Double Award Winning Clachaig Inn!

We seem to have done rather well at the recent 2011 Scottish Hotel Awards, winning not just one but two awards. To say that it's a pleasant surprise is somewhat of an understatement! And we're especially chuffed becuase to win anything at all, you have to be nominated by you, the public, our customers.

First of the awards is a coveted Design Medal for our bedroom refurbishment. We've been telling you that it turned out rather well for a while!

We wanted to refresh our Ossian Bedrooms, and give them a bit of a lift and a touch of that luxury feeling whilst at the same time retaining that traditional Clachaig comfort. The en suite bathrooms were completely gutted to make way for new baths and full height floor to ceiling tiling, whilst the bedrooms themselves got a sumptuous makeover with some very carefully selected wallpapers and new soft furnishings.

We do have to take some of the credit for the scheme ourselves. Interior Design was never something that we thought we'd excel at when we started out running an inn. But there again, neither were a dozen other trades and skills that you quickly acquire when you're thrown in at the deep end with a business to run!

However, we do need to thank Burns Design for pulling the pieces together from the scattered corners of our brains so well and turning it into a viable and successful project.

And the second award was a Commendation for Hospitality & Welcome. Reading through the feedback we receive, both through our bespoke in-house scheme, and on Facebook (with the exception of the guy that didn't like our green pea soup!) this Commendation should come as no surprise to our customers.

Clachaig is nothing if not based on the good old traditional values of a warm welcome. And in this regard we have to thank our staff who keep on making it happen, quite often when under pressure and in sometimes trying circumstances. A big thank you!

But this isn't the end of the story. No, in good Oscar acceptance speech style, we'll drag this one out a bit further yet. We've already had the confidence to continue with some of the momentum we've attained. There is of course the Childrens' Play Area, which judging by the number of we'ans having fun on it over Easter is £15,000 well spent. And then there's the rolling out of the soft furnishings through our Lodge Bedrooms, plus a more moderate decorative makeover in time for the season really kicking off. We get the feeling that it won't be long before the rest of the bedrooms are brought into the fold.

And that's not all... But you'll have to wait a bit longer for more news!

It's the little things that take the time

Finally, after what feels like months, our two and a half week simple refurbishment job is somewhere near what we might call complete. Despite getting off to a flying start, it was the little things that take so long to finish off. Even now we're still in need of a carpet repair and a couple of other details which are probably so small that you'd not notice them unless we told you. But being perfectionists...!

So here's a taster of the finished product. We think it's turned out rather well, and from the feedback so far, so do you!

 Room 6, Ossian Wing, Clachaig Inn, Glencoe

For a reminder of where we started from see our blog post from 8th December. And for plenty more pictures of the finished item, see the gallery pages on the Clachaig web site.

Did you miss all the drama as the refurbishment progressed? Feeling left out? Keep up to date with all things Clachaig and join us on either Facebook or Twitter.

Never a dull moment

There's barely a sole around at the moment. The skies are clear, the frost is crisp and the snow on the mountains looks like it needs playing in. (Have a look at a couple of the featured blogs on the right hand side for some proof!) But despite all that, there's not much chance of sneaking out for a little fresh air this week.

Clachaig's Ossian Bedrooms - time for a makeover

As soon as our weekend guests check out on Sunday morning we make way for a team of joiners, plumbers, decorators and electricians, as they invade our peace and crack on with the refurbishment of our Ossian bedrooms.

The four bedrooms, along with their adjoining en suite bath, shower and toilets are all being given a complete makeover. In addition, we'll be giving the wee lounge a new lease of life, along with the connecting corridors and stairwell. What started out as a fairly simple 'lick of paint' has turned into a fairly major makeover.

These bedrooms were the first to be refurbished when we set about bringing Clachaig up to a good modern standard several years ago. They've served us well, and still look good. But there's never time to stand still and we're now taking them to the next level. Carpets, wall coverings, furniture, baths, tiles, sinks.... All change!



And as we never tend to do anything by halves, we're also clearing out The Grog & Gruel on Sunday morning too. After 16 years, Fort William's favourite Traditional Alehouse and Restaurant is also getting a bit of a makeover. With the impossible brief of modernise the theme, but don't break what's already there, we're pretty confident that you'll like the new look pub and restaurant. But worry ye not, it'll still be The Grog & Gruel.

So, by 16th December, we'll have re-invested another £150,000 or so into the businesses, making sure that we're ready and raring to go for the Hogmanay Hoolies!

More on the Facebook pages as we go (if we dare show you). Click here for Clachaig and here for The Grog & Gruel.