A 20-bed country house hotel in the remote area of Busta in Shetland's north mainland, the Busta House Hotel, has recently undergone a major redevelopment to improve on the hotel's current three star rating.

The hotel has individually designed rooms named after local islands, including a four poster room. The oldest part of the hotel dates back to the 17th century and it has been sympathetically extended up until the 1980s. It is well known locally for its good food, friendly and comfortable bar and its large 17th century 'long room' lounge.

The work done included improving the bathrooms and upgrading the carpets, fixtures and lighting. 

Owner of Busta House Hotel, Joe Rocks said: "The aim was to develop our services and facilities for locals and visitors alike. I wanted to provide an altogether better visitor experience for tourists and business travellers to Shetland and with the work now finished I believe we have achieved that."

The improvements were made through the VisitScotland Advisory visits project. The project identifies development needs, and then targets public and private money effectively to fulfil these needs. Public funding for this development came from Shetland Enterprise who invested £15,217 in the refurbishment, with match funding from Shetland Islands Council.

Shetland Enterprise development manager, John Thorne, said: "Enhancing the quality of local tourism accommodation and breaking the cycle of low visitor numbers to the area is a priority for Shetland Enterprise. By investing in projects like this, we can help to improve the tourism product in the area which in turn, will make a substantial contribution to Shetland's economy.

"Tourism is extremely valuable to the economy and the availability of hotel accommodation of this standard will no doubt help to attract new visitors to Shetland. Providing a quality experience for visitors to the islands will hopefully encourage more repeat visits."