John Gibson: Overnight success in hotel trade

Don’t call it the Mount Royal. That’s a thing of the past. Formerly part of the Jarvis chain, which has gone into administration, the Princes Street hotel is from here on the Mercure Edinburgh.

Says general manager James Fraser, in hotels since he was 15, who studied hotel management for three years in Edinburgh at Napier, and started with Stakis from school: “We’re now Jupiter Hotels, a new entity. We’ve been bought in a joint venture 50-50 by RBS and Patron Capital.”

Mr Fraser has been around.The Normandy in Glasgow, 16 years with Stakis in England, before the Strathclyde Hilton, then two years in Inverness and on to Princes Street in 2010.

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He keeps low-key about his affiliation with Glasgow and a football club that’s through there.

His 158-room charge, in itself improving year on year since he took over, was built in 1864. So it’s always been within touching distance of the Castle.

Hard to Bo-lieve

We all had a right good chuckle over the illegal immigrant, a Bolivian, who couldn’t be deported because, a judge pronounced, separating him from his beloved pet cat would cause him “mental stress”.

All to do with ’uman rights and Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke was up to his Hush Puppies in it. Well, we expect something off the wall when he’s involved. Personally I think he’s gone a bit loopy.

So the Bolivian who should be on a boat home lives on a Britain, relishing the good life. Him and his moggy.

The judge’s name, incidentally, is James Devittie. Danny DeVito springs to mind.

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