Pledge from new owners of Kirkcaldy’s Dean Park Hotel

And Colin Smart, who owns Kingdom Homes, says it will remain operating as a hotel.

It is the first time the business has changed hands since it was opened by Eddie Melville in October 1977 - and, as far as the incoming owners are concerned, it is business as usual.

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Mr Smart, who runs 12 residential care home across Fife, says his family will be heavily involved in the transformation of the Dean Park.

“We are all very excited about this venture,” he said. “We have been looking to buy a hotel for some time, and the Dean Park is a place we all know very, very well.

“It is a lovely hotel with huge potential, and our aim is make it the best hotel in Fife, if not Scotland.”

The new owners, who have not been named, are set to invest £1m in the hotel.

Confirming the change of ownership, Dean Melville, Kingdom Hotel’s managing director, said “I am delighted to confirm that we have sold the Dean Park Hotel to a local businessman whom I know very well.

“He has been looking for this type of opportunity for a while and has great plans to run it as a family owned and managed hotel.”