One of Scotland's most famous hotels has fallen into administration, with staff facing an uncertain future.
Mar Hall in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, is a five star establishment and category A listed building on the site of the former Erskine Hospital.
The hotel long served as a training base for the Scotland national men's football team ahead of international matches, before they switched to the new national performance centre at Oriam in 2016.
Manager Steve Clarke announced earlier this year that the team would move back to Glasgow, though they will train at Lesser Hampden rather than Mar Hall.
It has also welcomed some of the world's most famous stars on their visits to Scotland, with the likes of Beyonce, Oasis and Bob Dylan all staying in the five star hotel.
A statement from the administrators said: "On August 22, 2023, Andrew Dolliver, Kris Aspin and Luke Charleton of EY-Parthenon's Turnaround and Restructuring Strategy team were appointed as Joint Administrators of Mar Estates Limited, trading as Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort (“the Resort”).
"Located on a 240-acre woodland estate, Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort is a five-star luxury hotel near Glasgow, employing 118 staff.
"The Resort continues to trade on a business-as-usual basis. Existing bookings and gift vouchers remain valid. Any customer enquiries should be directed to info@marhall.com.
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"The Resort will be marketed for sale, with the Joint Administrators anticipating significant interest for this high-profile asset.
"Experienced hotel operators Michels & Taylor have been instructed to support the Joint Administrators in managing the Resort, pending a sale."
Michels and Taylor, who will run the premises while administrators seek a buyer, are experienced hoteliers.
The company was founded in 2010 by Sir David Michels and Hugh Taylor OBE, with the former receiving a knighthood in 2006 for his services to the hotel and hospitality industry following prominent roles at Stakis and Hilton.
The move into administration is not the first time Mar Hall has faced financial difficulty.
In 2021, planning permission was granted for 25 new houses to be built on greenbelt land next to the resort.
It was stated at the time that the development was needed to ensure the survival of the business.
While he offered no formal objection, council leader Iain Nicolson stated his fear that the approval could set a precedent.
He told the chamber: "We’ve got lots of hotels and businesses operating in the greenbelt and I wonder if they will roll up to this council and say 'can I have 30 houses at the back of my farm or hotel because I’ve got cash problems this year?'."
The council's head of economy and development Alisdair Morrison admitted it was "not normal" for officers to grant an application of that kind.
Mar Hall, the only five star hotel in Renfrewshire, was built from locally quarried stone and when it opened in 1845 had cost its commissioner Major General Robert W Stuart, the 11th Lord Blantyre, £50k - nearly £5million in today's money.
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When the Blantyre line died out the house was left derelict, but with World War I raging it was re-opened in 1916 as the Princess Louise Scottish Hospital of Limbless Sailors and Soldiers.
Due to the number of casualties on the battlefields of Europe there was a shortage of artificial limbs, and one of the hospital's founders, William MacEwen, developed a new prosthetic called the Erskine Limb with the help of engineers and workers at the nearby Yarrow Shipbuilders.
The innovation was to make the limbs very light, by creating a basket made of willow and leather into which the stump of the upper leg was fitted, with a long piece of lightweight wood below that and a rubber cap on the bottom.
A purpose-built veterans' care home in Bishopton was opened in 2000, with the former hospital building converted into Mar House hotel.
Opened in 2004 after a refit costing a reported £15m - £25.7m today - the hotel features a swimming pool, a gym, an 18 hole golf course and a full-sized 11-a-side football pitch in the grounds.
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