The Rob Roy Hotel is one of the west of Scotland’s best known small hotels.
Sitting at the gateway to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs in the village of Aberfoyle, it is a popular stopover for tourists and holidaymakers.
Its proximity to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park also means that the hotel’s owner and managing director, Mike Anderson, is conscious of the impact that the business is making on the environment.
Mike managed to secure a loan which has helped the Rob Roy Hotel not only improve its energy efficiency but also develop as a business.
The small business loans has, quite literally, helped Mike see the light “After our assessment was carried out, we looked at the report and we decided to act on our lighting and glazing,” says Mike. “We decided to replace every single light bulb in the hotel with energy saving light bulbs and our interest free loan also covered the cost of fitting double glazing to our public rooms.”
Mike estimates that the changes are saving the business around 10 to 15% on its energy costs.
These savings are just one of the benefits that Mike has identified. “We’re benefiting from the added value the scheme offers,” says Mike. “The upgrades are helping us achieve our business target of moving from a two star to a three star hotel.”
Mike is an advocate of the scheme and is now working with a business advisor and an energy consultant to improve the energy efficiency of the Rob Roy’s sister hotel, The King Robert, in Stirling.
“You have to think of this scheme as professional consultancy, like employing an accountant or a lawyer,” he said. “Consultants come to your business, look at how you operate and identify areas where you could improve. If this was another part of a company’s operation then such feedback would come at a cost. This advice comes for free.”
