Hotel Scotland Issue 17

HOTELSCOTLAND ISSUE 17

ISSN 2515-8287

THE PROS AND CONS OF OTAS KINGSHOUSE FOCUS INTERVIEW:

JONATHAN GILLBANKS THE CAIRN LODGE

PINK

& LEMONGRASS LIQ

GIN

GRAPEFRUIT UE UR

FROM

TRY OUR

SPRITZ

A Marvellously Mixed Peacocktail 50ml

Pickering’s Pink Grapefruit & Lemongrass Gin Liqueur

75ml

Prosecco

50ml

Sparkling Water

Serve over ice in a stemmed glass with a Grapefruit Twist & Basil Sprig!

CONTENTS

4 NEWS 8 OTAS THE PRO’S AND CONS

I

WELCOME

t’s certainly been a most enjoyable month. I had the opportunity to catch up with Jonathan Gillbanks, formerly of Whyte & Mackay and now the MD of the Cairn Lodge in Auchterarder.

He and his fellow Director have just invested more than £2m in the hotel.

Find out what he has to say on pages 18 and 19.

I also got the chance to see the new Kingshouse Hotel at Glencoe and despite the weather it was cosy and welcoming.. What a view - and what a building. See our design focus on page 23.

ScotHot also allowed plenty of opportunity to catch up with suppliers and hoteliers from around the country.

I hope you all found what you were looking for. I took time out to attend the Scottish Tourism Alliance conference and it was most enlightening. So much so that Jason Caddy has written a feature on OTAs - the Pros and Cons.

And lastly, but not least, we have a feature on Six Great Housekeepers they certainly are the backbone of every hotel and it’s our mission to recognise the contribution they make.

See you next month.

Susan Young Editor

susan@mediaworldltd.com @hotel_scotland hotelmagazinescotland.co.uk

6

10 8 GINS TO TRY 13 FOCUS ON: SIX GREAT

HOUSEKEEPERS

• KIMPTON CHARLOTTE SQUARE

18 INTERVIEW:

JONATHAN GILLBANKS

23 DESIGN:

KINGSHOUSE HOTEL

26 DESIGN:

CAIRN LODGE

13 IO

30 HIT FUTURES

31 WHAT’S NEW

• SIX GREAT HOUSEKEEPERS

34 CHECK OUT

23

• KINGSHOUSE HOTEL

HOTELSCOTLAND Published by Media World limited t: 0141 221 6965 e: news@mediaworldltd.com w: hotelmagazinescotland.co.uk

Editor: Susan Young Editorial: Jason Caddy Advertising: Sylvia Forsyth, Nicole Browning, Conmercial Manager: Justin Wingate Production: Dougie Wagstaff, Fiona Gauld Admin: Cheryl Cook

Upper floor Finnieston House 1 Stables Yard 1103 Argyle Street Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8ND

Subscriptions: HOTEL SCOTLAND is available by subscription at the rate of £52 per annum. The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher. Articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. © Media World Limited 2019. Printed by Stephens & George Print Group.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 3

GRAND CENTRAL DOUBLES CASH...

FOR KIDS The Grand Central Hotel has revealed that it raised more than double the money at its Cash for Kids charity ball this year compared to 2018. Held in January and hosted by Gina McKie of Clyde 1 and Clyde 2 radio, the Cash for Kids Ball saw entertainment from Chic Le Freak, a Nile Rodgers tribute act and homegrown Scottish band, The StereoBeats. Stars Darius Campbell and Michelle McManus also attended.

As well as raising the vital funds for the charity at the event, the Grand Central Hotel has been awarded a Gold Clyde Cash for Kids Corporate Patron Disc for its generous support throughout 2018. The hotel’s General Manager, Paul Bray along with his colleagues

AWARD FOR EDINBURGH GRAND DEVELOPMENT Chloe Buchanan and Martin Carroll picked up the award which was presented by regional charity manager Debbie Fraser, Clyde FM radio presenter Ewen Cameron and Cash for Kids mascot Courage the Cat. Paul Bray, General Manager of the Grand Central Hotel, said: “We’re thrilled to have raised double the amount of money this year at our annual Cash for Kids ball. I’d like to thank my team at the hotel who all put in a huge effort to ensure the night was such a success.

Grand Central Hotel are delighted to have raised so much for such an important and worthwhile charity and to be presented with a Gold Corporate Disc is the highlight of our charitable efforts.”

“AVIATOR HOTEL” FOR INGLISTON?

Plans for a £16m Aviator Hotel complete with a viewing tower for watching planes arrive and depart, have been presented to Edinburgh City planners. The application for planning permission (in principle) at the Ingliston site next to the airport, includes construction of a hotel, restaurant and bar, conference facilities, parking, landscape works and associated development.

A statement from developers Flowpearl said the 200-bed hotel plans “fits in the wider Royal

Highland Centre masterplan.”

The statement added, “The top-level Aviator Club is designed as a derivative conning-tower, with glazed walls and roof.” There will also be a viewing tower for aircraft against the backdrop of the sky.

Flow Pearl added, “The glazed and illuminated roof service structure together with the Aviator Club are composed to provide the 5th elevation as a recognisable portal to Edinburgh for air travellers.”

Fairmount sees investment pay off A multi-million investment in Fairmont St Andrews’ by owners The Accor Group hotel has seen its 3,000 sq metres of event space including the Ballroom and 14 meeting and event rooms fully renovated.

The Atrium and the refurbishment of all public areas at the hotel.

The refreshed interior colour palette will

expand on the aesthetic spirit of the previous renovations, which sought to incorporate artistic interpretations of the surrounding bayside landscape into the core interior design motif of “Bringing the outside in”.

Elite Contract Furnishings, Craig & Rose and Bell Group delivered the concept together with the hotel’s executive committee.

IF YOU HAVE ANY NEWS FOR US AT HOTEL SCOTLAND EMAIL: NEWS@MEDIAWORLDLTD.COM 4 • HOTELSCOTLAND

The Chris Stewart Group recently picked up an accolade for its development of The Edinburgh Grand in the city’s St Andrews Square at the Scottish Property Awards.

The group were honoured in the category for best new commercial buildings. The team are pictured picking up their award.

SCOTSMAN HOTEL PLAN FOR HISTORIC ABERDEEN BUILDING Stefan King’s G1 Group has revealed plans to open a Scotsman Hotel in Aberdeen. The hotel will open in what was the Woolmanhill Hospital, which will be transformed by CAF Properties into a 52-bedroomed luxury hotel. Planning permission has been granted for the building which is A-listed, and the hotel is expected to open in 2023 after an investment of some £10m. The project has been four years in the planning.

G1 Group will own and operate the hotel and 27 serviced apartments, under the Scotsman brand, which will be a sister hotel to its Edinburgh hotel The hotel will also boast a bar, restaurant and jazz bar.There will various function areas for weddings and private functions which will have the exclusive use of a fully refurbished Central Courtyard to the North with a garden area to the South.

CRERAR PUTS THREE HOTELS UP FOR SALE Crerar Hotel Group is selling three hotels in the Highlands, as a package, for around £6.85m.

The 52-bedroom Eight Acres Hotel in Elgin, the 92-bedroom Ben Wyvis Hotel in Strathpeffer and the 83-bedroom Craiglynne Hotel in Grantownon-Spey; and are being sold through Colliers.

Although for sale as a package Colliers would consider offers for each individually, at the right price.

NEWS

Cross Hotels takes on Cringletie

Dalata Hotel Group, Ireland’s largest hotel operator, has reported strong revenue growth of 11.8% to €393.7m. Revenue per available room2 (RevPAR) also increased 4.7% to €94.13.

The news comes as Glasgow planners gave the go-ahead for the group’s first Maldron hotel in Scotland. Northern Ireland-based contractor, McAleer & Rushe secured planning permission to develop the 300-bed hotel on Renfrew Street in Glasgow city centre which will be operated by Dalata.

Dalata is due to deliver a second four-star hotel in Glasgow, the 294-bed Clayton Hotel, is expected to complete in early 2021.

Bill and Ann Cross, the couple behind Cross Hotels Limited, have acquired the Cringletie House hotel near Peebles from Jacob and Johanna van Houdt, who have owned the hotel since 2003.

The new owners, formerly owned The Castle Inn at Castle Combe, and are hospitality veterans. Bill under the auspices of Cross Hotels has also been actively involved in hotel property consulting in the UK, New Zealand and The Netherlands. Ann too has a background in the hotel business as well as being a graduate of a hotel management school in Australia she has worked in five-star hotels in Australia and previously worked as a hotel market research consultant in the UK. The couple will now be turning their attention to Cringletie, a former Baronial castle, with 12 bedrooms, a luxury suite and a self-catering property in the grounds.

Says Bill, “During their ownership, the van Houdt’s have invested heavily in the property and the result is a warm, welcoming hotel which we will be working to enhance and in due course, extend. We wish Jacob and Johanna van Houdt much happiness in their well-deserved retirement and look forward to working with the team at Cringletie.”

Ten Hill Place stands up for Cancer customers Ten Hill Place in Edinburgh, which is managed by Surgeons Quarter – the commercial arm of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, has adapted its facilities to accommodate guests who have been affected by cancer.

As well as making alterations to all disabled toilets in its 129-bedroom Old Town building to make its services easier to use for guests who have a stoma, Surgeons Quarter has also embarked upon a yearlong partnership with Bowel Cancer UK to raise funds for the charity.

