Reimagined Cromlix Opens its Doors
New era for the hotel owned by Andy and Kim Murray
On Monday 27 MArch 2023, Cromlix country house hotel, in Dunblane, opened its doors after a three-month renovation. The five-star property owned by Kim and Andy Murray has refurbished its 15 bedrooms, most of its bathrooms and all common areas of the hotel, including the bar, restaurant and billiards room.
There is a new entrance via the vestibule at the front of the property, with a valet parking turning circle at the top of the grand driveway.
The restaurant, rebranded as The Glasshouse and fronted by Executive Head Chef, Darin Campbell, will also be opening today, with a fine dining menu focussed on locally sourced, thoughtfully prepared ingredients and seasonal produce. The hotel's bar will feature signature cocktails with garnishes from the Kitchen Garden.
In January this year, the hotel moved to self-management by the Murray family, with several new appointments being made: General Manager, Barry Makin, Sales & Marketing Manager, Emily Shields and Revenue & Reservations Manager, Eilidh Leishman. Rosemary Spenke of The Hotel Management Company was brought on board to oversee the move to self-management and rebrand of the hotel.
The renovations of the hotel were managed by Kim Murray who worked with interior designer Suzanne Garuda of Garuda Design, architect Fergus Purdie and a team of local Scottish artisans, suppliers and designers to reimagine the 149-year-old building.
The aspiration for the new Cromlix is to reshape expectations of the country house hotel experience, where guests can unwind, be themselves and enjoy a characteristically welcoming stay in an elegant yet unfussy environment. The bedrooms have interiors with a relaxed country feel and have all been named after flowers and herbs which can be found onsite in the hotel's 34-acre grounds and private gardens – for example, Lavendar, Viola, Thyme, Rosemary and Verbena.
The hotel retained many pieces of furniture in the refurbishment, but has added new items for comfort and style. New artwork adorns the walls of the hotel, many paintings and prints personally selected by Andy Murray and others on loan from the Royal Scottish Academy.
In addition, Cromlix has a new brand identity and website which was created with Scottish agency, 80 Days, and illustrator Gary Bullock. The new logo was inspired by the Virginia Creeper that covers the front of the building and blazes a glorious red every September.
Commenting on the reimagined Cromlix, Kim Murray said: "We have had an incredible team putting in a mammoth effort for over a year to get to today, when we can finally open the doors to our new-look Cromlix. I'm extremely proud of what everybody has achieved and it is exactly what I hoped for. The Murray family has had a connection to this building since 1982 and after a decade of ownership we are looking forward to the future with a real sense of excitement. This was the first phase in a series of planned works to breathe new life into both the property and the business".
Cromlix Hotel was bought by former world number one tennis player Andy Murray and his wife, Kim Murray, in 2013. The hotel has 15 bedrooms and a self-catering Lodge house. Situated in 34 acres of private grounds, Cromlix also has its own chapel, loch, award winning restaurant, kitchen garden and tennis court.
For more information, please visit Cromlix.com, noting that the new website will not be live until end of April.