Gleneagles set for £200m sale

The Highland venue of Gleneagles is to put up for sale after its owner Diageo announced it had received ‘numerous expressions of interest’ since the Ryder Cup was contested there last September.

The five-star Perthshire resort, which houses three golf courses and 232 guest rooms, could fetch in excess of £200 million.

Diageo has owned Gleneagles since 1984, three years after it was sold by British Rail. Property firm Jones Lang LaSalle has now been drafted in to seek potential buyers. US private equity firm KSL Capital Partners, which owns the Belfry, is said to be among the companies expressing an interest.

A spokesman for Diageo said: “Gleneagles is one of the UK’s finest luxury hotels and one of the world’s most fantastic golf resorts. We are sure there are many people who would love to own Gleneagles, and have received numerous expressions of interest over the years, and particularly since the Ryder Cup.”

The King’s and Queen’s golf course opened its doors in 1919, while the third, the PGA Centenary Course, was created by Jack Nicklaus in 1993, and served as the host course for the Ryder Cup.

The hotel site includes an activities centre with a shooting school which was originally named after Formula One champion Sir Jack Stewart, and an equestrian centre that was named after horseman Mark Phillips, Princess Anne’s former husband.

New features have also been added, the latest of which being the Gleneagles Arena. A £650,000 indoor tennis centre and conference venue, it is due for completion in the spring.