Glen Wright, owner of the town’s Dryfesdale Country House Hotel, has now taken over the 21 bedroom Queens, which was on the market for around half a million pounds.
All seven existing members of staff have been kept on with plans to recruit another five full time employees soon and the possibility of more jobs in the future.
Glen said: “The Dryfesdale Hotel is at full capacity over 80 per cent of the year. “We are constantly turning down guests as we’re full up.
I thought about extending the hotel but decided to invest in a well known Lockerbie site instead.
“The two hotels will be sister companies, working in partnership, with all bookings systems going through the Dryfesdale base.”
Glen has an 18-month vision for the hotel which includes transforming the dining room and restaurant, axing the small swimming pool and creating another nine bedrooms.
Glen, who has also owned Auchen Castle Hotel and Moffat House Hotel, plans to give the Queensastylish makeover, joking that it will be in keeping with his take ona‘50 Shades of Grey’ theme-decked out in various hues of his favourite interior colour, mirroring the Dryfesdale.
Excited to fix up the venue, he said: “Me and my team are really excited to have taken over the Queens Hotel and hope going forward we can make a success of it.”
He added: “Lockerbie is such a great town and I’m very happy to now have a second hotel in this great area.”
And discussing the town’s potential, he said: “Castle Douglas is known as the food town, but I really think Lockerbie has the potential to become the eating town.
“There’s some fantastic eateries in Lockerbie, including our Dryfesdale Hotel. Lockerbie is definitely on the way up and I hope the Queens Hotel can add to that.”
