One of Scotland’s oldest hotels, Crieff Hydro in Perthshire, has unveiled a £100m expansion plan which will see the company build a nursing home, 200 holiday lodges, a farm shop and a leisure centre complete with pool and gym in the grounds of the estate.
The hotel, which opened its doors in 1868 as Scotland’s first hydropathic hotel, currently employs almost 600 staff and hopes to take on a further 300 employees is the plans are approved by Perth and Kinross Council. If then approved, work will be phased over 20 years and could see the creation of around 125 construction jobs a year during the first phase and 65 construction jobs a year during the remaining development period. Part of the land earmarked for development on the 900-acre Perthshire estate was previously part of one of the hotel’s two golf courses.
The development of what is being called Crieff Hydro East is intended to make Crieff Hydro one of the leading leisure and conference resorts in the UK.
Crieff Hydro already welcomes 1,000 guests a day to its facilities but wants to eventually attract one million visitors a year to the estate.