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Having served his way into the heart’s of tennis fans and the British public alike, Wimbledon and Olympic champion Andy Murray has now also won the respect of the hospitality industry.
Set in 34-acres of secluded woodlands and garden grounds in Perthshire, Murray has gone back to his roots having acquired the Cromlix House hotel – situated near to his hometown of Dunblane.
Following an extensive refurbishment, the Victorian mansion opened in spring 2014 after being transformed into a luxury 15-bedroom luxury destination. It wasn’t long before the hotel aced it, winning the AA’s Hotel of the Year award just 27 days after it opening.
Since then the hotel has continued to pick up awards, scooping Luxury Hotel of the Year at the Scottish Hotel Awards for three consecutive years.
Speaking of the recent AA Scottish Hotel of the Year award, the hotel’s general manager, Graeme Green, said: “This accolade is a credit to the entire team at Cromlix. Our guests frequently comment on their dedication and professionalism and I am very proud to reward their commitment to excellence by bringing home this award.
“We are all extremely pleased with the continuing success of the hotel and look forward to future achievements.”
Speaking about the hotel when it first opened, Murray said he hoped the new venture would attract new visitors to the area, create a number of new jobs and focus on supporting other local businesses. He added he was “pleased” to be able to give something back to the community he grew up in.
Despite Murray’s successful first step into the hotel world, the tennis-star’s property failed a food hygiene inspection just a few months after it opened.
In September 2014 Murray was told that the hotel’s restaurant, Chez Roux, “must be improved” before it could be approved by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The property later announced that the problems, which stemmed from an isolated issue with a handwash sink, had been fixed.
The restaurant – overseen by French chef Albert Roux and run by award-winning executive head chef Darin Campbell – has now been approved by the FSA.
The issue seems to have only been a slight hiccup for the property, with the smooth-running of the hotel since 2014 suggesting it’s unlikely there will be a double-fault.
