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The owner of Scotland's only alcohol-free hotel has admitted that making it 'dry' scuppered his profits - but says that's not the reason he's selling up. The Stromness Hotel in Orkney became the country's sole dry hotel after it was acquired by Na'ím Anis Payman during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Albanian businessman said his decision not to serve alcohol at the 125-year-old establishment was a prioritisation of societal wellbeing over "profits for their own sake" and also linked the move to his Bahai religion. Mr Payman, 31, dug his heels in during an interview in late 2021, when he described drink as a "major negative contributing factor to the physical and mental wellbeing of a large proportion of society", but has since acknowledged that the move wasn't the most financially prudent.

However, he insisted that reduced profits had been worked into the original business plan and suggested "local prejudice" linked to the hotel's alcohol-free status had contributed to its closure by making it difficult to recruit staff.

Mr Payman told The Scotsman: "We have definitely made a lot less in profit than we would have made by selling alcohol.

"However, this was always a known outcome of our decision not to sell alcohol and has had no bearing on our decision to sell the property. The hotel has been trading at a very favourable level of profitability even without alcohol sales."

The 31-year-old explained that the business had been unable to "overcome local prejudice for staff not wanting to work at the hotel" but stressed he had also "received many comments from people who were deeply grateful for our decision to put values and safeguarding over pure financial profit".

He also cited a planning battle with the local council over a major refurbishment he proposed for the site as a reason for the closure, suggesting he had been seeking pre-planning advice for around 18 months.

"Given the time it is taking, we are no longer confident that we will be able to conclude the refurbishment in a timeframe that will work for us," he said.

"We have therefore decided to advertise the hotel for sale to see what potential buyers may come forward."

The Stromness Hotel, which dates back to 1901, has been listed for sale at £1.25 million.

The property listing describes it as one of the Orkney islands' "most iconic buildings" with a three-star rating and attached restaurant, in close range of landmarks including the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness.