The SimpsInns story began just over 20 years ago when husband and wife team, Malcolm and Karen, bought the Old Loans Inn (formerly The Bruce Inn) in the village of Loans on the outskirts of Troon, in Ayrshire.
Since then the Old Loans Inn has been transformed into an award- winning 20-bedroom boutique hotel that is popular with golfers coming to play the championship courses on the venue’s doorstep or leisure guests looking for a base when exploring Ayrshire. SimpsInns now has a diverse product range and owns and operates hotels, restaurants, bars and golf and leisure facilities across Ayrshire. The company strap line is ‘Privately Owned, Proudly Independent’ and that ethos continues to this day with multiple sites in key locations along the Ayrshire coast. There are three four-star hotels in the group, a bustling restaurant called Si! in Irvine, and full golf, leisure and spa facilities at the Gailes:Golf:Leisure:Spa complex, adjacent to The Gailes Hotel. The group also owns Wilkinson Golf Travel, an inbound golf tour operator driving overseas business to Scotland, Ireland and the rest of the UK. At the end of 2016 work completed on a refurbishment programme on all 42 bedrooms at The Gailes Hotel, and plans are currently in place to develop the venue into a more expansive resort complex by adding further bedrooms, plus a greater spa and leisure offering. The stunning Waterside Hotel along the water’s edge in West Kilbride is the other SimpsInns hotel with 23 bedrooms and suites The group’s story continues to evolve with the promise of more exciting projects to add to an already impressive portfolio of hotels and venues. SimpsInns employs more than 300 staff during the busy high season, making it one of the key employers in the local area. Malcolm and Karen’s sons, Lee and Jack, also work in the business when not travelling or focusing on their university studies. The group has 85 bedrooms and a turnover of more than £10 million.