Buoyed by a jump in international advance bookings, Speyside’s family-run Dowans Hotel has gone out on a limb and predicted that it is on course for a ‘very strong 2025’.
The Aberlour venue, which is housed in a Victorian mansion amidst ornate gardens with views of the Spey Valley, has been owned and run by the Murray family since 2012.
At time of acquisition, the Murray’s undertook a major refurb with the help of Glasgow-based interior designer Chelsea Mclaine. The Dowans Hotel now has 16 en-suite rooms, styled with luxury brands including Charlotte James Furniture, Porter Romana Lights, Mulberry, and paint and textiles brand Zoffany.
The hotel includes the 57 restaurant, specialising in locally sourced, seasonal, and sustainable produce, and there are two bars – The Still, stocked with 650-plus single malt whiskies, and MBar, with beers from local micro-breweries such as Spey Valley and Speyside Brewery.
In total it employs 35 staff, and works closely with many local businesses, not least the wealth of distilleries nearby.
Lauren Murray said: “2024 was very busy for us, and we expect that 2025 will be an equally good year. I’m very excited for it. I am just hoping the weather is good!
“We’re getting a lot of bookings from across the UK this year, which is fantastic – we’re seeing a lot more staycationers coming back as people watch their pennies.
“We also have guests coming in from all over the world, and we’re starting to see more bookings coming in from our international guests, with interest from the North American and European markets in particular picking up pace.”
Lauren, whose family also owns Hotel 1881 in Archiestown, conceded that the backdrop ‘remains challenging’ for hospitality, but said that the Speyside area as a whole was ‘looking fairly strong’.
“We are so lucky with the community that we have here in Speyside, and we all work so closely together. We can phone each other up if we need help with something. That’s amazing, and it’s because we all want Moray Speyside to be the area people want to come to.
“There is so much that we can all do together, and we have such an eclectic offering, so it means that then when people are coming to the area, there is something for everybody.”
The Dowans Hotel is a member of Visit Moray Speyside, the area’s destination marketing organisation and tourism business improvement district.
VMS is currently preparing for its renewal ballot that closes on March 20 regarding the potential extension of its operations for another five years.
Its stated aims include helping grow local tourism to 1 million visitors and £200 million of economic impact per year by 2027, up from the latest figures of 877,000 and £187m respectively.
Lauren added: “We absolutely love working with VMS – they’ve been such a support to us over the last few years, and have been crucial in increasing promotion of the area.”
