A Kingussie couple have vowed to rebuild their dream hotel after returning home to find it destroyed by a burst water pipe.
Des and Sinead Thomson were horrified to find The Osprey Hotel waterlogged following their ‘much-needed winter break’.
The flooding was caused by a dislodged water pipe in the loft, resulting in damage from the loft to the cellar.
The couple purchased the run-down Kingussie hotel in 2019, pouring their heart and soul into transforming their “dreams into a reality.”
Four years on, the owners say “Everything we worked so hard for” has been destroyed.
‘We managed to transform our dreams into a reality’
Des and Sinead have now vowed to rebuild the Ruthven Road hotel, making it bigger and better.
The build is estimated to cost in the region of £125,000, with groundworks set to begin in January.
A crowdfunding appeal has been launched to help the couple reach their target and raise £25,000 towards the repairs.
In a statement, published on their GoFundMe page, Des says they hope to be back in business by July 2024.
He wrote: “We bought the hotel which was in a state of disrepair early in 2019.
“We set about the transformation of the hotel from day one with a fixed conviction to make the Osprey a haven for those who seek superior comfort accompanied with exceptional hospitality.
“Despite the devastating arrival of Covid within months of our acquisition, we continued to sink our life savings and every waking hour into the transformation of the Osprey.
“After four years of dedication, we managed to transform our dreams into a reality.
“Sinead and I closed the doors for the season in October 2023 for a much-needed winter break.
“However, to our horror, on our return on the 19th of December, a pipe in the loft had become dislodged, and for several weeks, water had been flowing through the hotel from loft to cellar.
“Such was the damage, that everything we worked so hard for was destroyed.”
Des went on to explain the scale of the work facing them in getting The Osprey back in working order.
He added: “Every wall, ceiling and floor will have to be ripped out. Every door frame, door, cornice and skirting, needs replaced.
“All the soft furnishings, mattresses, carpets, TVs and electronics are destroyed. Our commercial kitchen equipment and dining room along with furniture and décor are also destroyed.
“The Osprey is our life, business and home.
“We will need to strip the hotel back to its joists and we will. We intend to rebuild it bigger and better.”
Hotel owners launch crowdfunder to finance rebuild of dream hotel
Despite the extent of the damage, insurers have refused to cover the costs since the couple were away from the three-star premises for an extended period.
The hotel owners are now appealing to the community to help make up the shortfall and help them return the local business to working order.
He said: “We can raise around half of this figure ourselves and hopefully with your help we can reach a more realistic figure to get the project started, if we fall short we will approach the bank towards the end of the project, by then building will be in a good state to remortgage and release the remaining costs.
“This is where the “Friends of the Osprey” come in. We don’t seek charity, instead, we ask for your help to get the Osprey back up and running by July.
“You can donate for as little as £1 or for as much as you can afford.
“Every donation will be turned into a refundable voucher, all we ask is that you allow us 18 months before claiming your refund.
“Any and all support will be greatly appreciated and hopefully your voucher will give you a good reason to start planning your visit to The Scottish Highlands or just a visit to The Osprey when we re-open.”
Conversation