A stoma is an opening on the stomach that has been made for a section of bowel to be brought through, so that waste can be collected in a pouch or bag that is attached to the skin and to make life easier for customers with Stoma’s, a shelf has been added to the bathrooms and a hook behind the door of its toilets will now enable visitors with stoma bags to be able to use them comfortably.

Jo Paulson, Scotland Fundraising Manager at

Bower Cancer UK, said, “Shockingly, most disabled toilets aren’t actually equipped for people with stomas, “Going to the toilet can be one of the everyday challenges faced by those affected by bowel cancer and people can often feel stigmatised when they’re using disabled toilets because their stoma isn’t visible. We’re thrilled that such an important hotel in the Capital is making this key change to its services as we know that it’ll have such a positive impact on so many people.”

Scott Mitchell, Managing Director of Surgeons Quarter, said, “The adjustments we’ve made to the toilets really are minor – so there’s no excuse not to do it.“These small changes probably won’t even be noticed by most visitors – but they will make a huge difference to those with stomas.“We do all we can to look after all our guests and give them the best environment to relax in, and with this change we hope that we can improve the stays of a great number of people and inspire other organisations to do the same.”

MARKET STREET HOTEL OPENING IN MAY Edinburgh is set to get a new hotel on Market Street, called the Market Street Hotel. The hotel, which is set to open in May, has been built on the border of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, at 6 Market Street, next to the City Art Centre. The hotel will have 98 modern, urban boutique styled rooms, with an exclusive top floor ‘Champagne city residence’ called Nor Loft which has spectacular panoramic views across the Waverly Valley.

Architects FG Stijl designed the hotel.

The Edinburgh Grand punchs above its weight The Edinburgh Grand will see its basement turned into a gym complete with boxing ring come the summer.

The hotel’s owners, the Chris Stewart Group, have done a deal with CaveFit who will open a CaveGYM and CaveHIIT studio in the basement which was where the former Royal Bank of Scotland had its bullion vaults.

The Edinburgh Grand CaveGYM will be open to new members and non-members on a pay-to-train basis and hotel guests.

7 Hospitality, the Scottish-based hotel management company, has expanded into England with the addition of the Judges Court hotel in York. The group, headed up by Richard Ellison, now has five UK management contracts.

The Station Hotel in Insch, formerly the Carriages Hotel, has been totally refurbished and has finally re-opened its doors. The hotel was bought by Jackie and Colin Cruickshank in April 2016, but unfortunately a few months before it was due to open it a petrol bomb thrown through a window and destroyed it. .

John McLachlan has opened his first hotel in Oban called The Whisky Vaults.

The hotel in Tweeddale Street ws formerly the Old Woodside Hotel, but after a revamp the hotel, which dates from the 1870’s, now offers ten newly renovated en-suite guest rooms, and a whisky bar.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 5

IHG OPEN SCOTTISH KIMPTON

in free fitness and wellness classes at the recently IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) has refurbished, state-of-the-art gym, or enjoy a relaxing opened its first Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants in Scotland, Kimpton Charlotte treatment at The Spa. Square Hotel, formerly The Roxburghe. It has Johan Scheepers, General Manager, Kimpton also revealed plans to rebrand The Blythswood Charlotte Square Hotel commented, “Kimpton has Square Hotel as a Kimpton® Hotel too. The built its brand on the belief that heartfelt human connections make people’s lives better. We inspire news follows the purchase of the Principal curiosity and embrace people exactly as they are, and De Vere brands by French investor Convivio last year and the appointment of the creating truly meaningful guest experiences.

“Each Kimpton hotel is an escape from the InterContinental Hotels Group to manage ordinary, and Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel them. The plans is to rebrand the 12 hotels will offer a vibrant Scottish service full of charm (and one in the pipeline). and personality, in one of the world’s most historic In Scotland, the company also has the Grand Central Hotel. It will be rebranded under the Voco cities.”

Karan Khanna, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, name, which is a new brand from IHG®.

At the refreshed Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel IHG commented:, “We are very excited to build our hotel guests can enjoy Kimpton’s signature perks such presence in the luxury market in Scotland as we as in-room yoga mats and Kimpton’s ‘Forgot It, We’ve introduce the Kimpton brand. Edinburgh has a real demand for a lifestyle luxury brand and I’m confident Got it’ service offering important guest essentials.

Guests can also meet fellow travellers at Kimpton’s that Kimpton’s relaxed approach to luxury will suit the market well.” daily social hour in the hotel’s BABABar, take part

VISITOR GROWTH ROYAL LOOKS FOR NEW OWNER FOR SCOTLAND UK Tour Operator, AC Group, recorded an impressive 41% overall growth in passenger numbers in 2018, with Scotland, particularly contributing to the groups success.

In Scotland year on year growth was up 167%, led by Edinburgh seeing an increase of 107% and Glasgow an increase of 64%. Fort William and Inverness also made the top 10 UK destinations for the group.

The results. buck a trend where overall inbound overseas visit growth sits in single figures and VisitBritain report a decline of 10%.

The group revealed that the number of Americans, Brazilians and French passengers were massively up seeing an increase of 835%, 400% and 413% rspectively.

The outlook does not prove so rosy for all European countries. Tourists from the Netherlands dropped 8%, Germany by -20% and Ireland a staggering -45%.

Although these markets still account for a large number of inbound tourist.

London remained the top destination for visitors.

6 • HOTELSCOTLAND

The Royal Hotel in Campbeltown is looking for new owners following the decision by owners Southworth Europe Ltd to put it on the market. The men behind the company, David Southworth and Joe Deitch, created the nearby Machrihanish Dunes Golf Course, and also own The Ugadale. They totally refurbished The Royal a few years ago and have now put it Christie’s & Co’s hands with a price tag of £2.75m.

It has 23 guest rooms, as well as a pub - The Black Sheep Pub and restaurant in the shape of the Harbourview Grille.

David Southworth, founder and CEO of Southworth Development, said, “We love The Royal Hotel and what it has become, but we have made the decision to list the property for

sale because it will afford us some operating efficiencies and is not vital to our operations in Machrihanish.

“We will be very careful as to whom we would sell the hotel, as its future remains important to us.There will be no loss of jobs within the community and we truly hope that whoever the next owner is will have even more resources to attract added visitors to the area.”

Stuart Drysdale, director at Christie & Co added, “The Royal Hotel is now well established in the town and enjoys excellent reviews of the bedroom accommodation and newly refurbished public space. We expect high levels of demand from home-based and international hotel operators.”

The price is for the freehold of the property.

Trump Turnberry opens its doors Trump Turnberry has announced that it is to create up to 100 new jobs, as part of the resort’s growth plans in 2019. A twoday recruitment drive took place recently with candidates sought for a wide range of positions. As well as interviews and a hotel tour, prospective candidates had the opportunity to observe kitchen and spa demonstrations and meet current staff and managers to get further insight into working at Trump Turnberry.

Ralph Porciani, General Manager at Trump

Turnberry, said, “The hotel has undergone significant changes and improvements in recent years, and our business is growing as a result of this.

Service is at the heart of everything we do here, so continuing to develop and expand our team with the right people is vitally important.

“Our aim with our recruitment days is to really show prospective staff what Turnberry is all about, rather than relying on traditional interviews alone.

The resort very much operates as a family, so it’s important that candidates get to experience our values and culture.”

NEWS

NIRA CALEDONIA SHOWS PLASTIC PODS THE DOOR

The Carlton Hotel Collection’s 98-room Market Street hotel, part of the Carlton Hotel Collection, is due to open shortly. The £20m hotel which has 98-rooms is located within the city’s

UNESCO World Heritage Site, and will offer guests views across Waverley Valley. It will be the first hotel in Scotland to be be a member of Design Hotels TM.

CLARKS 5-STAR PLAN FOR CRICHTON HALL The news at the end of January that Fonab Castle owners Jed and Joanne Clark planned to add to their hotel portfolio by transforming Crichton Hall in Dumfries into a five-star hotel and spa, was well received by the Crichton Trust, the charity which care for the Crichton Estate, where the Crichton Hall is located, and also VisitScotland.

The Trust issued a statement saying, “This new attraction and destination on The Crichton will greatly enhance and complement the already thriving community of business, learning and recreation that we all enjoy here.” While VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, Paula Ward, said, “The development of a luxury spa hotel in Dumfries & Galloway is fantastic news for the region which will contribute

towards its fast-developing reputation as the destination of choice for informed travellers.

The addition of a luxury spa hotel is the perfect fit .”

Crichton Hall stands in the 85-acres of The Crichton estate, and the building extends to 184,000sq ft. In a statement, the couple said, “Whilst we totally recognised the challenges we would face delivering a destination hotel, we could equally identify how our knowledge, experience and approach to historic building restorations could create another five-star hotel and spa equalling Fonab Castle Hotel’s breathtaking experience.”

Crichton Hall opened in 1839 to become a world-renowned health facility, and more recently it was the HQ for the NHS Board, with office space for administrative functions.

Linthouse Business Park Ltd, advised by Ryden, has successfully sold the Glasgow Govan Travelodge, a 60-room hotel with an on-site restaurant called the Bar-Café, at its site in Linthouse Road, Govan. The hotel was acquired by a private investor for £5.26m, an initial yield of 5.59%, following a competitive closing date.

