One of the largest single investments ever made by Scotland’s oldest registered trading company, it heralds a new era for the company, with the sixth generation of the Leckie family having steered the project.

New venues include EAST, an Asian small plates concept; The Ballroom Bar, an elegant, relaxed, contemporary day-to-night bar; and The Winter Garden, an airy Victorian heritage space which has been modernised and offers all-day dining.  A new panoramic brunch and afternoon tea destination with sweeping views over Strathearn Valley, Loggia has been introduced. 

Menus across all the new restaurants champion the very best of Scottish provenance, with Crieff Hydro’s team of chefs working closely with the long-standing local suppliers to bring as much local and regional produce to the heart of the menus.

The project vision was set by Richard and Charlie Leckie - the sixth generation of the Leckie family to be involved at Crieff Hydro, working alongside Fiona Leckie, the longstanding head of interiors. Support was provided by Denholm Partnership Architects, which has worked with Crieff Hydro on a number of key projects over the last two decades, with all interiors concepts and designs created by Glasgow-based 3 Design. The fit-out of the entire project was undertaken by principal contractors Thomas Johnstone.

The revamped interior and design concepts bring an uplifting, contemporary feel with modern twists on the hotel’s heritage. Whilst the new restaurant and bar spaces are vast, the design and layout has ensured the table spaces have an intimate feel with each restaurant space uniquely defined with its own distinct personality and character. 

The Ballroom Bar was pivotal to the whole layout, with an oak stained, glass and metal work gantry. The bookcase wall with the hidden door leading to the adults-only speakeasy bar is a completely new concept for the hotel.

Elements of the existing design from the public areas were brought into the new spaces but with new colourways to create a luxurious, elegant and timeless feel. Inspiration came from the Crieff Hydro archives, with curios dotted around the new spaces, including 1 penny payment stamps, wax seals, photographs, original branding and books.  90% of the artwork is bespoke and from Scottish artists.

Stephen Leckie, CEO, Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “This is our single biggest project in decades and opens another significant chapter in Crieff Hydro’s 157-year history. For us, investment large and small is always about creating something better for our guests and for our team here. This is no exception, but the scale of the transformation I believe will really put us on the map for food and drink in Scotland.

“We’re incredibly excited to share these new spaces with our loyal guests and those discovering Crieff Hydro for the first time and we’re confident that the variety and style of the new venues will broaden our appeal and create even more memorable experiences for guests staying or dining with us.

“It’s fitting that as we look to fulfil the needs of a new generation of Crieff Hydro customers, that this project has been driven by the next generation of my own family. We know that our guests are looking for unique experiences, not just any standard hotel restaurant and bar. As an independent business we have more freedom and flexibility to create something really unique.”

Charlie Leckie, associate director, Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “My brother Richard and I were very aware that refurbishing the restaurants and bars was a chance to bring them right up to date for our own generation. Like many of our guests, we enjoy the variety of interesting places to eat and drink around Scotland or further afield. So, we wanted to bring some of the best of that to Crieff Hydro.

“We really believe that a wide choice of food and drink is such an important part of a guest’s experience and shouldn’t just be ‘ok’ – it needs to be right up there with what people expect of their favourite West End eateries whether that’s in Edinburgh, Glasgow or beyond. So, we’ve tried to take the best of all that but deliver it in a way that is uniquely Crieff Hydro and fits in with all the history and tradition we’re both so proud of.”

Suzy Kingswood, director at 3 Design, added: “One of the project’s objectives was for Crieff Hydro to be positioned as an attractive, ‘must-visit’ destination for locals and non-residents – somewhere for everyone to enjoy. It was felt that Crieff Hydro was still largely considered a traditional hotel for overnight guests, so part of our brief was to create spaces that would put Crieff Hydro on the map as a dining destination for guests.

“We wanted to ensure that the spaces worked together but retained a sense of their own identity, staying true to Crieff Hydro’s history but evolving to the future. Every space was designed to have a luxurious, timeless elegance.  Our vision was for The Ballroom Bar to look like it was always intended to be there. None of the wall ceiling mouldings have changed, but instead these were enhanced to suit the new décor.

“We were keen to reference the hotel’s history and heritage in the new design concepts, so we’ve brought elements of existing design from the public areas into the new spaces but introduced new colourways. We took inspiration from archives of historical documents – 1 penny payment stamps, wax seals, and old share certificates – all nods to the history of Crieff Hydro.”

Rod Paul, partner at Denholm Partnership Architects, said: “Crieff Hydro wanted to revitalise the Food and Beverage (F&B) offering to reflect changes in the marketplace, changes in clientele profile/ expectation and to create new facilities and F & B offerings that reaffirm their place as market leaders as a family holiday destination. Crieff Hydro has maintained this position by constantly reinvesting in the business and the facilities for guests and it was time for the core facilities within the main hotel building to be reinvigorated.

“Carrying out such extensive works and creating something ‘new’ within such a magnificent building was a significant challenge. This is a building that is full of memories and significant associations for many of the customers (and staff) and the building still carries the romance and spirit of its history. A significant part of this history is that it has been continuously remodelled, improved and adapted over the years reflecting the changing demands and fashions of the hospitality industry.

“The shared vision of the Client, Interior Designer and Denholm Partnership Architects was to seamlessly incorporate this character and history into something completely new and contemporary for the current hospitality market.

“The younger generation of Crieff Hydro’s team are becoming much more involved in the future vision of the business and in the execution of projects and this project was very much driven by the younger generation (with support from the more experienced members of their team).

“For us it was very exciting to experience the vibrancy and youthful energy of this younger generation and to get to know them whilst having the benefit of the wisdom and experience to guide when required. It has been a joy to work with the team at Crieff Hydro and to see further advancement of the business and the enhancement of the buildings and legacy.”