Loch Rannoch Highland Club Forums

For me it was a newsletter which stated the obvious in as much that “lodges need maintenance”.
This we all knew however there is maintenance which was needing dealt with long before the departure of the 2 members of staff referred to. Indeed in Pine Marten lodge 6 which was refurbished only 4 years ago there is a heavily corroded towel rail in the bathroom which stains the towels if they are put on the rails. In effect this means that this towel rail is unusable and when the refurbishment was done this was not renewed , nor was the bath or the wash hand basin.
These are likely to all be the original fittings and while maybe acceptable in a bothy, are not acceptable in a time share lodge which attracts increasing maintenance fees for owners and significant rental fees for those renting lodges.
There are a number of other defects in need of attention particularly in the patio area.
PM6 is by no means the only lodge which is in a neglected state.
It would seem that a satisfactory level of maintenance is not a long term priority at LRHC and the priority for spending is elsewhere

It was a very unexciting and uninspiring newsletter with comments which were cause for concern.

To make the books balance by "making a couple of redundancies" is great cause for concern, because if the rentals were so lucrative as we are constantly told, balancing books would not be an issue, unless this is down to the higher level of salaries, poor budgetary control or a lack of real net income after expenses.
Someone, somewhere, and I could take a wild guess, is not all they are cracked up to be.
Someone has to start taking ownership and responsibility for the overspending, inflated salaries and neglection of duties we have seen unfolding, rather than deflect the blame.
There is a level of toxicity at the club which I hoped had been extinguished. Respect and fear can be easily confused.
We have heard that story before.

Glad we are now recording lodge issues. This should have been done a long time ago, and if not, was poor management.

Re the flea incident, I am surprised this is the first time when we have so many rentals with dogs, and I take on board, this could have been an owner.
I have a dog who is monthly treated for this and I know other owners who do too, but again maybe if bringing a dog the questionnaire should request this info?

I was then expected exciting news about sales, but nothing.
That news went down the pan just like the cheap toilet roll news. I wonder why?

To " manage costs effectively" could be started elsewhere, but that would be controversial.

At least we will have a hub in the village which will be good for the village. It is good to see some real strategic planning there.

Like the cafe closing being disappointing, so too was the overall lack of club information for owners.
This is a massive concern and AGM could be interesting.

I have now been assured that the corroded towel rail in PM6 has now been replaced and that the defects in the patio area have now been rectified.
If anyone happens to be in PM6 before week 24, 2025 then it would be interesting to hear their opinion.
Hopefully all other lodges with similar defects will now be brought up to standard.

Further to the August newsletter which amongst other things , promotes the steak night deal etc.
Owners should be aware that the Dunalister hotel is now on the market and so this should be considered before making a deposit if booking well in advance.
I did the steak deal earlier this year and I think the deposit was £20.

So they won't be looking for a new restaurant manager then?

Maybe not. To be honest when I was there in June the restaurant was very disorganised and staff didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Food was excellent however.
I doubt if the restaurant Manager’s wage would meet the expectations of the local talent available.

Just like the changes that may well take take place at the Dunalastair, maybe it's time for change at the club?

We as a club need leadership, accountability,transparency, honesty and integrity and an acceptance of responsibilities.

There is no need for a narcissist or narcissistic behaviour?

These are traits I am yet to see, but if it comes to, in my opinion, wasting owners money and autocracy, we will definitely win a watch.

Well I think this is the first year we couldn't bear to stay for our full week in our Lodge, as we had an utterly miserable time. The Ensuite Bedroom continues to stinks to high heaven of dampness, which has over the decades rotted soft furnishings and carpets had to be replaced whilst wall paper peeled from walls, yet we were told that 'No dampness could be traced' Truly unbelievable!
The adjacent Bedroom's Bed was so damp it was impossible to use. We were left with the pull down 'Dog's Bed' in the Lounge Area. However, the Flat sheet had obviously not been changed and was still covered in Dog's Hairs and muddy paw prints, result I had to swap it around with another sheet, not something I had expected to do during a relaxing Rannoch week! The add insult to injury, the Matress which has been reported on so many occassions as being lumpy had STILL NOT been replaced! We resorted to using a Duvet as a Mattress Topper but after a few sleepless nights gave up and went home! We had expected Receptionist to enquire why we had chosen to cut short our stay, or at least to ask if we had enjoyed our holiday, but nothing, not even a friendly smile! Reminded me again just how much our HL43 is costing us in Maintenance Fees and yet it is barely habitable? Something has to change in the Management at Rannoch or the place should be closed, as Owners are being used as Money Trees getting absolutely nothing in return and I for one am extremely angry!

