DESCRIPTION
Crown Guest House is an attractive and substantial mid-terrace late-Victorian villa, with a great many attractive original period features. Located in the much sought-after Crown area, benefiting from a prominent position close to the city centre, but in a very popular area for those seeking holiday and business accommodation in Inverness.
This imposing building, of stone construction, is ideally located both as a family home and a trading entity, being both close to a plethora of amenities locally including schooling. The property offers both a well-established home and a strong trading platform, making this a perfect home and income earning opportunity. The letting bedrooms and public areas reflect a good level of comfort with the new owners being able to stamp their own personality on the business. The business currently trades 8 quality letting bedrooms, all with en-suites or private facilities, and a well-appointed dining room. An attractive feature of this sale is the separate and private owners’ accommodation to the rear aspects. Though currently configured to a 1-bedroom en-suite facility, Room 8, which is en-suite, could be subsumed into owner’s accommodation. The property has a yard to the rear with some external storage.
The letting accommodation is generally well presented, providing a good level of guest facilities, in combination with the attractive dining room, and spacious 1-bedroom owner’s accommodation, Crown Guest House presents a highly desirable “home and income” lifestyle opportunity.
TRADE
Presently, the vendor lives off site and leases out the owner’s accommodation in addition to the letting bedrooms. However, new owners living in situ within the guest house could reasonably operate the 7 / 8 letting bedrooms which offer the ability to trade up to or beyond the VAT threshold, generating a strong level of profitability. As with many businesses in the Crown area of Inverness, the Crown Guest House trades purely on a bed and breakfast basis. Operating on a mainly year-round basis, the business provides a commendable level of turnover which translates into a strong income, thus providing a good quality of life from an easy to operate business model. During the main 7-month season (Easter – October) income is derived from a varied customer base including business travellers and general tourists. During the quieter winter months trade remains buoyant as Inverness benefits from year-round visitors and individuals working in the city.
The business has a solid presence on the internet utilising the Eviivo automated booking platform. The guest house also advertises through VisitScotland and has a 3-star grading. In addition, the business has solid reviews on a number of review sites (TripAdvisor etc.). Crown Guest House does not have its own website but this is an area of business development for new owners; as is the use of social media. The business has a strong trading record in recent years with solid profitability. Moreover, given the location and stature of this walk-in proposition, it is believed that there would be little concern over future sustainability.
PROPERTY
Of traditional construction Crown Guest House is an attractive detached villa, built around 1880, of stone construction under a pitched slate roof. There is a sympathetic extension to the rear of the property under a flat roof. Accommodation is laid out over three floors.
PUBLIC AREAS
Entrance to the building is via a small well-maintained garden which is laid to grass and gravel. Through a solid wood door, a tiled vestibule leads to an etched glass door which in turn presents a spacious reception hallway. The breakfast room is situated immediately to the left and provides with its large bay window a bright and airy dining experience, being set to 14 covers. The breakfast room has many period features reflecting the property’s Victorian origins. The cast iron fireplace is most attractive, as is the recessed shelving units, decorative cornicing and ornate ceiling rose plus high skirting boards. Such features are readily observed throughout the property and add an air of charm of a bygone era. The reception hallway leads to the stairway with a stunning cast-iron balustrade and takes guests to 7 of the letting bedrooms on the first and second floors. Bedroom 8 is situated on the ground floor, as is the owner’s accommodation. Within the second-floor landing is a coloured glass skylight which provides an abundance of natural light and presents a warming feature.
LETTING BEDROOMS
Crown Guest House has 8 spacious and well-appointed letting bedrooms configured as follows:
Room 1 - Triple (1 double and 1 single) bedroom with private shower room
Room 2 - Triple (1 double and 1 single) bedroom with en-suite shower room
Room 3 - Twin bedroom with private shower room
Room 4 - Twin bedroom with en-suite shower room
Room 5 - Small double / single bedroom with en-suite shower room
Room 6 - Double bedroom with en-suite shower room
Room 7 - Triple bedroom (double and single) with en-suite shower room
Room 8 - Small double / single with en-suite shower room
All rooms are pleasantly furnished and provide television, radio/alarms and hospitality trays. Each bedroom has ample storage, very good fixtures and fittings plus furniture of good quality. The bathrooms are well-presented with some being upgraded in recent years.
GROUNDS
The frontage of the building has direct access via a garden to the pedestrian pavement on Ardconnel Street. The front garden is simply maintained with a small lawn and entry is via an iron gate. A rear garden area is mainly laid to paving and gravel providing a pleasant private family area. Two sheds facilitate ample additional storage and are suitable for securing guest bikes etc. Roadside parking on the main road is available through the issue of permits obtained from the local council. Public parking is available just across from the guest house and is free throughout the evening.
SERVICES
The property benefits from all mains services; electricity, gas, water and drainage. The building has gas-fired central heating. The business has a fire-alarm system and benefits from highspeed broadband.
