Hilton Craigendarroch re-launches as Hilton Grand Vacations Club Resort
Hilton Worldwide is to launch its first UK stand-alone timeshare venture in Craigendarroch, Aberdeenshire, later this month following an investment of £4.1m.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Craigendarroch Suites opens on 29 July, after the conversion of what was previously a 45-bedroom Hilton hotel into 32 vacation club suites.
It is hoped that the new-look business, which includes improvements to the venue's restaurants, lounge and leisure facilities, will attract an additional 5,000 tourists to the resort annually.
Richard McIntosh, managing director, Hilton Grand Vacations Europe, Middle East & Africa, said that concentrating on timeshare at Carigendarroch will remove the confusion between the former hotel, which has a high number of wedding and conference guest and the leisure focus of the rest of the resort.
"Focusing on leisure guests will help drive up occupancy as the hotel previously ran at around 75% capacity, while the timeshare element runs at 95%," he explained. "This will mean good news for the local economy.
"We anticipate that a large percentage of our guests will be from around Scotland, taking advantage of proximity to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, but we also expect a significant number of international Hilton Grand Vacations Members exchanging their local timeshare options to explore Scotland."
There are two other Hilton Grand Vacations Club Resorts in Scotland - at Dunkeld and Coylumbridge - which both exist beside Hilton hotels. However, the 175-bedroom Hilton Coylumbridge is currently on the market for £6.5m, to be sold free of all Hilton management and branding.
