tom, Dick and family have created is remarkable. He is a critically acclaimed trailblazer in the hospitality industry which has earned him AA Rosettes at Monachyle, a Booker Prize and an Egon Ronay Guide Award. “We first started working on the re-finance for Tom around a year ago, and we really took the time to get under the skin of the business and understand the vision and direction in which Tom wanted to take it. Based on the business performance to date and Tom’s passion and success in hospitality, we were really pleased to be able to help refinance the Mhor Estate.” Tom Lewis, owner of Monachyle Mhor, said: "Mhor holds a special place in my heart and my family's history. From its humble beginnings as a small farm guesthouse B&B under my mother's care to the flourishing establishment it is today, it has been a labour of love. “I am grateful to The Cumberland for recognising the value of preserving this legacy and supporting our ongoing growth and development to ensure Mhor is top of the list when visiting Scotland, future-proofing its popularity for those who love stylish, rural places to stay, eat and make memories. Together, we will continue to provide exceptional experiences for our guests and showcase the beauty of Scottish hospitality.” He added: “The value of this deal is huge for me, personally. We’ve had some really uncertain times over the past few years with the hospitality industry taking a particularly big hit so we’re incredibly grateful that our friends at The Cumberland understood our vision and really put in the legwork to get under the skin of our business in order to support us.”