Haydn Fentum, the Chairman of Bespoke Hotels, has announced his intention to upgrade the Dornoch Hotel to accommodate the anticipated new wave of golfing visitors to the area should the new world class golf course at Coul Links be given the green light.

This would meet the needs of higher value golf tourists and aligns well with local strategies to drive ‘Slow Tourism’ by encouraging visitors to stay in a place for longer periods of 9me and return in the future.

Mr Fentum said “I wish all involved every success in crea9ng a new golf course at Coul Links. We would see this development as a major addi9on to the area and, as such, would use it as the catalyst to reposi9on the Dornoch Hotel to offer accommoda9on to a wider range of visitors that would benefit the region as a whole. Investment of circa £5m would create 30 – 40 new jobs and local contractors would be used to carry out the renova9on. All in all, the crea9on of a golf course as has been proposed would be a wonderful springboard for further investment and jobs throughout the towns and villages of the Dornoch Firth.”

Gordon Sutherland, a Director of Communites for Coul and a Dornoch resident, said: “Following the announcement of the proposed Coul Links Hotel, we are delighted to see further commitment to major investment in the area should we be succesful in achieving planning permission for a golf course on land at Coul Links.’ We will be working closely with Bespoke and the UHI to ensure local people are prioiritsed for jobs.”