A leading hotel and restaurant in Aberdeen is under new ownership.
Gary Atkinson, founder of the award-winning Carmelite in Stirling Street, has increased his stake in the business and has been joined by a new partner.
Martin Kemp, who has managed hotels in London and Scotland, has bought a 50 per cent share in the business which was started two years ago.
The two now plan to open more Carmelites – which feature rooms, suites and restaurants – across the country and are already looking at sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Carmelite, in Stirling Street, Aberdeen, has won a string of national awards since opening in 2006.
It was the only restaurant in Aberdeen to be given a Gold Plate Award by Hotel Review Scotland.
In 2007 Carmelite scooped two prestigious awards at the Scottish Hotels of the Year Award when it won a Gold Medal for Best Hotel Bedroom Design for its Cabanel Suite, and was Highly Commended in the Rising Star category.
Atkinson said the move was a natural step after the Carmelite – which will still be managed by operations director David Trotter – had been firmly established in the market.
“We spent around £3 million creating Aberdeen’s first real boutique restaurant with rooms and suites and it has gone very well, but now it is time to take it to another level,” he said.
“Martin is vastly experienced in the industry and I am confident that we will be able to continue the success in Aberdeen while at the same time rolling out new hotels elsewhere in Scotland and England.
“It was always a vision to develop a small cluster of Carmelite properties round the country, and we are already looking at sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
Kemp is a former director of Forte Posthouse and was also a regional director for Posthouse in Scotland and Central London. He has been Managing Director of Cosmopolitan Hotels in Glasgow before returning to London to manage the Crowne Plaza hotel at Heathrow. Most recently he was Executive General Manager at Paramount hotels in Scotland.
He said: “I have followed the progress of Carmelite very closely and it has made a real impact on the hospitality and dining scene not only in Aberdeen but also by forging a national reputation.
“This is a great opportunity for me to help shape its future and hopefully bring the brand to new cities across Scotland and the rest of the UK.”
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