After a year of renovations, best Scottish tennis player Andy Murray has opened a luxury hotel “Cromlix,” in his home town of Dunblane. At the beginning of last year, Andy became the owner of a magnificent estate, since it was bought by the family who owned it the previous four centuries. Murray did not spare the money when renovated the 15-bedroom Victorian building. Thus, famous French chef Albert Roux oversee restaurant, guests have a tennis court, and the property also includes a small lake and chapel.
The hotel’s new interiors have been designed by Kathleen Fraser, with input from Andy’s girlfriend, Kim Sears, while Judy, Andy’s mum, is currently staying in each of the rooms to pinpoint potential problems.
Andy named the rooms after national icons like Robert Burns, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming, Annie Lenox and of course Sean Connery. Silver-mounted bagpipes line the walls of the chapel beside tartan kilts, family boar-crests and 1850s battlefield relics from the Crimean war. A locally made hundred-year-old pipe organ belches tunes while the less holy can retire to the custom-built Balvenie whiskey tasting room for reflection.
“By re-establishing Cromlix as a leading luxury hotel at the heart of the Dunblane community, we will be able to attract new visitors to the area, create a number of new jobs and focus on supporting other local businesses,” Murray said.
“I’m pleased to be able to give something back to the community I grew up in.”