Loch Rannoch Highland Club Forums

Having recently stayed at the newly refurbished Loch Rannoch Hotel prior to moving into our Highland Lodge I thought other owners might be interested in reading my thoughts on the refurbishment of the Hotel.
Firstly, the Hotel has had a complete face lift on its exterior and is looking very smart. The new staff are excellent, offering visitors, particularly Lodge Owners, a warm welcome and are obviously very proud of this newly Refurbished Hotel, as they should be. It has also had a complete make over internally in Heritage colours and décor, with the original Fireplace reopened and offering theSitting Room` area a Highland Lodge feel to it. The bedrooms on the first floor are now completely refurbished in muted colours of green and purple which fit with their Heritage design. The upper floor, presently under refurbishment, will eventually offer both modern rooms and Heritage Suites.

There are three Dining Areas, and Ive eaten in all three over the week. The Estate Restaurant, offers Fine Dining in a sumptuous Dining Room with two semi-circular tables and couchettes amongst other standard dining tables, gives the Dining Room a feeling of opulence. The Lairds Larder, (formerly known as the Gittana Grill) has again been totally refurbished with both marble table tops and booths. It has a relaxed feel to it and is perfect for couples and families
alike. The Larder also serves as the Breakfast Room providing a fantastic selection for a Cooked Breakfast or indeed a Continental Breakfast, and in the evening offers a comprehensive Childrens Menu and Dinner Menu. Listed on the Menu are local Venison and Lamb; plus both Pasta and Vegetarian Dishes. The third Dining Area is within The Wild Brownie Pub and offers Pub Grub with a twist, all delicious, particularly the Perthshire Game Casserole and the Signature Highland Brown Trout for Two! The unrealistically high McDonald Bar prices are now gone, as the new owner, Nick Pattie, has introduced realistic pricing within the Bar thus encouraging Villagers to use it as their Local and the Villagers I spoke with were indeed making use of it! The Sunday Lunch served in both the Lairds Larder and the Wild Brownie is proving to be particularly popular with LRHC Owners; Hotel Guests and Locals alike! There is now a raised area for Dining/Drinks outside of the Hotel (weather permitting) which is to be extended on each side of the access route into the Hotel.

An additional Cafe Area will be incorporated apparently down at the water edge within the presently under construction Water Sports Area and Gym which will offer Paddle Boarding; Canoeing etc with an Activity Manager already in post. E Bikes are already available for Hire. The former Swimming Pool Area is presently closed as it has workmen building an extension which will double it in size to include new changing rooms and a Spa Area/Treatment Rooms.

Many original LRHC Owners will remember the halcyon days of both the Club and the Hotel when Nick Pattie was Manager for Barratt, and now having achieved his long held ambition of owning the Hotel, he is on track to bring it back to those halcyon days including holding the family Ceilidhs with Stovies at weekends and entertainment in the Hotel during the week. So far Nick Pattie is proving his ability to deliver all he promised, which must be incredibly difficult during a Pandemic, the future therefore is not only looking good for the Hotel but also for Owners/Guests of LRHC.
Well done to our latest Committee for negotiating such a great deal with Nick Pattie, what value at merely £25.00 for each week owned, offering us access to the new Leisure Facilities and onsite Restaurants which will immediately add value to our individual week owned, increasing both Sales and Rents at LRHC.

Our HL Lodge was clean and well stocked with soap; kitchen and toilet paper etc which in more recent years have, on occasions, been missing, The manual staff I spoke with presented as cheerful in their jobs, however some of LRHC Reception Staff need to take a leaf out of the Hotels Reception Training Manual, as LRHC Admin Staff neither looked up to make eye contact with me when I arrived or asked if I had had a pleasant journey. Again on departure no warm friendly smile was forthcoming nor was I asked if Id had a pleasant stay, surely a common courtesy to departing guests, particularly as there were no other guests waiting to be attended to. This gives a very cold and unprofessional impression of our Club, rather than a warm Highland welcome. Let`s hope the new GM quickly introduces much needed Training in Hospitality and how to make Owners/Guests feel both welcomed and valued.
Ronnie Robertson

Why does this site continue to produce various posted sentences in red characters with whole words missing? Can anyone offer a solution to this incredibly frustrating problem?
Ronnie Robertson

It looks as though the use of apostrophes is causing the problem as each red section starts and finishes at points where the original post had an apostrophe.

