The Kintore Arms Hotel, which has operated in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire since 1855, is currently closed for renovations – but emergency services were called out to a blaze at the site at around 7.40pm on Monday evening.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the flames and no injuries were reported.
Earlier in December, the far-right group Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration (AAIM) had posted on Facebook to falsely claim that the hotel had been purchased by new owners “with the sole purpose of converting it into a migrant hotel” and that more than 200 “undocumented dangers” would be living there.
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Both the Home Office and Aberdeenshire Council were then forced to confirm that there were no plans to use the hotel to house asylum seekers.
It is understood that police are aware of the debunked AAIM post, but the investigation is not currently treating it as linked to the blaze.
Constable Brooke Duncan said: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the fire and we are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time and may have witnessed anything suspicious.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2936 of Monday, 29 December, 2025, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.