Tennis ace Andy Murray is set to upscale his posh hotel, riding the wave of an Instagram-driven surge in afternoon tea popularity.
The manager of Murray's Cromlix establishment in Dunblane, Scotland, has spilled the beans on some developments at the award-winning spot. Owned by the sports star and his wife Kim Sears Murray, Cromlix clinched the 2024 AA Award for Scottish Hotel of the Year. The blueprint for the future includes a swanky new restaurant and kitchen expansion to replace the current eatery, The Glasshouse, boosting seating from 50 to a roomy 80, with completion eyed for spring 2026.
Additionally, guests can look forward to three fresh ground floor bedrooms and, come 2025, a wellness cottage doling out treatments from Edinburgh's skincare sensation MODM, plus nine quaint cabins dotted around the loch. Barry Makin, the hotel's boss, revealed they dish out roughly 1,000 afternoon teas monthly and credits the meal's resurgence to its photogenic qualities on Instagram.
Barry said: "It’s been really well supported by local people, and we wanted to make sure we always have the capacity to cater for them as well as hotel guests."
The local hotspot is making sure not to turn away neighbors, with Barry from Cromlix saying: "We never want to be in a position where we are turning away local custom because it’s so important to maintaining a thriving hospitality business. It also means we can turn the current restaurant space into a dedicated venue for afternoon teas and special events."
"We cater for about 1,000 afternoon teas a month and we sell a lot of afternoon tea gift vouchers. I think afternoon tea has come back into fashion as it looks great on Instagram! We see a lot of younger people coming in for afternoon tea these days which we didn’t have before."
The restaurant has chef Darin Campbell at the helm, who swaps his menus seasonally. Since joining Cromlix in January 2023, Barry says he has been trying to update some things, while keeping the traditional feel. The extension will contrast with the traditional building style to offer "stunning" views, he hopes. "We didn’t want to try to create something which looked Victorian but definitely wasn’t," Barry added.
"We felt like the building could take a more modern extension, particularly if we incorporated elements like the garden wall into the design to tie it all together and if it was done sympathetically with planting and textures that fit into the surroundings. A lot of the building is glass so it will really tap into that theme we’ve followed all along about bringing the beautiful Scottish countryside into the hotel."
"Also, by having a more modern design, we can make sure the restaurant utilizes all of the most up-to-date sustainability systems and products, and that’s important to us as we move forward. You will be able to look over the back lawn of the hotel which is a beautiful space in itself, but also down the valley and across much of the Cromlix estate in front of the hotel. The tables will be set up so that as many people as possible can appreciate the views."
The extension will be completed with three ground floor bedrooms, and a wellness facility set to open next summer. "Each of our bedrooms is completely unique, the design in each one is different. But the principles will be the same - bold patterns and prints, colour schemes based on nature, beautiful art and extremely comfortable amenities," said Barry.
"We’re working with Suzanne Garuda at Garuda Design again, who did the designs for the refurbishment, and Kim will be very involved in the overall look and feel, so together they'll make sure everything ties together."
The wellness facility on the estate is set to open doors next summer, offering an exclusive two-person spa experience nestled in the forest, inside a beautifully restored building.
Ambitiously expanding its homegrown produce, they've revealed plans for a Gourmet Garden that eclipses the current Kitchen Garden, as the hotel strives to tackle food miles and burst forth with an even broader array of estate-grown delicacies.
Since tennis ace Murray and his partner Kim acquired the property in 2013, it has been through a significant transformation, hosting thousands from globally. Despite travel hiccups in recent times, Barry notes a resurgence of US visitors, crediting the establishment's thriving reputation and accolades for drawing crowds against industry odds.
"The next twelve months will be busy. Our wellness facility is due to open next summer. It will be an intimate two-person spa in a reclaimed building on the Estate, set in the woodland. We are just working on the treatments we will offer, but there will be a focus on natural wellness and revitalisation," Barry said.
"It’s predominantly a combination of guests from Scotland and from London and the south east of the UK. Then it’s a fairly even mix of European and US travellers. This year we’ve definitely seen more Americans than we had last year, so hopefully this trend continues.
"We are often complimented on our staff, and I feel particularly proud of the warm Scottish welcome we give our guests when they are here."