ONE OF Scotland’s most famous hotels has exchanged hands for £70m – for the second time in 12 months.
The five-star Cameron House Hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond boasts two golf courses, a spa, 132 rooms and 184 timeshare lodges.
It also houses a Michelin-starred restaurant, has hosted celebrity weddings and was once a regular haunt for the Scottish national football side.
The resort, which charges up to £800 per night, was bought by QHotels last November who beat off a range of other bidders to secure the De Vere-owned property.
But now, they have sold it to American investment firm KSL Capital Partners, for a sum estimated to be between £70million and £80 million.
KSL, who also own the Belfry golf course near Birmingham, were among the disappointed bidders in the £150 million auction of Gleneagles this past summer.
However, their newest acquisition is sure to provide some consolation.
The luxury hotel was once the home of the Smollett family, the most famous of whom was 18th century novelist Tobias Smollett.
It has seen a wealth of celebrities pass through its doors including British Prime Ministers Sir Winston Churchill and Sir Anthony Eden, as well as Princess Margaret and Empress Eugenie of France.
There was even a time in the hotel’s history when owners turned it into a safari park, with Himalayan bears and bison roaming the grounds.
It now comes with four different restaurants – the most notable being Martin Wishart’s Michelin-star eatery.
New owners KSL describe themselves as “a private equity firm specialising in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services.”
The firm has offices in London, Denver, Colorado and Stamford, Connecticut, and since 2006 has completed deals in the travel and leisure industry worth more than £3.3 million.
Sales this year include the Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin chains.
