Going from strength to strength
A Stirlingshire hotel entrepreneur is continuing to ride the crest of the wave, five years after taking the bold step to go out on his own. Your Job finds out more
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AS THE hotel and leisure trade threatens to sink under the weight of the credit crunch, Steven McLeod, who owns the luxury hotel group Aurora Hotels, will begin work shortly on a new five-star boutique hotel and spa beside Stirling Castle.
And he has revealed that sales figures for his flagship hotel, Airth Castle Hotel and Spa Resort, near Falkirk, have risen by 85% since he took it over five years ago.
The entrepreneur is also putting the finishing touches to a planning application to transform the luxurious Glenbervie House Hotel into a magnificent spa resort and village to rival international hotel brands like Gleneagles and Donald Trump’s vision for his Aberdeenshire golf resort.
Not bad for a lad from Stirling’s infamous Raploch housing estate who started his working life as a kitchen porter in Bridge of Allan, aged 14.
Thereafter he worked his way up in the hotel trade, rising to be the youngest ever general manager with a well-known hotel chain, before, with the help of a business partner, he bought Airth Castle Hotel.
And it’s a decision he has not regretted for a second as his business goes from strength to strength, despite the current economic climate.
He said: “I know other hoteliers are finding it tough, but I have to say that it’s the absolute opposite from where I’m sitting.
“People are still wanting to get married, book celebrations and parties and enjoy luxurious weekend breaks – so long as the price is right.
“Our hotels are packed for Christmas and New Year, and we’ve seen an upturn in the numbers of wedding and party bookings for 2009.
“The government say they want people to spend their way out of recession, and from our point of view that’s certainly what they appear to be doing.”
Mr McLeod is confident that his plans for 2009 will go ahead on schedule. So far he employs 300 people and will boost that number by another 60 with a new hotel.
He recently received full planning permission to turn the old Stirling Infirmary building into a five-star boutique hotel and spa.
The building is of architectural significance and boasts Greek-style colonnades and porticos. While the fabric of the building will remain virtually unchanged, work will begin in a few weeks to turn the building, which has a prime location right in the town centre, into Stirling’s premier hotel and restaurant, boasting a champagne cocktail bar, a fine dining restaurant and a top class spa.
McLeod said: “This is going to be a first for Stirling and I’m looking forward to getting back to work in my home town. As with all of my ventures, I’ll be using local contractors and suppliers wherever possible to ensure that any economic wealth created goes straight back into the town itself.”
But perhaps his most ambitious plans for 2009 is the creation of a spa village and resort on the Glenbervie estate which he acquired in 2007. It is his dream to turn the whole area into a multimillion-pound hotel and leisure resort which will boast some of the finest facilities in Europe.
The resort will provide hundreds of full-time local jobs when complete.
He has been working closely with the local community and council and the final planning application is due to be lodged within a matter of weeks.
He said: “It’s a huge project and an enormous undertaking. However, the benefits for the local community and surrounding area will be significant.”
Despite the doom and gloom forecasts, Mr McLeod is set to press on with his plans for future acquisitions to grow his hotel empire.
He said: “There are several other exciting projects I’m looking at for 2009 – credit crunch or no credit crunch.”
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