A popular hotel on the Angus-Perthshire border has shuts its doors without warning for the second time in recent years.
Glenisla Hotel is now expected to go on the market after owner Bruce Swan said he had taken the “very hard decision” to close the ten-bedroom premises.
Customers with bookings or vouchers have been promised full refunds.
The shock move comes after a £750,000 refurbishment during a year-long closure of the business following the collapse of a previous management arrangement in 2017.
The hotel’s accommodation was then increased from six to ten bedrooms and it had won favourable reviews since the re-opening.
However, London-based businessman Mr Swan said he had regrettably taken the decision to shut the doors.
“I have chosen to close Glenisla Hotel,” he said in a statement.
“It was a very hard decision to make, but at this stage in my life I am unable to give it the full commitment that a hotel in this fabulous location richly deserves.
“It is time to hand on the mantle to a new owner who can improve on it further and at the same time enjoy everything it has to offer.
“Anyone who has paid deposits or purchased vouchers will be reimbursed in full.”
Mr Swan bought over the hotel in 2014 and was a silent partner in the business, which was run by a local couple before the breakdown of the relationship in the summer of 2017.
At that time the hotel employed half a dozen staff, as well as around ten casual workers, all of whom were laid off.
It was then the subject of a revamp “from top to bottom” with the aim of establishing what a new manager said was a reputation for the business as a “five-star country inn”.
It sits beside the B951 north west of Kirriemuir and was popular with walkers enjoying the historic Cateran Trail, a 64-mile marked route following old drove roads and ancient tracks through Perthshire and the Angus Glens.
The hotel website and Facebook page have both been deactivated.
Mr Swan has been unable to confirm how many people have lost their jobs as a result of his decision to close the business.
