Aviator's country house dream comes true with purchase of Easter Ross hotel
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Aviation enthusiast and real estate investor Ruchir Gupta says he has realised a dream by purchasing the Kincraig Castle Hotel.
Ruchir, who also owns a hotel in Hampshire, the Falcon Hotel in Farnborough, added the Easter Ross based hotel to his portfolio in March – and he aims to put it on the 'luxury hotels' map.
Operating in the business aviation sector, Ruchir chose the Kincraig in part for its location and wide open gardens.
He said: "It has always been a dream of mine to have a country house of my own. I plan to treat this more like a home/hotel, rather than just a hotel. I was looking for somewhere in the Highlands as I love Scotland and I love the outdoors. I like the nature here and the outdoor pursuits such as shooting, fishing and golf.
"Above all though, I wanted a country-style hotel that has a bit of acreage, as we bought a helicopter. This will be a flying property for us, so when I am here there will always be a helicopter based here."
Since making the acquisition, Ruchir has been focussed on raising the profile of the baronial-style former mansion house with a series of refurbishments.
He added: "The hotel has been crying out to be lifted up a bit. Since we have been there, we have upgraded the lobby, the bar and the dining rooms, as well as the terrace furniture. We plan to do the bedrooms in the next few years. There is also the house next door which will be refurbished.
"We are aiming to use high end antique items and furniture, in keeping with the standard of property that it is as a listed building from many years. We now have Ralph Lauren furniture in the lobby, for example. It is our aim to take the property up into the luxury market.
"It hasn't been without its challenges. The previous owners had an outdoor marquee here but this was removed when we bought the hotel so we had to refund some of the larger bookings with our apologies. We have held several smaller scale local weddings since then though, and they have been very successful.
"We can still do weddings, but on a smaller scale. The larger events – I don't think that is the business we want to be in. It is really important that we can give residents and local people who come to stay here or have meals here the proper attention they deserve. We also don't want to have our staff overworked and overstretched.
"We'd like to make the Kincraig a destination where people can come in for a real 'home from home' experience. We are also keen to form a local members club at Kincraig – 'The Lords and Ladies of the Kincraig', and we'd love to hear from people who would like to know more about it."
Ruchir has been chronicling his journey and his adventures in the air on his Youtube channel, Richie on Tour, and his website richieontour.com.