Nira Caledonia in Edinburgh has added to its green credentials by introducing coffee pods that are 100% compostable.

It is one of only a few establishments in Scotland, which includes Gleneagles and Fairmont St Andrews, now stocking Eden Project coffee pods – the worldfirst sustainable alternatives to the traditional plastic coffee pods.

The capsules do not have to be separated into foil, plastic and coffee dregs; the whole pod can be disposed of in a chef ’s food waste bin, compost bin or industrial compost facility and will break down in a matter of weeks.

Chris Lynch, General Manager at Nira Caledonia, said, “For us, it’s a no-brainer when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment. Changing our coffee pod supplier is a small change but I am definitely of the opinion that small steps will lead to significant results. I’d encourage all hotels to look at what they could do better to meet their responsibilities.

“Our guests will still enjoy the highest quality speciality coffee, which just so happens to also be totally environmentally friendly.”

The pods, distributed by Tupinamba Coffee Company, consists of four organically grown, single origin coffees – Columbian, Guatemalan, Costa Rican and Italian Espresso.

Tupinamba is a Spanish coffee roaster.

David Boothby, Managing Director of Tupinamba said, “This partnership is a real source of pride for us, having the backing and eco credentials of the Eden Project.

“We’ve all had to sit up and take notice of the problem of single-use plastic and I firmly believe the hospitality and tourism industries should be leading the way.

Nira has also recently swapped its miniature L’Occitane toiletries for larger refillable bottles in each room, saving approximately 400 cubic metres of plastic waste each year.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 7

OTAS: THE PROS AND CONS DO HOTELIERS HAVE LITTLE OPTION BUT TO LEAN HEAVILY ON OTAS (ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCIES) TO COMPETE IN THE GLOBAL MARKET? ARE YOU AN INDEPENDENT HOTELIER THAT’S SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING STRIKING A DEAL WITH ONE? WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF SUCH A PARTNERSHIP? JASON CADDY REPORTS.

“

It’s complicated. We love to hate them.” Just two of the views expressed by hoteliers I spoke to when describing their relationship with OTAs (online travel agencies) – the companies that exist to sell your rooms by offering a bigger shop window.

There are of course downsides one being the fact that two companies effectively own most of the big players in the OTA market. Bookingholdings owns Booking.com, Kayak, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable, while the Expedia Group owns Expedia, Hotels.com, HomeAway, Trivago, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Wotif, ebookers, CheapTickets and Traveldoo which means commission prices are hard to negotiate and of course hoteliers have to abide by OTAs insistence on charging the same rate as the hotel they’ve partnered with and taking funds on the hotelier’s behalf and not releasing them for a stated time, that works in their favour rather than the hotelier’s, is obviously another drawback.

Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, told Hotel Scotland, “The battle between OTAs and many hotels and B&B accommodation providers for bookings has been well documented over the past couple of years. The mutually beneficial relationship of 20 years ago is no more, with OTAs now dominating the reservations market and taking between 15-25% the price of a reservation. Hotels, in particular, are undoubtedly stepping up their game to increase direct bookings but are often in a situation where legally, they are unable to offer potential guests the best deal as a result of rate parity clauses which the OTAs put into their contracts, and the consumer selling tactics they have used on their online booking sites such as pressure selling, discount claims, hidden charges and ‘brandjacking’.

“This particular tactic has hit the headlines

8 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 2019

over the past few days since the launch of the petition by the UK Bed & Breakfast Association which the STA is fully supporting and promoting. The practice of diverting traffic from the accommodation provider’s website directly to the OTA site is ethically wrong and has a hugely detrimental impact on these businesses, particularly the smaller providers who don’t have the budget to compete with an OTA.” The cost of partnering with OTAs can also be prohibitive to hoteliers. Explained Apex Hotels’ Commercial Director, Clinton Campbell, “The average cost of acquiring that business is close to 20%, while the cost of using our own website is half that. There are of course new OTAs trying to enter the market all the time, like Culture Trip, whereas we would prefer to reduce the volume of OTAs. These new OTAs aren’t likely to take shares from other OTAs – they are likely to take share directly from direct sources.”

Nicola Taylor is Chief Executive of Chardon Trading, which counts The Holiday Inn Glasgow Theatreland and the city’s Holiday Inn Express in its portfolio. She takes the view that the OTA market is rather a closed shop, as well as being anti-competitive. She said, “The fact we’re effectively dealing with two companies makes it more difficult to negotiate better rates. So we as hoteliers are kind of stuck with what we’ve got and it’s been harder for the hotel owners to negotiate their commission rates as the market is largely controlled by two global companies.”

She continued, “OTAs’ high levels of commission have taken a large percentage of owners’ profit which would usually have been reinvested in the facilities and staff. As an industry, we often carry sizable debts due to the levels of investment in buildings and on-going maintenance. This, along with the ever-increasing costs from legislation, minimum wage, pensions, property rates, waste

management, food and the like could see the hotel offering become very different in the future. Airbnb could be a disrupter to OTAs and I’m sure hotels are hoping this additional channel will drive down their commissions as a result.”

And while we’re talking about Airbnb, it’s worth mentioning that it is just finalising a deal to purchase OTA, Hotel Tonight. The acquisition follows a deliberate shift in emphasis by Airbnb over the course of the last 12 months to expand beyond private accommodation to include hotels. Interesting times ahead.

So, if you’re a hotelier that’s considering entering into a pact with OTA’s, is it the equivalent of being in league with the devil?

Not quite.

Nicola Taylor, for example, still recognises that OTA’s do have a value. She said, “On the plus side, OTA’s have done an excellent job of making it very easy for the leisure customer to book accommodation, compare prices and reviews in an unknown destination - usually opened up to guests by budget airlines.

Apex Hotels’ Clinton Campbell also concedes that OTAs have a part to play in today’s global market. “The pros are that they open us up to a massive audience – depending on which one it is of course. The biggest ones for Apex are booking.com and Expedia and together they produce over 90 per cent of OTA volume across the year. Expedia’s more of an international audience whereas booking. com is more focussed on the domestic and European markets. OTAs account for 38% of our total online bookings, with direct to the website being around the 12% mark.

Then there are the other channels of course, like GDS, the traditional group booking for corporates, which is about 3%. The rest comes from call centre and group department bookings.

“Other benefits include access to the amount of data and related market information.

OTAs

I’m talking about customer profiles, booking habits, trends on where people are booking.

We can take the lead from what they’re doing on their website to get the best conversion rates that we can/understand what customers are engaging with.”

Stephen Carter, former GM of The Old Course at St Andrews, now working for the hotel in a consultative capacity, also thinks that OTAs are beneficial, just as long as they aren’t ‘over demanding’ of hoteliers. He said, “From the point of view of a large hotel, OTAs most certainly have a part to play. We have a large inventory to sell, as well as distressed inventory, like the downtime in a season or a busy week with one day in the middle yet to sell for example, and OTAs are often the best way of topping up your inventory. On the downside, OTAs can be 15% and upwards more expensive.”

Susan Spence, Group Procurement Manager, Manorview Hotels & Leisure Group said, “There are many pros and cons for using online travel agents. We can see benefits in that it gives access to new business and to a market where your property might not be known.

The booking process is also easily managed.

The downside of this is when customers are searching on Google, the online travel sites appear higher up the ranking system because they invest in google ad words bidding on your property name. Online travel sites can look as if they are your official website. The commission can also be high for each booking. As a group we can recognise their value but realise it also comes with a cost.”

Hoteliers can of course always make sure that, once they have the customer’s business that may have come via an OTA, they are savvy enough to offer the customer some type of incentive to book directly with the hotel next time around. Equally, a fast and efficient website with the focus on the user experience will

also help, of course, likewise a slicker social media presence that can be one of the most effective marketing tools there is for smaller, independent hotels that don’t want to get into bed with an OTA. Research by Social Tables says that Millennials hold the largest travel market share, 33% and are drawn to OTAs for their ability to book memorable experiences at a great value. In fact, 52% of Millennials prefer to book their hotels via an OTA. It also says that large hotel brands, such as Hilton and Marriott, have begun investing in campaigns geared at recapturing some of the market share. These campaigns aim to make travellers realise that they will receive benefits for their loyalty. And with 52% of OTA visitors clicking on the hotel website in order to receive more information on the hotel and what it offers, hotels can take advantage of this opportunity by converting some of this traffic into direct bookings.

And just as went to press a London-based online travel agent is offering an initial zero per cent commission for hoteliers, property owners and host who list on its platform until the end of 2019 and then is promising that commission for hosts will never be higher than 15%. The company is called Gomingo.

On its website it says that it will ‘hand control and return value back to hoteliers and hosts from the larger OTAs’ who ‘tie you down with cumbersome contracts, meaning you can’t escape their high prices’.

“We will only charge up to 15% and do not believe in these industry contracts. We charge you less so you can earn more from your bookings through us and in return the guest benefits from a lower and exclusive price.

Through this key feature, we hope to shake up the OTA industry.,” says its website. Now that would be worth writing about.

NICOLA TAYLOR

MARC CROTHALL

2019 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 9

GREAT GIN

GIN

Some great gins to introduce your customers to.

01 EDINBURGH GIN

02 MCQUEENS GIN

03 DEVIL’S STAIRCASE

Edinburgh Gin’s Rhubarb & Ginger Gin Liqueur has a bright, rhubarb-forward aroma and a delicately spiced finish – an intensely flavourful drink. The perfect addition to a glass of prosecco, or added to quality tonic with ice and a squeeze of lime.

