Aviemore Highland Resort was saved from the brink of closure yesterday after a rescue deal was struck to keep the tourist attraction open and preserve 300 jobs.
The resort temporarily went into administration yesterday morning, but was acquired minutes later by Macdonald Hotels after an agreement was brokered with the administrator, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
As part of the deal, the new owner has pledged to refurbish the resort’s four hotels and provide additional facilities, including a children’s “fun factory”, cinema and a clubhouse at the Spey Valley golf course at Dalfaber.
It also emerged yesterday that formal planning consent for a four-storey extension to the Highlands Hotel, new residential and office blocks, shops, a town square and a pub was “expected shortly”, ensuring the resort is “financially viable” in the future.
The series of announcements was greeted with relief as there had been predictions that its closure would deliver a devastating blow to Aviemore and the Highland economy.
It is hoped that the takeover will now end years of uncertainty, during which the resort has teetered on the brink of closure, due partly to the economic downturn and planning delays.
Last night, Macdonald Hotels executive chairman Donald Macdonald said: “It is time to put aside the baggage and troubles associated with this resort over the past 20 years and for all concerned to grasp the lifeline which the bank has given us.”
Calling tourism the lifeblood of the Highlands, he said: “Our task, along with the ongoing support of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), is to establish the resort as a world-class leisure and conference destination that we can all be proud of and one which will help maximise the full potential of the area.
“I am also pleased that, after all these years, agreement has been reached with Highland Council and the CNPA with regard to the phase two planning consent.”
The resort was owned previously by a consortium made up of Macdonald Hotels, Bank of Scotland and Tulloch Homes, but will now be owned exclusively by Macdonald Hotels.
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber SNP MSP Fergus Ewing said: “This ends a period of worry to the 300-plus employees working at the centre and opens up opportunities for further jobs.”
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Liberal Democrat MP Danny Alexander said: “I am very pleased that a deal has been reached to secure these jobs and hope the business will now be in a much stronger position to end the uncertainty for good.”
Bruce Cartwright, joint administrator and partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: “It is widely acknowledged that Aviemore Highland Resort has encountered financial difficulties over recent years.
“A contributing factor to this has been the prolonged planning process with regards to the second and final phase of the resort.”
He added: “The purchaser has confirmed continuity of employment for the entire workforce and has also recognised the importance of its supply base.”
The 100-acre resort operates four hotels with accommodation for up to 1,000 guests, 18 lodges, a conference centre and a range of other leisure facilities.