Thats truly shocking Ronnie. Everyone can’t be wrong and the poor maintenance of lodges is a recurring theme.
An acceptable level of maintenance ought to be a priority for LRHC owners and renters instead of promoting nearby businesses which may or may not have a close connection to the club. These are all very capable of promoting their own offers and benefits.
The main focus should be on the well being of the club and its owners.
Back to basics

I reported faults to the GM when I was at my lodge in July 2023.

Let's now roll on to same time this year.

The same faults existed only worse. The gutters and leaks reported amongst other issues, had now deteriorated to the extent that one night we had what could only be described as a waterfall. I have a video to prove.
I have now asked by email on numerous occasions addressed to " GM" why nothing was done last year after reporting to him and what I am witnessing in replies is a total refusal to admit responsibility to the fact that it was ignored and never followed up.
This is nothing unusual it would appear from what I have read on this forum and heard from other owners.
Even today I have heard about ongoing dampness issues persisting in certain lodges after been reported on numerous occasions.

It is this refusal to act, to admit responsibility in the role, focusing on renters, non transparency, overspending and been economical with the truth in so many areas that is frustrating and CANNOT continue.
Not everybody wants free electricity, a box of chocolates or a bottle of cheap plonk to keep quiet.
They just want a lodge they can call their own for the ever increasing fee they pay and feel comfortable for the duration of their stay.

We have to forget about the refurbs for now and bring lodges up to a habitable standard.

I do think too much staff time; energy and Management focus is on Renters. I've noticed in recent years the immediate assumption on arriving at Reception is that you're a Renter on a first visit, and no longer do OWNERS get any acknowledgement like 'Lovely to see you again!' Little things do matter, but unfortunately that particular boat has sailed!
Time to put an end to this farcical nonesense, it's now a mere money pit, many Lodges being well past their sell by date, and talk of Refurbishment Programme now merely a carrot dangled at the end of a very long line and Owners have lost ALL patience and confidence in anything improving. If I cant use my Lodge Week because of lack of Maintenance that I'm PAYING for then the Contract between Owners and Club Management has been broken, and now is time to admit 'The Cash Cows have dried up!' Original owners like myself who find their H/L uninhabitable now need to make use of their Maintenance Fee to book a replacement holiday, as we haven't got many years ahead of us to enjoy one!

Unfortunately so many owners are now feeling the same.
My wife after the last visit has commented that she does not know if she ever wants to go back just yesterday.

Her main gripe was the fact that if something is reported and nothing done , how can you TRUST the manager or management, and on that point, I cannot disagree.

What I have noticed over the last few years and has escalated is the use of ChatGpt and AI in responses to emails and in newsletters.
What this shows, in my opinion is a lack of respect to owners and worse, a lack of empathy.

An example of this is, as follows:

"As you may be aware, we recently underwent significant structural changes, including redundancies, and introduced new protocols to improve how we operate. We've received great feedback following these adjustments, and our focus is very much on creating a positive future for all members. While these transitions can sometimes result in slight delays, we are confident that the long-term benefits will be well worth it"

This was part of a reply in an email chain re outstanding answers which still remain unanswered.
P& K will also be in my opinion interested and in relation to long term benefits and positive future, this is light years away as the 5 year deals come to an end and owners want out.

We are now at a particular junction in the clubs history and all I can now see is the last and closing chapter which doesn't make good reading unfortunately.

The reality is that the club as a complex or development is now dated. If it had been properly maintained over the years and maintained well every year beyond the first few years in the 70’s then the current state of decay would not be so acute.
Its also questionable who was actually employed to do general maintenance on the site and how well qualified and experienced were they to fulfil that role.
Its easy to find someone to do a cheaper job but that’s often not the best option