Edinburgh Gin is home to a super-premium portfolio of products; designed to enrich the gin drinking experience and encourage on-going experimentation.

Edinburgh Gin’s ever-popular gin liqueurs have led the way for flavoured gin with exciting and unusual flavour combinations - the result of expert distilling, with every bottle of liqueur originating from a base of Edinburgh Gin Classic.

Founded in 2015, McQueen Gin creates adventurous gin drinking experiences which are unlike any other, bringing unique and exciting flavours to the market for the everevolving gin lover.

The innovative brand started its journey by creating four world firsts within its core range and have since gone on to pick up numerous awards.

McQueen Gin is stocked in many of the UK’s finest bars and restaurants as well as being listed in major national retailers such as Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda.

Devil’s Staircase is a beautiful Highland Spiced Gin with flavours of fresh citrus zest, warm cardamom, cassia and nutmeg.

Truly small batch, hand bottled and labelled, each bottle also individually numbered and signed by Craig Innes, the Master Distiller. Distilled

by Pixel Spirits Distillery in North Ballachulish, West Highlands. The company was founded by a husband and wife team, Craig & Noru Innes, distillery was self-built with the help of friends and family members. This is in the core of their values - hand crafted, bespoke and personal!

The distillery also hosts a Gin School where you can make your own uber small batch gin!

07 DARNLEY’S GIN Darnley’s Gin Distillery sits outside the village of Kingsbarns in Fife, between the historic town of St Andrews and the picturesque fishing villages of the East Neuk. The still house, or cottage, is where they handcraft their range of award-winning gins; Original with key botanicals of elderflower and citrus; Spiced led by cinnamon and nutmeg; and Navy Strength with a robust citrus and juniper flavour.

Offering versatility in creating serves and cocktail menus and a strong story of provenance for the customer, why not ‘Discover Darnley’s’ by contacting the team on info@darnleysgin.com to sample the range. Stocked via: G&M, Inverarity Morton, Enotria & Coe and Woodwinters.

10 • HOTELSCOTLAND

04 REDCASTLE HANDCRAFTED SCOTTISH GIN Redcastle’s multi award-winning single fold citrus-spice gin, distilled in Angus, Scotland is a secret blend of 13 botanicals, including kaffir lime leaf and pink peppercorn.

The unique recipe gives an exceptionally smooth gin which is full flavoured with a lasting finish. Recently voted the 3rd most popular gin in Scotland by the Scottish Gin Society’s Consumer Poll, Redcastle can be enjoyed simply neat over ice, or served long with a Premium tonic and a twist of lime peel.

Available nationwide and via our wholesale partners, please contact Fiona Walsh on 07709 182635 fiona@redcastlespirits.co.uk for pricing and more information.

05 WHITETAIL

06 WILD ISLAND

The White-tailed Eagle is the UK’s largest bird of prey and synonymous with the Isle of Mull.

Nesting close by to our home on the Isle of Mull, these legendary birds are the inspiration behind our family-owned Whitetail brand. Just like its namesake, Whitetail Gin is superior in strength and power at 47% abv. But, it is also subtle and smooth – as gentle on the palate as a feather drifting down from high in the sky. Focusing on a unique and distinguishable USP of being a gin that offers a combination of strength and power, but with a smooth and delicate finish Whitetail is a great addition to any gin list and is available from both Gordon & MacPhail, Inverarity Morton. J.W. Filshill and Sutherland Bros.

Many’s the gin brand that can boast of sourcing their botanicals from far-flung corners of the world, but hand-foraging them from Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides? Wild Island might just stand alone in that regard.

Produced in traditional single copper pot stills, Wild Island has a strong citrus-ey character underpinned by a lemon base and a touch of lemon balm. They even suggest that it’s served with a slice of lemon and a twist of lemon peel.

08 PICKERING’S GIN Inspired by their signature garnish - the pink grapefruit - Pickering’s Pink Grapefruit and Lemongrass Gin Liqueur is the perfect addition to your menu. It is blended with the soft, sweet citrus of real pink grapefruit, making it lusciously tart and tangy. Lifted with lemongrass, it is a decadent and refreshing addition to prosecco. Or tonic. Or even on its own…

Pickering’s Pink Grapefruit and Lemongrass Liqueur is currently on promotion through wholesalers Inverarity Morton, Dunns and Gordon and MacPhail. Pickering’s offer free staff training and distillery visits for all stockists. Contact sales@pickeringsgin.com for more information.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 11

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN...

FEATURE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Housekeeping Manager, Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow

LYNNE DOYLE

SCOTLAND HAS A WEALTH OF GREAT HOUSEKEEPERS.THIS ISSUE WE FOCUS ON SEVEN OF THE VERY BEST.

HEATHER ROTHERY

Head Housekeeper, Rufflets, St Andrews Age: 51 Number of staff: 7-10 Number of rooms: 23 – 3 self catering lodges How long have you been a Housekeeper and how did you get into it?

I have been a housekeeper for 30 years. I did BETC National Diploma as a teenager and enjoyed the housekeeping part of the course the most. When we moved to Scotland in 1988, after my dad was posted to Leuchars, I worked as a room attendent at the Old Course Hotel in the summer... and then decided not to go back to college. Instead I applied for and got a job at Rufflets and I’ve now been here 29 years!

What would you do in a typical day?

I’m still very much hands-on so, although I supervise, I’ll also be helping to clean or I’ll perhaps be in our in-house laundry ironing. Either that, or I’ll be doing paperwork.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without?

Probably my Rotary Iron – because we like the fact we can do our own linen. If it fell apart I would be really upset.

What would you say was your biggest challenge or hardest part of the job?

Recruitment, probably like everyone else. We are outside town, and no longer have buses that pass the hotel. It is an issue.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Being able to leave the room looking immaculate and getting feedback from customers when they have enoyed their stay. Being a small hotel we do get to talk to the customers which I do enjoy.

Any tips for aspiring housekeepers?

Pay attention to the details and get routines set down.

Things like that help. I am also on the committee of the UK Housekeepers Association and I find that very helpful.

There is always someone I can call if I have a problem and we meet bi-monthly.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 13

FEATURE

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN...

PETER MACPHERSON

House Manager, Dusidale and Toravaig House, Isle of Skye Age: 65 Number of staff: 4-6 Number of rooms: 27 between the two hotels How long have you been a Housekeeper and how did you get into it?

I’ve been with Sonas Hotels since 2006. I kind of drifted into it.

Originally I trained as front house about 50 years ago and then worked in the kitchen. I started helping out with houseeping in the winter months when it was quieter and I enjoyed it. When I felt l was too old for cooking I moved into it full-time.

What would you do in a typical day?

MARIA JESUS BAILING ALVAREZ

Head Housekeeper, Airds Hotel & Restaurant, Port Appin How did you get into Housekeeping? And how long have you been in your current role and many people are in your team?

I wanted to learn about the different departments within a hotel so I applied for a role in housekeeping and I have not looked back since. I have been in my current postion for over fifteen months now. There is a small team of housekeepers and laundry assistants as we do all our in house laundry. One of the team has worked at Airds for over 40 years and therefore what she does not know about laundry is not worth knowing!

What would you do in a typical day?

My day starts with cleaning all the public areas including the bar, the two lounges, the conservatory and the hallways and stairs.Then, once the guests start coming down for breakfast, we start to clean the rooms that we call ‘on’ rooms (these are rooms that guests are continuing their stay in).Then, when guests depart, we prepare their rooms for the new arrivals.

In the evening we also offer a turndown service which is offered whilst guests take dinner. Rooms are prepared for their return to bed.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without?

Henry my hoover.

What would you say was your biggest challenge?

Keeping the hotel spotless every single day as per the expectations of this type of luxury establishment.

What is your favourite part of the job?

When you go into a room that has been left in a mess and give it a good deep clean. I take pleasure from seeing the end result.

What would you say to someone considering coming into housekeeping?

Have a cheerful disposition and always be pleasant to guests.

14 • HOTELSCOTLAND

Obviously we check the rooms and our stocks. We check that we have what we need and what we have available and then I get the team organised. We definitely work as a team.

I usually start about 9am and I work until 5pm sometimes it also involves evening work. Basically part-time compared to what it used to be.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without?

My Henry Hoover. I can use them for any part of the hotel. For instance, we have four poster rooms and I use the Henry to clean the canopes.

What would you say was your biggest challenge or hardest part of the job?

Just keeping our stock under control. At this time of year we only get one delivery a week but Fishers are great. Nothing is too much of a problem which makes my life easier.

The way I look at it, if there is a problem look for a solution. If anything goes wrong it’s not anyone’s fault.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Seeing everything is done properly. I like it when everything is clean and tidy and our guests are happy.

Any tips for aspiring housekeepers?

Enjoy it. You get a lot of satisfaction out of this job, particularly when all your rooms are clean.

And of course it helps when you get on with your colleagues – you can carry them with you.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

DEBBIE VERNAL

Head Housekeeper, Glynhill Hotel, Renfrew Age: 47 Number of staff: 25 Number of rooms: 145 How long have you been a Housekeeper and how did you get into it?

