Six decades in the business

Keeping it in the family: Beverley, Nicol and Grant Manson

A HIGHLAND family is celebrating a major milestone after chalking up six decades in the licensed trade.

Donald Manson first opened the Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness in March 1958, expanding the business in the following decades through the acquisitions of the Hanover Private Hotel, Struan House and Riverside House Hotel.

In 2003, the family acquired the Haughdale Hotel, renaming it The Waterside Hotel; four years later they sold the Glen Mhor in order to concentrate on The Waterside. Donald’s son, Nicol, spent his entire working life in the family business, alongside wife Beverley.

Now, The Waterside is run by their son, Grant, who said the business continues to evolve in an industry which has “undergone a seismic change” in the past 60 years.

“It is incumbent on us all to tailor our hotels and restaurants to what people are looking for, not to foist outdated ideas on them,” said Grant.