If the problem is still live, try not to use apostrophes - sacrificing good English for better communication.

Dave Madill

Thank you Dave, for clearing up the mystery. I shall try to remember not to confuse the IT system by using apostrophes in future.
Ronnie Robertson

Interesting impression of the Hotel. During my stay at the club, last week of July 2021, I was hoping to make use of some of the facilities. Unfortunately the past few months have proved difficult- the progress on facilities has slowed and I can’t see much if anything being available until 2022. One restaurant has closed and the others are only available to residents, due to staffing shortfalls- the same is true of the Dunalistair. You can get a drink at the Wild Brownie but that’s all at present.

Just reading Martin Shaw's comment about the hotel. I was at Rannoch last week in June for a couple of days on Club business and the bars and restaurants were very busy. But I'd heard from others that there were now staff shortages, such a shame. The building work is well behind schedule and I think we'll just have to be patient. Committee has a good relationship with Nick, the proprietor, and I believe that although late he will see it through to a superb finish. Please be assured that the Club won't be charged for leisure until it is all ready for use.

Regards, John

My week at the Club was 10/07- 17/07 and it was obvious that the Hotel was, similar to so many others in hospitality, suffering from a shortage of staff.
The staff were working tirelessly.
The current staff there were even on days off coming in to support their colleagues due to workload, but still with an unforced smile on their faces.

At first I thought it was only a problem in places like Kinloch Rannoch, but now having visited a few establishments in Glasgow, it is a common theme.
Regards the work completion it would appear, after speaking to a few construction managers and seeking to complete a job on my own house, that materials are becoming scarcer and more expensive.
Material for flooring a loft have increased by 300% at builders merchants if available.
I have even been advised to wait until next year.

When the hotel is finally completed it will be an asset I feel not just to Rannoch, but to owners.

I hear the Hotel Manager has interviewed and engaged new staff this week including a new chef, so hopefully once they are all in place Lodge Owners will be able to enjoy all the eating venues within the Hotel.

It must be unbelievably stressful for Nick Pattie right now, having ploughed not just his hard earned money into the Hotel, but all his energy; hopes and dreams, only to be hit like so many other Businesses with an Epidemic like no other in living memory, and then with the Hotel and Resort almost within reach of completion and guests beating down the Hotel door to reserve rooms, he discovers Hospitality Staff are nowhere to be found! Perhaps with the Government's change to the Furlough payment rules this week, there will be a lot more people coming on to the job market looking for a job. Otherwise we ALL may have to roll up our sleeves to help out, as the Hotel is vital to our Club's future since it offers LRHC owners a much needed lifeline as without it I very much doubt the Club could remain a viable option for very much longer.

Ronnie Robertson

Thank you for your most informative review Ronnie, together with subsequent comments - most useful, with or without the apostrophe problem! As you say, it must be most frustrating when Nick Pattie has put all this work, money and effort into the Hotel. Where are all those unemployed people?!?! As you say, maybe when being paid not to work ends, LRHC and the Hotel will attract more job hunters. We were so looking forward to staying in our Lodge next month but sadly due to illness we are unable to, so sampling the Hotel will have to wait. If anyone is selling a 2/3bedroom Lodge in weeks 14 or 15, with a walk in shower, easy access and parking, please let us know? We would like to try a different time of year and our family already own a Lodge in these weeks, so it would be good to spend time with them at Rannoch. Many thanks. Meanwhile, we hope that you are all able to enjoy your holidays at Rannoch and make the most of the Hotel.