I started in the Glynhill in 1993 as a member of the housekeeping department. I had previously worked in admin jobs but discovered I really enjoyed working in hospitality. I worked every hour I could learning every aspect of the job from public area cleaning, room attendant, laundry and porter assistant. I also assisted in different departments in order to learn as much as possible about hotel management.The vacancy for assistant to the head housekeeper came up in 1996. I got the job and then the head housekeepers position in 2002.

What would you do in a typical day?

The early morning organising and allocation of daily work is crucial. I liaise with the early morning staff ensuring everything is being cleaned in the correct order in accordance with the business. I run relevant room reports and allocate the bedroom cleaning to the attendants, again liaising with each to go over the allocation and relay any particular instruction or guest requests. I attend a daily briefing with the management team to run over all business within the hotel for that day. Area and room inspections, stock ordering. Linen control, rotas, HR. No two days are the same. Hotel business changes from one hour to the next.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without?

When I was a room attendant I had a caddy to carry my chemicals and cloths, a tin to carry my tea, coffee etc, and for everything else I walked to and fro to the maid’s pantry. It was labour intensive and wasted far too many crucial productivity minutes. Room attendant trollies are truly the most time/labour saving item in a housekeeping department. Well stocked and used properly they can knock minutes from room servicing time as they save you from walking back and forward looking for items. They also ensure that all items required are there in front of you meaning you are less likely to forget anything.

What would you say was your biggest challenge or hardest part of the job?

It is increasingly challenging maintaining high standards while the increasing costs of running a business such as minimum wage increases, rising energy costs, rates etc. dictate staffing levels and work quotas What is your favourite part of the job?

The diversity of the people who visit and work here. I also love the team spirit in this hotel. Many of us have worked for the Nicholas family for 20 years plus and have seen the huge changes in the business over the years through their constant investment in improving their product.

Any tips for aspiring housekeepers?

Always source reasonably priced, effective cleaning products, never buy cheap as you will use twice as much product and take longer to achieve results meaning a double waste in costs. Same with linen, pillows etc buy cheap, buy twice.

EILEEN BOOTH

Head Housekeeper, The Marcliffe Hotel and Spa, Aberdeen Age: 64 Number of Staff: 14 employees in housekeeping Number of rooms: 40 How long have you been a housekeeper and how did you get into it?

5 years as a Housemaid and 32 as a Head Housekeeper at the New Marcliffe and the Marcliffe Hotel & Spa at Pitfodels. I got into housekeeping as it fitted in with the school hours, as I had a young family.

What would you do in a typical day?

Daily briefing every morning with the housekeeping staff.

Checking bedrooms and public areas, to ensure our 5 star standard is maintained. Dealing with suppliers., Ordering stores., Organising rotas/ holidays., Training and meetings., Settling in new starts.

Interviews., Communicating with other departments. and checking invoices and delivery notes.

Always trying to be pro-active and helping our guests to have an enjoyable and memorable stay.

What would you say is your biggest challenge and hardest part of the job.

Recruitment and retention of staff, plus dealing with the public and continually exceeding their expectations.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Knowing that our guests have a great stay and that they will return in the future. Christmas is a great atmosphere and our guests love the Christmas stockings we leave for them on Christmas Eve, including a stocking for any dog guests we have staying as well. Also the great surroundings I work in and the people I work with, which is very family orientated, and we have a great team here at the Marcliffe.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without.

Our Molton Brown toiletries and our Comfort Zone Spa range.

Any tips for aspiring Housekeepers.

Training is the key to a successful team and a well run department, whether it is internal on the job or external training. The chance to do SVQ’s being able to learn and earn at the same time. First impressions and attention to detail and time to do for what is being asked.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 15

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

MICHELLE RAMAGE

Housekeeping Manager , Borthwick Castle, Gorebridge

DONNA MOIR

Executive Housekeeer Fonab Castle Hotel, Pitlochry Age: 53 Number of staff: 21 Number of rooms: 42 How long have you been a Housekeeper and how did you get into it?

I have been a Housekeeper for 16 years, I started at Hilton Dunkeld House as a Room Attendant purely because it fitted with my lifestyle at the time, but loved it and made my way up to head housekeeper before moving to Gleneagles Hotel as Assistant Manager for one year.

Then I got the Executive position there, and in September last year I got the phone call from the GM at Fonab Castle Hotel to come and join his team. I was excited to take the position here as it is a young and upcoming Hotel, and I have the chance to build a great HK team from scratch which we are doing with great success.

What would you do in a typical day?

My typical day is very much hands-on with checking rooms and standards which I love, along with the normal day to day paperwork.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without?

I could not live without microfibre cloths or my ozone machine but to be honest I could not live without my Deputy Lukasz or my Supervisor Vera and the rest of my HK team.

What would you say was your biggest challenge or hardest part of the job?

Recruitment and finding the correct people for the job Housekeeping is a hard job & to find the staff with the passion that is needed can be so hard, but I am very lucky that I have a core staff that do have that passion.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I love to see the Guests happy & get great feedback about the rooms as we all do but to see my Team happy & satisfied with their end result is great, happy workers ensure a good job is done by all, we really are “One Team”.

Any tips for aspiring housekeepers?

Work hard, get a good relationship with the front office team and most of all don’t be scared to get your hands dirty and be a Leader anyone can be a Manager but you need to lead your team and let them see you are not scared to get stuck in when times are difficult.

Age: 44 Number of staff: 4 plus casual staff Number of rooms: 10 How long have you been a Housekeeper and how did you get into it?

Three years. I came to the castle to help out in housekeeping after I graduated and never left. I fell in love with the job.

What would you do in a typical day?

No two days are the same so it’s hard to describe a typical day.

However, mornings always start with a meeting with the team to see how everyone is and to discuss the state of play for the day.

Depending on if there is an event on, I am usually on the floor with the team working or, if its quieter, I can get into the office and work on catching up with emails, organising operational plans for upcoming events etc.

What labour saving device or product could you not live without?

I couldn’t live without the steamer. It brings up the door handles, the chrome in bathrooms and puts a shine on them it’s a great tool.

What would you say was your biggest challenge or hardest part of the job?

The hardest part of the job has to be the stairs within the castle because they can be a challenge. But through the years we have come up with plans to make it a wee bit easier.

What is your favourite part of the job?

My favourite part of the job is the diversity and working with my team, and seeing the castle go from a complete mess when guests leave to restoring it back to its original state.

Any tips for aspiring housekeepers?

I would encourage anyone to try housekeeping. It’s a great start to hospitality and the job is very rewarding, knowing that people get great satisfaction for the work that you do.

At Fishers we know about the valuable contribution that housekeepers make to the hospitality sector. For more information on what we do please contact: Claire Boyd, Commercial Manager • t: 01334 658036 m: 07595 116668 claireb@fisherservices.co.uk 16 • HOTELSCOTLAND

FEATURE MARC CROTHALL (RIGHT) AND UNION AGENCY’S IAN MCATEER

BY SUSAN YOUNG

BROADCASTER ACCUSES WESTMINSTER OF CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO SCOTLAND’S TOURISM INDUSTRY

B

roadcaster and author Simon Calder led this year’s stage line up at the Scottish Tourism Alliance Signature Sessions in Glasgow recently. He was not reticient when it came to his views on the impact that the Westminister government was having on Scottish tourism saying, “Westminster is committing criminal damage against Scottish tourism.”

The event, organised by the industry’s representative body, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, was built around the theme of futureproofing tourism and saw a host of experts, including Simon, take to the stage to deliver valuable insights around the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, opened the conference with an industry address, highlighting tourism priorities for the coming year including promoting tourism as a career of choice, supporting the Borderlands Growth Deal and working towards the Year of Coasts and Waters in 2020. She also revealed a new Tourism Strategy to be developed in partnership with the STA and the Scottish Government to ensure the UK Government’s Tourism Sector Deal meets the needs of industry.”

She said, “Over past 12 months there had been unprecedented success for Scottish tourism. International visitor numbers increased

by 14% and European visitors increased too.”

But she pointed out that visitor numbers from the UK had declined. Saying, “We can’t be complacent. We acknowledge that the tourism sector is fragile.” And although visitor numbers were up, “they are not spending as much when they are here.”

Simon Calder revealed one of his chief concerns that would impact on tourism here, was the fact that the UK government, after Brexit, plan to insist that EU citizens travelling to the UK have a Passport for ID. Many Europeans don’t currently have one. Once the UK imposes this, people intending to travel may not necessarily want to go through the process of getting a passport when they can travel with ID throughout the rest of Europe. The new rule will apply to 24 European countries.

He gave some insight to the global economy telling the delegates that China would be the largest economy by 2030 taking over from the US, and that India would leapfrog over all of us, but said, “at least the UK will still be ahead of France.” Simon also praised the marketeers behind the North Coast 500, saying “We need more of these ideas. People are after experiences and Scotland can deliver them.”

STA Chief Executive Marc Crothall said, “We welcomed just under 450 delegates to the SEC making this our biggest event to date. The need for a united voice is stronger than ever – our industry has never faced as many challenges at the one time as we do right now and it’s clear

that there is an industry wide appetite for our businesses to stay connected, collaborate and strengthen their voices through the STA.” The event also saw the launch of the STA’s rebrand, undertaken by The Union Agency.

Mark Crothall commented, “Our new identity symbolises that strength of connection and bold ambition in working as a united, strong industry to help shape and influence the creation of industry friendly policy.”

Hubert Viriot, CEO of Yotel, also spoke at the conference. He revealed that his company “remain bullish”, but that Brexit would be disruptive particularly since 100% of his employees in London were European citizens.

