Roy Brett to oversee F&B development at St Andrews Scores hotel under new ownership

Roy Brett, chef-patron of Ondine in Edinburgh, is to oversee the development of food and beverage concepts at the Scores hotel in St Andrews following an 18-month renovation of the property under new ownership and management.

Wirefox, owned by Belfast property developer BJ Eastwood, will lead the development, while Valor Hospitality will provide hospitality development consulting services and manage the 36-bedroom property on reopening.

US-based Links Collection and Wirefox acquired the property from the Mann family, who owned and operated the hotel for the past 34 years. The hotel closed to begin refurbishment in October 2021.

The refurbishment will include an expansion and Brett will work in conjunction with Valor Hospitality’s global restaurant team, headed by Chris Martha, Matt Gray and London-based interior design firm Goddard Littlefair. Brett will be heavily involved in the kitchen and restaurant redesign as well as the development of multiple dining outlets, including a restaurant, bar, café, garden patio and outdoor terrace.

Euan McGlashan, chief executive and global co-founder at Valor Hospitality Partners, said: "Our team is thrilled to begin operating and overseeing the Scores hotel amid its much-anticipated refurbishment. Valor Hospitality’s deep understanding of the hotel industry will ensure the property is set up for nothing but success.

“It was an ideal fit to partner with Robert, Jonathan and Wirefox for this venture, and the Scores property in St Andrews was the natural next step in our global portfolio expansion. We look forward to bringing our unique luxury experience to every aspect of the property as we have done in our safari lodges in Africa, as well as some of our bigger golf projects such as Fancourt golf resort in South Africa and McLemore in the US.”

The hotel plans to employ approximately 70 local staff members when it reopens in 2023. A spokesperson said that "due to the scale of the renovation project, staff redundancies were necessary. However, with the hospitality jobs market currently buoyant, we understand that most of the former employees have since found work."

The Scores hotel combines Seaton House, an 1864 Victorian property, with an 1880s boys’ school, St Salvator’s. The two buildings were formally joined together in 2012 to create additional suites within the hotel.