A European funded initiative, aimed at helping accommodation providers upgrade their premises, is proving a real success for one Thurso business. The Station Hotel, which is owned by Pam and Stan Egan, has just attained a three star grading from Visitscotland (formerly the Scottish Tourist Board) after the couple spent £133,000 on a facelift for the hotel.
Pam and Stan applied to Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) last year for financial assistance and were awarded a funding package worth £30,000 - half of which came from the HIE Standards programme. CASE business development managers are now encouraging more accommodation providers in the area, thinking about making improvements to their premises, to apply for assistance from the recently launched HIE Standards III initiative.
HIE Standards III continues to provide financial assistance to accommodation providers for investment in the upgrade of their premises in a bid to attract and meet the needs of today's discerning travellers. Among the improvement work undertaken at the Station Hotel was the upgrade of the hotel's 21 bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms as well as the formation of a reception area and the upgrade of the hall and landing areas. The project has resulted in the creation of a number of full-time positions at the hotel.
Management and staff at the Station Hotel are not only celebrating their three star grading from Visitscotland, they have also recently achieved a Green Tourism Bronze Award and have been awarded Investors in People status, a national programme which promotes the development of staff and skills.
Steven Kelly, manager at the Station Hotel said: "With the assistance of CASE and the HIE Standards programme we have achieved our aim of a three stars award from VisitScotland in a much shorter time than anticipated. We have also got a product to be proud of and the response in terms of repeat and future business has been outstanding. CASE have been very supportive and assisted us every step of the way."
Acting chief executive Carroll Buxton said: "One of our priorities at CASE is to improve the standard of accommodation on offer throughout the area in order to meet the high standards expected from business and leisure travellers.
"We are keen to see more accommodation providers follow the Station Hotel's example and come forward and apply for assistance via HIE Standards."
For more information on HIE Standards contact CASE on 01847 896115.