He said that there were three new hotels due to open in the UK – in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.

On the subject of OTAs, he was quite practical. Saying, “We are a young brand, we are only ten years old, and the growth of OTAs obviously are a formidable engine for a company like us.” But he added, “They need to be managed.” He also said, “The internet is not the only source of business for a hotel – in our properties 40% comes through either OTA or our own website. But the rest comes from hotel management companies, corporate accounts, convention centres and airlines.” He also made the point, “475 million people a month could look at your product but when they set foot in your hotel it is your responsibility.”

HOTELSCOTLAND • 17

XXXXXXX

FROM WHISKY TO HOTELS...

18 • HOTELSCOTLAND • MARCH 2019

INTERVIEW

Jonathan Gillbanks has spent the last 20 years in the whisky industry but now he has turned his attention to hospitality SUSAN YOUNG caught up with him to find out more out more.

A

nticipation in Auchterarder was high when the Cairn Lodge re-opened in February with Jonathan Gillbanks as Managing Director because the hotel was originally founded by his parents Gerry and Loraine in 1982 when they bought what was the former home of the Executive Chef at Gleneagles and turned it into a five-roomed hotel. The couple ran it for nine years and the hotel’s current MD feels that he actually grew up there. He tells me, “I definitely have a huge emotional attachment to the hotel because I lived here until I was 12.”

The hotel has now been totally transformed, but it is not just the hotel that has undergone a transformation. Boss Jonathan has also embarked on a step change with his career having spent the last 22 years in sales and marketing roles across the drinks, finance and food sectors.

Having grown up in the hotel business, he did a Hotel Management and Marketing degree at Strathclyde Hotel School, but his after university his path took him into marketing and not hospitality.

First of all with Whitbread and then with InBev, rising to the role of Senior Brand Manager for Stella Artois – in fact, he helped launch it into the UK market. Subsequently, when the business was sold to Tennents, he transferred and was there until 2008 when he joined RBS as Senior Marketing Manager. Says Jonathan, “I did enjoy my time there but I realised that corporate banking wasn’t really for me.” He moved on to join Baxters Foods and then, in 2014, he joined whisky company Whyte & Mackay. Jonathan tells me, “The Cairn Lodge was put up for sale in 2017 and my family started trying to persuade me to get involved. Once I saw the plans they had on a page I realised it was now or never.

I realised it was a very special project and I also realised that I could also put my mark on it. Whyte & Mackay were very good to me, but this was a unique opportunity for me and I really had to take it. It will be a legacy for my family.”

Says Jonathan, “Initially there were more family members involved but now the two directors are myself and my Aunt Anne, my mother’s sister. She wanted to do it despite being in the twilight of her career. But she is not operational.

There has been a significant investment over

the last 15 months in the business. Jonathan explains, “We purchased the hotel in late summer 2017 and we started our renovation and redevelopment in January 2018. For the whole of 2018, we were renovating redeveloping and changing a lot. We’ve extended the bar, built a large conservatory, added a new entranceway, and totally refigured the back of house with a new bespoke kitchen. It took a lot of thought, a lot of investment and time too. In fact, it took longer than we planned. We had initially anticipated that we would open the last quarter of 2018, before Christmas, giving us a good run into Christmas, but we took an active decision in September that we couldn’t make it and we weren’t prepared to take a risk especially in Christmas season – that would have been madness, so we decided to go for January. Although the quietest time of the year, it gave us a good opportunity to bed in, get our processes right, our staff on board and working as a team. We still have five to recruit, but we now have 15 on board.”

He adds, “Six weeks in, so far, so good. Our customer reviews have been great.”

However, the business opened under the radar, and Jonathan says that was deliberate, however, he adds, “Locally less so! People knew the property, they knew how long it had been closed and we are a well known local family – my parents still own a local guest house here and my other aunts and uncles have business locally too. My parents also used to own the property and founded it, so the link back to the hotel is quite unique and all that created a feeling of anticipation.”

Aurora Hotels had refurbished the hotel a few years ago, quite lavishly, but the business failed and was put up for sale. Jonathan says, “Its decision to sell, created an opportunity for us. The previous incarnation wasn’t for us which is why we have changed it. But no doubt what we have created won’t be for everyone either. We have tried to position it as a real premium, but affordable, small hotel.

People will call it ‘boutique’ but I hate that word. We don’t position ourselves as that, but people will call it that because of our size and HOTELSCOTLAND • 19

INTERVIEW intimacy, and the fact that we are family run, but we are positioning ourselves as affordable premium within what is quite an affluent area – rural Perthshire. We are on the doorstep of Gleneagles, but we have no aspiration to compete against Gleneagles. It is a World class resort hotel, which is fantastic. We have a great relationship with them. We can compliment each other, that’s how we see it. We also like to partner with other local businesses and we know Highland Spring well and I have just had Tullibardine Distillery in. It is good to partner with other businesses in the area.

It’s an area that Jonathan knows well. He smiles, “My family has been in this village for the past 100 years – my grandma was born and bred here and my grandfather, who was of Italian descent was born in Stirling. He originally was in ice-cream but he came to Auchterarder to open a chip shop. But the war intervened and he became an Ambulance driver and met my gran, and when the 2nd WW was over he then opened the Chip shop. My cousin Gillian now runs it with her husband.

I first donned my pinnie in that chip shop!”

But Jonathan’s father also has a very good pedigree in hospitality.

Says Jonathan, “My father was originally from Liverpool and he worked for British Transport Hotels and got a placement at Gleneagles where he met my mum. The two of them then spent time in South Africa and then worked for Reo Stakis. He was General Manager of the Pond Hotel in Glasgow and later opened the Ingram Hotel too. But when his next post was to be Bradford my mum put her foot down and the two of them started their own business in Perth.”

We very keen to support local businesses, and we did use a lot of local businesses to do the work at the hotel. Obviously, we had to use specialist businesses from out with – for instance the fire was put in by a company from Fife, the fabrics and soft furnishing were from down south, but where we can, we do.”

He continues, “I have found during my time in sales and marketing that one of the differences between the Scottish market and elsewhere is that in Scotland you have to press the flesh.

Canny Scots sniff out fraudsters – they want the people they deal with to be genuinely interested in their businesses. I found this out when I worked in sales particularly, and I am bringing the lessons I have learned to the hotel.

Although I am a bit surprised at how few sales reps that I have seen from the drinks industry 20 • HOTELSCOTLAND

so far. We use Inverarity-Morton and Alliance Wines. Obviously, we are well looked after by Whyte & Mackay, Wm Grants and Heineken have also been good. With my background I wanted to have a bar and a great choice of whisky – we have everything from Springbank to Dalmore. But what has surprised me is how well cocktails are doing. We are doing signature serves such as the Lang Toon Sling with Strathearn Gin and classics and they are selling really well. When we created the bar we wanted it to be a nice place to chill in nice surroundings and it has been well received.”

I asked him if it had been a shock to his system returning from what was effectively a

job with a fair bit of travel, and more laptop orientated that being on his feet. He told me, “It’s not just been a personal change but a physiological one too. I’m now spending 12/14 hours on my feet but I do feel ‘released.’ I do everything – I still do Sales and Marketing, but now I am cleaner, night porter and so on - if it needs to be done I am happy to do it. That included cleaning the gutters the other night.

You have to lead by example.”

He continues, “I am probably putting in around 60 hours a week, but I don’t count the hours, just the hour’s I don’t sleep. I’ve two young sons so it is a balance, but my family have been great, and I make sure I am there for the important occasions like parents meetings and taking them to sports activities. I’ve got a good team here, so the hotel is in safe hands when I am not here.”

However, although the hotel is in safe hands, he thinks that not enough is being done to support hospitality businesses generally, especially independent hoteliers. He comments, “In my view, the Scottish hospitality industry is often overlooked and undervalued. But

there is learning we could take from retail and high street because we are in danger of doing a similar thing to our service industry.

Independent operators are being driven out because they can’t afford the labour costs, local taxations, rates and even something as simple as the waste collection. It is ludicrous and people forget that this is a business that is employing people locally, that is putting back into the industry and that is bringing tourism into the area – so there is wealth creation there. I look at what they are talking about in Edinburgh – the tourist tax -and I think this will kill the independents there. It is short-sighted.

All that is going to happen is that cities and towns will become full of chain hotels because it will be the multi-national chains that can afford that business model and not independents which is such a shame. That is what has killed a lot of the high street.”

Locally Jonathan is disappointed that councillors have not been in touch over the course of the last 18 months. He tells me, “We have had no contact with any local government official or national government representation.

I am not expecting them to come beating down my door, but you might have thought a local councillor would have taken an interest and been open for a conversation. After all, we have taken a failed business and brought it back and the investment has been significant.”

He continues, “We think our location is part of our appeal -both for the local element of trade and for tourism. We are working with golf tour operators to bring in international guests – and so far we have had a good reception.

We also are using OTA’s – they can give us a global marketing reach, and for that they are necessary. But there are certain features such as insisting on the same rate that we charge, and taking funds on our behalf and not releasing for a stated time – that works in their favour, not in ours.

“Our catchment area includes Crieff, Perth and Dunblane – and Auchterarder is becoming more of a commuter town – it is only 30 minute from Dundee, and an hour to Edinburgh or Glasgow and 400 new houses are being built in Auchterarder and there is more in the pipeline.”

