Crown Hotel in Stornoway to get new lease of life
The recent sudden closure of Stornoway’s Crown Hotel came as a shock to staff and patrons alike with an outpouring of nostalgia on social media about the iconic hostelry. However, closure now looks like being a short intermission, writes Roddy Munro.
The Gazette can reveal that an Aberdeen-based entrepreneur with a track record of turning failing pubs and hotels into thriving businesses is close to finalising a deal to take over the Crown tenancy.
Manhesh Chirumamailla or “Mario” as he prefers to be known has five hotels in the north-east and is looking forward to adding Stornoway’s Crown to his portfolio. His recipe for success is, he says, all about the food offering.
“We have the White Horse Inn in Balmedie and the Newburgh Inn in Ellon”, he said. “We are well known for our food. We do proper pub grub. You get everything. We will start the same way we have with every other establishment, starting with a small menu and building up from there”.
Negotiations with the brewers who own the Crown are at an advanced stage and Mario hopes to take over on November 23rd with reopening scheduled for December 3rd. He is under no illusions about the work ahead for the Crown to reclaim its place on the Stornoway hospitality scene but is confident his past record will stand him in good stead.
“We already have a team in place, and I have taken on some of the old staff”, he told the Gazette.
A spokesperson for Star Pubs – a branch of Dutch brewing giant Heineken who own the Crown – would not go into detail about the deal until it is finalised but gave the following comment: “We are finalising agreements for a licensee to take over the Crown Hotel and will announce details in due course.”