Scores Hotel Temporarily Closes

Scores Hotel in St Andrews closed on Wednesday, 6 October for 18 months, according to The Courier.

The hotel went up for sale in early 2020 and the property was acquired by new owners in early 2021. After 34 years of family ownership, the new owners have “extensive refurbishment plans” for the building.

Overlooking the Old Course and West Sands, the hotel, formerly known as the Best Western Scores Hotel, has been a historic and significant property in St Andrews for nearly a century. The hotel advertises itself as being the “closest hotel to the world-famous Old Course and the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse.” The 36-bedroom hotel will undergo construction for the predicted duration of the closure to enhance the property. This was a decision that was not taken lightly, according to the owners.

Savills, acting on behalf of Wirefox,have obtained the 3,000 square foot hotel for an undisclosed amount. Steven Fyfe, associate director in the Hotel Capital Markets team at Savills Glasgow, said the reconstruction brings “plenty of opportunity to add value” and that “the new owners plan to invest further capital to extend and enhance the property creating more jobs for the local economy.”

Despite the new owners’ confidence in the potential value of the refurbishment, the closure will continue long into 2022, meaning the hotel will not be open for the 150th Open Championship. On a five-year rotation, the tournament was scheduled for 2020 but was cancelled — for the first time since the Second World War — due to the pandemic. The world-famous tournament will be hosted on the Old Course, with the hotel only a short walk away.

The hotel is listed as unavailable for the foreseeable future on all major booking sites.