Mackays Hotel in Wick is on the market for sale. The hotel has been owned and operated by the same family, the Lamonts, for nearly seventy years.
The property is situated on Ebenezer Place in Wick, the world’s shortest street at just six feet, nine inches long and has been a cornerstone of Caithness community life for six decades. Now the award-winning destination is looking for a new owner as third generation owner, Murray Lamont, and his wife, Ellie, have put it up for sale.
Situated on the North Coast 500 route, Mackays has 30 en-suite modern bedrooms, plus exclusive event space for weddings, corporate events, meetings, private functions and other special occasions. Six self-catering apartments are also included in the sale, just next door to the hotel in a separate residential block.
Additionally, the business, which employs around 30 staff, has an established food and drink brand in Mackays Hotel No 1 Bistro, located by the river Wick and Wick harbour. Celebrating and supporting the best local and seasonal Highland food and drink, the menu showcases Mey Selections beef and lamb, Caithness Smokehouse and Scrabster Seafoods.
Since taking on the management of Mackays Hotel in 1983, followed by full ownership in the 1990s, Murray and Ellie have collected numerous accolades for the Hotel, including ‘Caithness Business of the Year’ in the Highland Business Awards 2016, overall winner of the ‘Developing the Young Workforce’ category at the Highland Business Awards 2017, an AA Rosette for No.1 Bistro at Mackays Hotel in 2014, and a Gold Tourism Award as part of The Green Tourism Business Scheme.
This unique sale of a truly iconic Highlands Hotel also presents buyers with the opportunity to develop the hotel’s grain store, which previously had planning permission for a new three-story extension with the potential to add further bedrooms.
Mackays Hotel is being marketed by specialist commercial property agents, Drysdale & Co, in three lots. The three lots include the 30-bedroom Mackays Hotel, six self-catering apartments (supplementary letting accommodation) and a vacant Church building for separate negotiation.
Murray Lamont said: “Our family is incredibly proud to have been the caretakers for our family-run hotel for 67 years. During that time Mackays Hotel has become an integral part of local community life here in Caithness. The hotel has gone from strength to strength, winning a number of industry awards and accolades and welcoming over 50,000 global visitors to the north Highlands and famous North Coast 500 each year.”
“We’ve always prided ourselves on our warm Highland welcome to guests from across the world every single year and have some very happy memories from our time as owners of the hotel since the 1990s. We’d like to thank all our guests, staff, suppliers, local community and friends for their continued loyal support over the decades.”
“We now feel the time is right to hand over the reins of Mackays Hotel to new owners, presenting them with a chance to really put their own stamp onto this amazing business which has scope yet to achieve even more.”
More information about Mackays Hotel in Wick, visit www.mackayshotel.co.uk
Potential purchasers should contact Stuart Drysdale at Drysdale & Co on 07851 317 186 or email stuart@drysdaleandcompany.co.uk
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