Hotel owner promises better community venue

Press and journal (North East Edition)

8 November 2014

FACELIFT by Blair Dingwall

The man behind the £250,000 face-lift of an Aberdeenshire hotel has said he will create the venue the “local community deserves”.

Work to upgrade the restaurant, bar, function suite, bedrooms and exterior of the White Horse Inn, Balmedie, is already underway and will bring with it several jobs in the village.

The first phase of work – in the bar and restaurant area – is in line for completion at the end of November, and marks the start of the most substantial upgrades to the building in the last 30 years.

The second phase of work at the 20-room hotel will involve external improvements and will kick off in Spring 2015.

The costly investment has been made by the inn’s new owner, Euan Bain, who expects to employ 10 permanent, full-time members of staff for the kitchen and front of house area before the new-look restaurant opens at the end of the month.

Mr Bain said: “When we saw the hotel we immediately knew that it had real potential to attract significant additional footfall if someone was willing to invest the time and money that could breathe new life into it.

“While we hope that the White Horse Inn will draw customers from further afield, we also recognise that the community of Balmedie needs and deserves a much improved local venue, and the new jobs that it will create.

“The community has waited more than long enough for this.

“We have pulled out all the stops to make sure that the refurbishment will be complete before the festive season.”