Certainly what Jonathan and his team have created (and see design feature for the pictures) is a great addition not just to the local scene but for Scotland’s hospitality offer too.

HOTELSCOTLAND • 21

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22 • HOTELSCOTLAND

B E D S

DESIGN FOCUS

BY SUSAN YOUNG

KINGSHOUSE GLENCOE

T

he Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe is open for business and it is looking fit for a King. That may be a cliché but there is nothing cliched about the new hotel. After a spend of £12 million and much discussion and opposition to the plans for the hotel, there is no doubt about it the building is striking and the interior even more so. Designed by Covell Matthews Architects for owners Black Corries Estate, the hotel is now operated by Crieff Hydro Hotels and it stands like a veritable modern Mountain Lodge.

The top two storeys of the three-storey building have been clad in untreated Siberian larch and at this time of year, you can see how the building, as the larch weathers, will blend into the background, not unlike the deer that grace the surrounds, and which come out to welcome you to the hotel. The ground floor exterior walls have been finished in granite coursed rubble – well the walls that are not glass that is! Because the ground floor of the hotel makes the most of the views particularly towards Buachaille Etive Mor with almost floor to ceiling windows in the bar and the restaurant as well as in the reception area.

The old Kingshouse may have largely disappeared but the Way Inn still remains – the building may be original but its interiors too have been updated. The whitewashed building is the only original building still there and it provides a juxtaposition to the new-

build hotel, built on the old footprint, which has a vibrant and contemporary interior. This modern offering meets the needs of all ages and types of visitor.

The public areas which include a reception come lounge area, a large open bar and a restaurant with the most amazing views have been created using many traditional materials from stone to slate, reclaimed wood to granite.

The public areas have exposed stone walls, reclaimed wood floors and granitelike flagstone’s. There are various open fires and a mix of modern furniture mixed with traditional.

Despite the public areas having so many windows, there is not a draft to be felt.

The curtains that are there, and which complement the colour scheme, are purely window dressing. The windows do not open – which no doubt will be fine considering that for 90% of the year you wouldn’t want to open them anyway.

The architects have introduced a substantial porch, which leads you into the reception and this alleviates any chance of the cold wind permeating into the building. The reception area has granite-like flagstone’s, oak wood panelling, and a large stone fireplace complete with log fire. An oak bookcase is the main feature and comfortable sofas and chairs are there for folk to chill out on.

To the left, as you come in, double doors take you into the substantial bar area – which HOTELSCOTLAND • 23

has its own whisky corner – complete with whisky barrel tables and information on the NCN’EAN distillery. The bar has a pop on colour in the shape of teal tiles behind the back bar shelving – which has been fashioned in the shape of a whisky barrel.

The colour palate in the bar includes a vibrant burnt orange and modern teal coloured sofas and stylish chairs. There is a mix of tables that are at coffee table height and dining height... but to be honest it is the view that takes your breath away. Even with the rain battering on the windows, it is exceptional.

The bar also features a very large stone fireplace and there are some faux oak beams – which look like they have always been there!

There are various whisky barrel tables with stools – which have a wool (sheep-like) back.

The dining room offers you more of the same but it is slightly more formal. There are three walls of windows, and what a great way to start the day – having breakfast with one of the most magnificent views in Scotland.

Pride of place in the restaurant is a round table for eight – a reconditioned antique and I shudder to think of the cost! There is also a marble-topped breakfast serving bar which stretches the width of the wall.

And modern chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The flooring throughout the dining and bar areas comes from an old school in 24 • HOTELSCOTLAND

Ireland which has all been reclaimed and adds warmth and character to the bar and restaurant.

Back of house, the fact that the building is brand new is a massive bonus – the corridors are wide and the kitchen is very well-equipped. The cellar is located here too.

It has all been designed very practically and as the hotel gets busier I am sure the extra storage space for dry goods will come in very handy.

On the first and second floors, the bedroom accommodation is fairly standard with all rooms having a view. The corridors and stairs areas are a lovely fresh light sage colour, with modern mustard checked tartanesque carpet. Each wall facing the lift has a wall-size photograph of a deer. It’s a striking image that stays with you as your traverse the corridor to your room. The colour palette of the rooms reflects the primary colours in the public areas – pale sage green and burnt orange with dark charcoal cushions while the walls are a neutral biscuit colour.

Oak features heavily throughout the hotel, but none more so than in the bedrooms. The furniture is all oak. The rooms are practical and spacious and there are nice touches too, for instance, the jacket and boot stand – which is exactly what you need when you have outdoor wear. Pride of place is a very large framed picture of the surrounding views

above the bed. The pictures are dramatic and its all the room needs because the views out the windows are also spectacular and you can enjoy your view from a two-seater bed settee that is perfectly placed. The bigger rooms Signature rooms have larger windows and a private balcony and of course are much larger.

Perfect if you are staying a few days.

The beds, supplied by Mattison’s, are very comfortable King-sized and zip-linked, allowing maximum flexibility. The rooms all have connectivity with the hotel moving to fibre cable shortly which should solve any internet issues.

The bathrooms, although small are perfectly formed, and have slate grey tiling, and white units, with Arran toiletries and fluffy white towels. They also boast powerful showers above the bath. I would imagine weary walkers will be very pleased of this at the end of a hard day and it is nice to see baths retained in such a modern hotel.

Outside the land is still quite barren, but you can see how the landscaping, in progress, will enhance it. The outside terraces will also, come the better weather, be perfect for perusing the magnificent scenery with a drink or two.

The Kings House in 1750 may have been built as accommodation for troops and travellers but now the travellers will be trooping to the new Kingshouse Hotel – that is for sure.

DESIGN FOCUS

HOTELSCOTLAND • 25

BY SUSAN YOUNG

THE CAIRN LOD AUCHTERARDER

26 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 2019

DESIGN FOCUS

GE

A

nyone who was in the Cairn Lodge in Auchterarder after Aurora Hotels refurbished it would have seen a modern and contemporary look, but today after an investment of £2 million, and a year-long redevelopment, the Cairn Lodge has reemerged as a luxury country house hotel complete with wood panelling, cornicing, and a large welcoming fire more in line with its ancestry as a Victorian Hunting Lodge. However, it is anything but traditional.

Now back in the hands of the Gillbanks family, who originally founded the hotel, the transformation has seen a new entrance created, a large conservatory built a larger stand-alone bar opened while the, entire backof-house has been reconfigured. All fourteen bedrooms have also been totally refurbished.

Says MD Jonathan Gillbanks, “We worked with a designer that we knew and everything was done in consultation with us. We have tried to position the Cairn Lodge as a real

premium, but affordable, small hotel.”

The new entrance now offers guests and customers a place to sit and wait while their transport arrives and it leads into a generous reception area, which has been brightened considerably. It still has the two small turret rooms currently set up as dining areas. Says Jonathan, “The turrets were the original entrance to the hotel. We plan on using them for afternoon teas and such like, but guests do like to have dinner there too.”

Just beyond the reception, in what was the restaurant, there is now an area that can be used by guests for pre or post dinner drinks or for coffees during the day. The design on the bespoke wallpaper has been continued onto the glass doors which takes you into the restaurant. Says Jonathan, “We liked the design of the wallpaper so much that we had the design etched onto the glass in the door.”

The restaurant is also bright and airy with a large service bar to the right and furniture that was specially designed for the restaurant.

It has a distressed look, which should give

“We have tried to position the Cairn Lodge as a real premium but affordable small hotel” JONATHAN GILLBANKS

HOTELSCOTLAND • 27

DESIGN FOCUS

it longevity. But the pièce de résistance has to be the Garden room – the large conservatory that has been built on what was the former outdoor terrace. This square, majestic conservatory has oversized classical conservatory furniture, its very own faux olive tree and a tiled floor – the colours of pale green and lemon, accentuates the garden feel and it has bi-fold doors for when the weather does improve. Jonathan explains, “We wanted to bring the outdoors indoors.” He has certainly achieved that.

Last but not least there is a private dining room. The spaces all merge into each other but the furniture and fabrics in each area are different, which gives them each their own identity. Certainly, the décor is fresh and it is bright and it has an Italian feel. A nod to the Italian ancestry of the family.

Also on the ground level is the bar – which is beside the reception area. The feel here is completely different from the dining areas.

The bar has a feel of a gentleman’s club – all leather chairs, natural fabrics and a hint of the oriental with distressed wood decorative shelving and oversized lamps. It feels almost colonial with nods to Scotland in the shape of the two bronze stags perched at the end of the bar. It’s very comfortable and stylish. The 28 • HOTELSCOTLAND

perfect spot to enjoy a malt whisky or a classic cocktail.

The modern wing of the hotel is situated on the opposite side of the reception and the four rooms there, like the ten rooms upstairs, have all been individually styled.

The premier suite has an Asian-inspired theme with rich orange and black lacquered furnitu,re complete with bonsai trees and porcelain Japanese ladies. The bed linen is 300 thread, while the bedspreads are sumptuous and of course, the bed in this room is a Super King Size. But all of the rooms are luxurious with a capital ‘L’, with oversized lamps, wonderful ceiling pendants, distinctive mirrors and nice little touches – for instance, the tea and coffee is presented in a hollow book.

Says Jonathan, “People want clean, fresh and luxurious rooms and they want to treat themselves because they are away from home.”

