Case study: Edinbane Lodge Staff Accommodation
The Cumberland Building Society has supported the purchase of a dedicated staff accommodation property for an award-winning restaurant on the Isle of Skye.
The funding allows Edinbane Lodge, which provides hospitality rooms alongside its fine dining restaurant, to buy a property close to the business, around two minutes’ walk away. The building had previously housed staff under a rental agreement with a third party.
It follows a funding package from The Cumberland in 2023 which was used to refinance and refurbish Edinbane Lodge a former hunting lodge which dates back to 1543. The latest support now means the business owns the staff accommodation building instead of renting it.
Supporting the Lodge’s continued growth, it will make it easier to recruit top culinary chefs and staff to a tourist hotspot that’s traditionally hard to commute to.
It also strengthens The Cumberland’s track record in supporting hospitality businesses, with the building society offering commercial lending, current accounts, and savings accounts to organisations operating in the sector*.
The Cumberland’s Commercial Team works with organisations across Scotland and the North of England, and it has built a strong relationship with Edinbane Lodge over several years.
Owned and run by the Montgomery family since 2017, Edinbane Lodge has built its reputation on its food and drink offering.
In the kitchen, chef Calum Montgomery, draws on the Isle of Skye’s produce and landscapes for a menu that has earned international recognition.
To give an authentic experience to guests, the restaurant’s kitchen uses local produce using handdived scallops, local venison, foraged herbs and produce grown by nearby crofters.
Alongside its five-star accommodation, the lodge is a significant employer on an island where seasonal demand and the cost of living both put pressure on the local workforce. With its new building, Edinbane Lodge aims to take some of that pressure off its staff.
Calum Montgomery, owner of Edinbane Lodge, said: “Finding somewhere for our team to live is one of the biggest challenges of running a hospitality business on the Isle of Skye.
“With housing in short supply, having our own staff house reduces that pressure and gives our employees somewhere secure to live while they build a career here.
“We have a longstanding relationship with The Cumberland which goes back many years. As we looked to expand our offering for employees, they made the process straightforward and supported us to acquire exactly what we needed.”
Known for placing an emphasis on aiding businesses and the communities they are based in, The Cumberland focuses on developing relationships with those it works with.
This sees a dedicated Relationship Manager work to understand a customer’s business, their ambitions, and the challenges they face.
It was this approach which sparked Edinbane Lodge’s acquisition of the new building, with Neil mentioning he was exploring its purchase during a regular business review with The Cumberland.
As a result, The Cumberland’s Relationship Manager worked closely with Neil to see it come to fruition.
Steven Ret, Relationship Manager at The Cumberland, said: “What the Montgomery family has built at Edinbane Lodge speaks for itself and it is exactly the type of business we want to support. It is one which looks after its employees, supports local producers, and contributes to the community around it.
“You can tell how much they love the business and it comes through in how they talk about it and in everything they’ve achieved here over the years.
“We have a strong relationship with Neil and Calum. When the opportunity to support their business further arose, we knew it was something we should do. By understanding their business and by also having a strong relationship in place, we were able to help them secure the outcome they needed.”
With more than 30 years' experience of providing commercial lending to hospitality businesses, The Cumberland also supports organisations in the food and drink, healthcare, and professional services sectors.
*Terms and conditions apply