Kimiya Yoshikawa from Japan and Taiwanese artist Hsaio-chi Tsai want to use greens, yellows and reds to brighten up the outside of the 60s style Ramada Hotel on Church Street.

The pair, who use textiles and sculpture in their work, are one of three shortlisted entries for a £70,000 commission to transform the hotel which is considered to be one of the Highland Capital's less attractive buildings.

"People are not very positive about the facade at the moment," said Susan Christie, commissions manager with Inverness Old Town Art (IOTA), which has been working closely with the Ramada group to revitalise the building. "We are hopeful whatever design picked out will make a big difference because the building has such a huge impact on people arriving in Inverness when they walk down Union Street."

The competition attracted 75 entries from all over the world when it was launched last year and these were whittled down to 12, who were all invited to Inverness.

The facade of the Ramada Hotel which artists hope to transform. Iona Spence

The other two members of the final three are Glasgow-based sculptor Alex Frost, who wants to subtly alter the facade's horizontal features using mosiac images, and Usman Haque, a London designer — whose proposal involves two different versions and would see the whole building lit up during the day and at night.

Mr Frost's idea is to use a series of panels with a background of darker colours like purple and blue. They would feature people's faces in profile and would be installed between the windows.

Ms Christie and other IOTA representatives hope to meet the hotel's senior management at its High Wycombe headquarters within the next few weeks.

IOTA's work is funded by Highland Council and the Scottish Arts Council.

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