One expense he was spared was the cost of replacing the bathrooms. He tells me, “The bathrooms were immaculate, and finished to such a high spec, that we have kept them all. All we have done is dress them.”

The Cairn Lodge certainly made an impression. It has been revived and it is a credit to the owners and everyone involved with the redesign.

PEOPLE

CROWN PLAZA WELCOMES NEW GM

TINTO JOINS THE SANDEMAN SIGNATURE The Sandman Signature Aberdeen Hotel, which opened in August on the site of the former Robert Gordon University St Andrew Street campus, has appointed Kevin Tinto to the position of Conference and Banqueting Manager.

Kevin, who brings more than 10 years’ experience to the role, will be responsible for setting up, operating and managing the conferencing and events department within the 218-bedroom hotel.

Responsible for a team of up to 30 full time, part time and casual event staff, he will be tasked with all aspects of event management, from enquiry to completion, to ensure delegates and guests receive first-class hospitality, at all times.

He joins the hotel from independently owned contract caterer, Inspire LLP . Says Kevin, “I started my career in the hotel sector and I am delighted to be joining Aberdeen’s newest, friendliest and most stylish hotel.”

Meanwhile Louise Divarquez has been appointed event sales manager at Sandman Signature Aberdeen Hotel, which opened in August on the site of the former Robert Gordon University St Andrew Street campus. Louise brings more than 20 years of experience of the events industry to her role and will be responsible for driving event sales, building relationships with prospective clients and advising on everything necessary to create tailored and bespoke events.

The Sandman Signature Aberdeen is the Canadian Sandman Hotel Group’s first Scottish venue - it also has hotels at Newcastle and Gatwick.

The Crowne Plaza Glasgow, which is managed by Valor Hospitality Group, has appointed new general manager, Jason Dombrower.

Having previously working as regional vice president of operations at Interstate Hotels, Jason brings 30 years’ experience in hospitality to his new role.

Jason said: “I feel very fortunate to be working for such a strong management company and with a fantastic, experienced team here at the hotel. I am looking forward to bringing my expertise to my new role and sharing the knowledge that I have accumulated throughout my career.”

NEW APPOINTMENTS Graham Chalmers has taken over as Curator (General Manager) at Radisson RED which opened last year. Graham who was formerly General Manager of Glasgow’s Malmaison replaces Michael Weston who was the hotel’s opening manager.

Marianne Clave has now taken up her position as Project Manager for Malmaison and Hotel du Vin and David Barclay has taken over as GM at Hotel du Vin/ One Devonshire in Glasgow.

He was former General Manager at Dakota South Queensferry and prior to that he worked for The Townhouse Collection.

HOTEL HERO Borthwick Castle’s Kieran Rose, the hotel’s Front of House Manager, has won a Scottish Thistle Award. He was recognised for his hard work and dedication by being put forward for the Tourism & Hospitality Hero Award. Rose, who joined Borthwick Castle in February 2017, was up against four other contenders from around the country and picked up the trophy.

Borthwick Castle General Manager, Johanne Falconer, said, “Kieran is a real hero to us and we’re delighted that his hard work and dedication has been recognised.”

HOTELSCOTLAND • 29

WHAT’S NEW

PEAT SMOKE SHERRY CASK The Benromach Distillery Company Ltd has announced the release of Benromach Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Matured (59.9% ABV), a rich and intense limited-batch expression.

Keith Cruickshank, Benromach Distillery Manager, said, “This is the first time Benromach has released a Sherried Peat Smoke expression and we’re very proud of its unique flavour profile.

This expression perfectly balances the smokiness with the sweeter Sherry notes, giving rise to a spectacularly rich and intense dram.

Benromach Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Matured offers whisky lovers elegant fruit flavours while heightening the smoky notes Benromach is known for. With a beautiful dark amber hue from the time spent maturing in Sherry hogsheads, the whisky’s sweet flavours are balanced with a hint of white pepper, which gives way to dried fruits complemented by Sherry undertones. The lingering finish offers a seriously smoky edge.

Just 6,500 bottles are available world wide with Benromach Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Maturing having an RRP of £64.99. www.benromach.com

1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky The Glasgow Distillery Company has announced the return of its 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The distillery has also revealed the launch of two new expressions: 1770 Peated and 1770 Triple Distilled. Together, these three new expressions will collectively form the Signature Range.

Matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks, finished in virgin oak and non-chill filtered; 1770 Single Malt is smooth, fruity and complex; a single malt of sublime quality.

The 2019 Release is now available to order with shipping in April, the first Peated expression will be available in late 2019 and the Triple Distilled in early 2020.

LAURENT-PERRIER CUVEE ROSE Laurent-Perrier has introduced a brand new, limited-edition constellation robe, encasing its renowned Cuvée Rosé champagne.

The design which embodies the silhouette of a star constellation, offers an extra layer of luxury. The detailed robe adds a unique sparkle to the bottle, and a sublime touch to its serving.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir, Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvee Rose offers up notes of fresh red berry and a light and elegant palate.

The Laurent-Perrier limited-edition Cuvée Rosé robe is available from £69.95 (75cl).

30 • HOTELSCOTLAND

MERMAID GIN Mermaid Gin, from the Isle of Wight’s only distillery, has had a major makeover.

It now has a striking new sculpted bottle which is 100% recyclable - decorated with biodegradable paint and featuring an all-natural cork with a wooden top and a paper seal. The distillery has also demanded all its suppliers accept new sustainability challenges - such as stopping the use of bubble wrap and sourcing alternatives at every stage of the production and distribution process.

The flagship spirit of the four year old Isle of Wight Distillery is now presented in a highly tactile bottle with sculpted scales that reflect and refract light. The scales swirl downwards around the bottle to resemble the tail of the eponymous mythical sea creature, while the colours mimic the gin-clear blues of the Mediterranean, down to the deep greens of Mid-Atlantic rollers. Tactility is enhanced by being weighted forward for easy handling by consumers and bar-tenders alike, plus a flange for an easy pour.

Created by long-time friends Xavier Baker (a brewer) and Conrad Gauntlett (a winemaker), the premium gin’s new look is described as ‘better complementing the liquid inside’ and is expected to markedly drive both distribution and sales.

Mermaid is a hand-crafted small batch gin distilled since 2014 using ten ethicallysourced botanicals. It’s a smooth yet complex blend that features the freshness of organic lemon zest, the peppery notes in grains of paradise and a hint of sea air from fragrant rock samphire (foraged from the Isle of Wight’s cliffs). Mermaid Gin comes in at around £45.00/70cl.

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HOTELSCOTLAND • 33

CHECKOUT T

he HIT Scotland Talent Conference unveiled a new name and a new look – aimed at inspiring Hospitality Leaders at all levels of the hospitality sectorat the event which was a sell-out. It attracted delegates and scholars from all over Scotland with the 2019 scholarships handed out at the end of the event. Delegates heard from speakers such as Sallyann Tindall of Scottish Enterprise and Helena Langdon, Head of Digital & Communities at Innocent while the workshops covered subjects such as The Art of Exemplary Service, Megatrends Impacting Scottish Tourism to 2025 and Content Creation.

The Scottish Tourism Alliance Signature Sessions were most enlightening and I really enjoyed listening to Broadcaster and author, Simon Calder, give the delegates his overview on the economy and the knock-on effect for hospitality. It was interesting to hear that, of the businesses he admired, Ryan Air was top when it came to making its mark. He told how budget air travel had revolutionised tourism – and he was absolutely spot on.

Justin Reid, Director of Destination Marketing, Europe, Middle East & Africa at TripAdvisor was also very frank. On the subject of fake reviews, he told the audience that that were more than 30 automated checks that reviews go through, but he also said that, generally, the first few reviews were fake – i.e. the owner, the owner’s family and friends. He was making the point that only a tiny percentage out of the thousands of reviews that are often posted are fake. He had a point.

Travelodge has revealed tha it is targeting parents who want to return to work to fill a potential post-Brexit staffing gap if EU worker numbers fall. The business revealed that, to this end, it is hoping to attract parents by offering flexible hours and school-hour roles. I’m pretty sure just about every hotel company will be following suit.

You don’t realise how much we have all come to rely on connectivity until you have an outage! It’s no wonder that the new Kingshouse Hotel at Glencoe is moving to fibre.

The number of times the mast goes down in that area (no doubt due to the weather) must be a real issue – not just for the hotel, but for customers too. Although I have to admit I quite like it when my phone has no signal! But it has been a complaint that hoteliers in more remote areas have had for a while. A year ago the UK government announced funding of £4.7m for a Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) programme to provide full fibre networks in Inverness, Fort William, Wick and Thurso. I do hope hospitality businesses there are taking advantage of the Gigabit Voucher scheme. It can be used by small businesses to contribute to the installation cost of a full fibre connection. Businesses anywhere in the Highlands and Islands are eligible. An individual business can claim up to £3,000 towards the cost of connection.

So tell me … if an elderly lady having lunch at your hotel ate a bad oyster and ended up being taken to hospital in an ambulance would you a) comp the lunch? b) take the lady’s meal off the menu and send a bill later? Or c) chase the said lady’s daughter just about into the ambulance for payment there and then? Answers on a postcard, please!

On a slightly more cheerful note, I was at the Grand Central recently for the Women of Influence lunch and the service was absolutely terrific as was the food. It makes such a difference when the service is so slick. Everyone at the table commented on it. Hats off to everyone there.

34 • HOTELSCOTLAND

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