Knipoch House Hotel, Oban, officially re-opens as part of the Sonas boutique hotel group
The family owned Sonas Collection officially relaunched Knipoch House, the newest member of their boutique hotel group, with a grand opening gala on Friday attended by more than 50 officials, tourism and community leaders and members of the press.
With warm Highland hospitality, delicious fare showcasing Argyll’s rich larder, tours, lively games, charity raffles and dazzling entertainment, Owner and Director Anne Gracie-Gunn, Head of HR Jennifer Gracie, Group General Manager Andreas Maszczyk and the entire Sonas team pulled out all the stops for a glittering evening that truly demonstrated their motto, “Tha sonas na àite gun samhail,” or “Happiness is a unique place.”
Sonas was founded on Skye by Anne and her late husband Ken, who was from Oban, from their passion for sailing and desire to showcase the beauty of the Hebridean waters, the Gaelic language and culture through exceptional hospitality. The 26-bedroom hotel marks the fourth property for the Collection as the largest hotel and the first outside of the Isle of Skye.
“I, together with my highly skilled team at Sonas are truly delighted to be relaunching this wonderful property which I have admired from afar for many years,’ Anne said. “It is a perfect fit for our Skye based collection and will enable us to offer our guests yet another location to explore under the Sonas Brand.”
In thanking the attendees, Anne spoke of her 20 year journey that started with buying and renovating one run down hotel on Skye and now involves running four stylish family-run boutique hotels whose accolades include Scottish Hotelier of the Year and a Gold Laurel as one of Scotland’s ‘most visionary entrepreneurs.’
Knipoch, which was owned and run by the Craig family as a hotel since the 1980s, sits in an enviable location on the shores of scenic Loch Feochan six miles south of Oban. The elegant historic estate with so much potential had caught Anne’s eye, and one day when she and Andreas were discussing possible additions to their portfolio and looking at sales listings, it came up.
“Oh, that yellow hotel, that’s a nice place,” Anne mused. “Anyway, the rest is history. We came down and had a wee look, and then another wee look, and that was it. We thought ‘this is a sleeping giant and we have to get this in the bag.’ When, on my journeys, I used to pass this lovely hotel, little did I think we’d be sitting here tonight.
“It has been a great pleasure to have worked alongside each of our skilled tradespeople to develop this well-known venue in Argyll and our staff have been so amazing. Through thick and thin they delivered all summer, and we are actually two and half years ahead of where we thought we would be.”
Within the past nine months Sonas Collection has invested over £1 million to reinvent this delightful, prestigious hotel with a complete renovation to the bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, bar and lounge, with huge success. Dating back to the 1600s, the hotel retains its historic charm with original fireplaces, stone walls and wood panelling with all the modern comforts of super-king-sized beds, and opulent fittings.
Guests can enjoy amenities like a private hot tub and walking paths through nature from the hotel. Additional offerings are planned to continually improve upon the guest experience, including a spa and an outdoor terrace barbecue and dining area, as well as six ensuite staff bedrooms and kitchen.
“Since we took over, the hotel has been awarded a Rising Star Hotel award and it is wonderful to get to work with the team to relaunch the ‘sleeping beauty’, said Andreas. “The Knipoch House is an iconic country house hotel. The investment already completed has created the most beautiful new rooms, and the hotel is perfectly located for leisure and business.”
“The renovations are a very welcome addition to our hospitality sector,” said Lord Provost Maurice Corry. “There’s a lot of ingenuity and hard work that has gone into relaunching Knipoch. It’s a real example of what we can do. It brings jobs to the area too, and we need this sort of level of quality in Argyll and Bute, which we’re quite capable of producing because we’ve got the talent to do it. As the Lord Provost of the Council, we fully support this sort of venture and long may it continue.”
For more information and to book a stay, visit: sonascollection.com/our-hotels/knipoch/
There are some fantastic overnight offers and packages.
A house with history
The Craig family opened Knipoch House as a hotel in 1981, but before this, for centuries it was a family home. With the original lodge dating from the 15th century, it’s no wonder that Knipoch has played an interesting part in Argyll’s fascinating history. In 1592, Campbell, Thane of Cawdor was assassinated here at the ’House of Knipoch in Lorne’; providing an association with Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
During the Second World War, then owners Major Guy and Mrs Mellor, who sold the house around 1970, welcomed children to Knipoch who were evacuated from Glasgow in a last minute operation to protect them from the threat of German bombers.
According to Betty Irvine, who recorded her experience for the Wartime Memories Project, war was declared while she was on the train to Oban with about ten boys and girls of various ages. Her memories of that time were very happy as she was evacuated for three years and nine months.
She remembers fondly Major and Mrs Mellor and her teacher, Miss Cameron, who taught the children in the Drawing Room of the House. Among the distinguished guests at Knipoch House’s grand opening gala
on Friday was the grandson of the Mellors, James “Jamie” Mellor and his wife, Morag Mellor, whose farm is just a few hundred metres from the hotel. Jamie grew up in the house after moving up from England when he was about five years old, and he has many fond memories of those days.
“It was our home until 1970, when we sold it to the Craig family,” Jamie reminisced. “We lived with my grandmother, she was quite a tough lady.”
Pointing around the newly renovated grand dining room, Jamie remembered how his grandmother built that section between 1920 and 1930, when his grandfather was away in Canada. “Next door, the mantelpiece was made from a bit of wood from Ypres cathedral that my grandfather brought back from the First World War. When they put the cathedral back together again there was a bit missing!
“It was a big house and there were only three of us here with 13 bedrooms. There was no central heating in the house, and because it was north facing, it was often quite cold. But I went to Kilninver Primary School, which I loved, and we had six caravans on the shore of the loch, so there were hundreds of children here in the summer.
It was a good time and a great place to grow up. I wish Anne and her team the best of luck. I think the new Knipoch House Hotel is going to be very successful.”
Dining at Knipoch
Knipoch House Hotel offers high-end, modern Scottish dining in its onsite restaurants headed by Chef Andrew Engledow, who has joined the hotel from his previous position at the groups Duisdale House Hotel. Andrew has a focus on locally sourced ingredients from Argyll and seasonal flavours that reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding area whilst introducing a unique twist to his dishes. Oban Pastry Chef Polly Inglis has recently joined the team, creating beautiful and indulgent treats inspired by the seasons. Non residents are welcome to book for Sunday lunch and dinner.
Click here to view the current evening menu (variable as the menu changes with the seasons)
About Sonas Collection
The Sonas Collection began in 2003 with the intimate Skye gem, Toravaig. Owners, Ken and Anne operated the hotel as a perfect companion to the adventures they offered on their yacht Solus due to Ken’s nautical skills and Toravaig’s seaside location. As demand grew, Anne and Ken added Duisdale House to their portfolio in 2007, just just three miles from Toravaig, renovating the Victorian mansion into the much-loved characterful hotel it is today.
Eight years later, the collection expanded with the addition of the iconic Skeabost, just north of Portree. And at this time, Anne’s daughter, Jen and her family joined the business. The latest addition in 2023 further down the coast on the outskirts of the charming town of Oban is the delightful Knipoch Hotel.
As a family run business for twenty years, Sonas Collection operates with the ethos to provide genuine Highland hospitality delivered with passion from the heart at every level, showcasing the best of Skye and the Scottish west coast to visitors from near and afar.
Find our more at www.sonascollection.com
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