Sir Andy Murray's Cromlix hotel to move to self-management

Sir Andy Murray's Cromlix hotel in Dunblane is to move to self-management next year to give the tennis star's family more of a say in the running of the business.

Murray and his wife Kim bought the hotel in his hometown in 2013 and it has been run by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI) on their behalf for almost a decade.

It is understood the Murray family now want to take a more hands on approach to managing the hotel.

From 3 January 2023 Cromlix will close for nearly three months to upgrade and refurbish its 15 bedrooms, bathrooms, and communal areas, as well as improve its 34-acres of grounds with new landscaping and planting.

It has also welcomed three new senior appointments to its team with Barry Makin joining as general manager, Emily Shields named new head of sales and marketing and Neville Ablitt appointed as non-executive director.

Makin was formerly general manager at the Scotsman hotel and Hotel Indigo in Edinburgh and has extensive experience in the industry.

Shields was senior event sales manager at the Royal Yacht Britannia and has held roles at Dundas Castle in Edinburgh, the Royal Crescent hotel in Bath and the Dorchester in London. She will be tasked with driving occupancy throughout the year and managing the relaunch of the property.

Ablitt has worked in the five-star luxury hotel sector for over three decades, both in an executive and non-executive capacity.

Cromlix will reopen on 22 March, but its reservations team will be available in the interim to handle bookings and enquiries.