A Scottish hotel which can trace its roots back around 250 years and counts poet Robert Burns among past lodgers has been put up for sale, with offers around £1.35 million sought.
The Selkirk Arms Hotel on Kirkcudbright High Street is being sold by Chris and Sue Walker, described by joint selling agents Graham + Sibbald and Smith & Clough Business Associates as “veterans in the hotel business in Dumfries and Galloway for around 40 years”.
Chris and Sue Walker have owned and operated the Selkirk Arms for 17 years, and the “sale will signal their retirement from the trade”, the joint agents noted.
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Graham + Sibbald and Smith & Clough said that a “hostelry at the Selkirk Arms has been in existence for well over 250 years”.
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The hotel, which has 17 letting bedrooms, notes on its website: “The Selkirk Arms Hotel dates back from 1777 and is known to have had Robert Burns as a lodger on several occasions around 1794. Although there are conflicting stories as to the origin of The Selkirk Grace, many believe that it was at this very hotel that Burns penned the famous grace prior to attending a dinner hosted by the Earl of Selkirk at his home on St Mary's Isle.”
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Graham + Sibbald and Smith & Clough said: “The Selkirk Arms Hotel is everything you can expect of a good and attractive townhouse hotel property – offering 17 ensuite letting bedrooms, bars, restaurants, lounges and meeting rooms, complemented by an enclosed garden area with seating terrace for alfresco F&B (food and beverage) activities.”
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Alistair Letham, a hotel and leisure consultant with Graham + Sibbald, said: “The Selkirk Arms Hotel has been a well-established hospitality venue for many years. In their tenure, Chris and Sue Walker have spent many years upgrading and developing the property, creating the now-profitable business. New owners can capitalise upon the secure income which is showing further growth in 2024.”
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Graeme Smith, a director with Smith & Clough, said: “Having worked alongside Alistair on several occasions, we are delighted to be jointly marketing the Selkirk Arms Hotel on behalf of Chris and Sue Walker. Over the years, they have established the hotel as one of the finest establishments in the area with a very steady trading performance which produces high levels of profitability.”
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