Hotel Scotland Issue 12

HOTELSCOTLAND 12 – SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSN 2515-8287

INTERVIEW:

THE NAME IS BON...SOR

HOTEL INDIGO LAUNCHES A CLEAN SWEEP

SIX OF SCOTLAND’S TOP HOUSEKEEPERS

CONTENTS

4

NEWS

8 HOUSEKEEPERS 17 REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

I

WELCOME

17

• NEW TOURISM FIGURES

We also take a look at how hoteliers can encourage their chefs to be more creative. This comes on the back of our own experience when we set Chef Ryan Neil of the Hilton Glasgow a challenge to create a ‘Strictly’ themed menu for our sister publication’s awards. He excelled.

JASON CADDY REPORTS

18 INTERVIEW:

MICHAEL BONSOR

23 CREATIVITY: THE HOTEL

t’s been a busy month for the Hotel Scotland team with visits to Dundee, London, Edinburgh and Skye. Check out my interview with Michael Bonsor, the Inverness lad who now is the MD of one of London’s best hotels. It was a privilege to spend time with him.

Jason Caddy headed to Dundee to see how the new Hotel Indigo was shaping up and he also has collated our feature on Six of Scotland’s most hardworking House Keepers. Look out for it on page23.

CHEFS HOLY GRAIL

26 DESIGN FOCUS:

HOTEL INDIGO

30 WHAT’S NEW

18

34 CHECK OUT

• MICHAEL BONSOR

The latest statistics show that our tourism businesses are thriving. We do a roundup of all the figures on page 17.

I hope you enjoy the magazine and, once again, if there is anything you would like us to cover get in touch.

Susan Young Editor

23

• GLITTER BALL

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

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

26

• HOTEL INDIGO

Editor: Susan Young Editorial: Jocelyn O’Keefe, Jason Caddy Commercial Consultant: Lynn Kelly Advertising: Sylvia Forsyth, Paul Campbell Production: Lorraine Gourlay, Dougie Wagstaff 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 2018. Printed by Stephens & George Print Group.

SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 3

Drimsynie doubles in size after £6.5m refurb Drimsynie Estate Hotel will open at the end of September following a £6.5m refurbishment.

Operated by Argyll Holidays and situated in the Drimsynie Estate Holiday Village, Loch Lomond, the renovation project has doubled its size. Comprising 19 bedrooms, the hotel is also home to The View, a casual restaurant with

floor to ceiling windows and outdoor terrace, The Lookout. It will unveil its new conference space too. It is the only purpose-built conference facility in the area and overlooks Loch Goil in the Trossachs National Park in Scotland. The new space can host up to 200 delegates.

MORE TEA, ANDY? Stirling Council has approved plans lodged by Andy Murray in April for a 270 sqm tearoom and another 27 rooms at Cromlix House, near his hometown of Dunblane, to cope with a boiling hot demand for afternoon tea.

Murray, 31, bought it for £1.8 million in 2013 and the hotel has won a string of awards since reopening the following year. The new plans were approved after council officials were told that it would boost the local economy and create more jobs at the hotel, which employs 70 people.

YOTEL unveils more details on its second hotel in Scotland As we reported in our last issue, YOTEL’S second hotel in Scotland, in Glasgow’s Westergate Building on Argyle Street, will open in November 2019. It will bring the brand’s key count in the UK to 823 as part of its European expansion strategy.

The new YOTEL will have 256 rooms that will be equipped with, say the company, a technology-driven hospitality offering, like adjustable beds and smart TVs that allow guests to stream their own content. The hotel will also feature a rooftop bar complete with bowling alley.

YOTEL CEO Hubert Viriot said, “Glasgow is a forward-looking city that has real vibrancy and energy, bolstered by careful planning and investment initiatives. The city is building on its excellent infrastructure and is shaping up to be a world-class business destination. These were all important characteristics that helped us choose Glasgow as our next UK location and we’re excited to be part of the positive momentum that is driving growth in the city.”

The project is being designed by Glasgowbased architects Mosaic Architecture + Design.

IF YOU HAVE ANY NEWS FOR US AT HOTEL SCOTLAND EMAIL: NEWS@ MEDIAWORLDLTD.COM 4 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

NEWS

Glenborrodale goes on the market The 16-bedroom Glenborrodale Castle, which previously operated as an events venue and hotel, and which comes complete with two islands, is on the market for £3.75 million. Situated on the southern shore of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in the Highlands, it boasts about 132.99 acres of grounds and includes the Isle of Risga and Eilean an Feidh. It has16 bedroom suites, three public rooms, a games room, commercial kitchens and staff accommodation. Additional buildings at Glenborrodale Castle include a gate lodge, detached coach house, gym, boathouse and jetty. It’s the perfect location for sailing, angling and kayaking, for example. Bell Ingram is handling the sale.

Shetland hotel for sale

INGLISTON COUNTRY CLUB CREATES 500 SEAT EVENTS VENUE Ingliston Country Club & Hotel in Renfrewshire, privately owned and run by the Fraser family, has invested £250,000 in an indoor marquee (pictured above) to treble its capacity for events for up to 500 guests.

Nigel Bird, CEO at Ingliston Country Club & Hotel said, “We wanted to create a venue that can host large events but still offer great hospitality and entertainment in this unique location.

Events on this scale bring fantastic numbers of visitors to the area and will undoubtedly benefit the local economy. We expect high demand for the new marquee and anticipate

securing 80 new bookings in the first year.

He continued, “We are already a hugely popular events location but are unique in offering a venue with this capacity, character and calibre within a short drive of Glasgow.

The setting, near Bishopton and the Kilpatrick Hills, provides a memorable backdrop for any celebration, team building or corporate event.” The new indoor marquee is ideal for large events with space to comfortably accommodate 500 guests. Ingliston also offers event space in the elegant Salerno and Connemara suites which can accommodate 150 and 160 guests respectively.

The three-star, 35-bedroom Brae Hotel on Shetland’s main island is on the market via Christie & Co. It’s about six miles from the Sullom Voe oil terminal, and a spokesperson told Hotel Scotland, “Workers from the terminal make up a lot of our walk-in trade in the evening, on top of what are typically 15 guest covers in the restaurant.” The hotel also has a bar and function room.

Crieff Hydro reports profits rise Crieff Hydro hotels group has reported a rise in annual profits and revenues. The hotel group’s annual pre-tax profits rose by nearly two-thirds to slightly more than £700,000.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased by 22% to £2.9 million.

The group includes the Crieff Hydro Hotel and nearby Murraypark Hotel, as well as the Peebles Hydro and The Park, also in Peebles, and the Ballachulish and Isles of Glencoe hotels. It also takes in Crieff Hydro’s hotel management operation.

SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 5

WE LIKE IT... ALOFT The structure of the new 150-bedroom Aloft Hotel, part of the new AECC project which includes The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA), has been completed. The hotel, located just north of the Hilton Hotel that adjoins TECA, will be the first building in Phase 2 of the AECC at Bucksburn.

The multi-million pound project, which is being delivered by Aberdeen City Council and Henry Boot Developments (HBD), is being constructed by Robertson Group and will, say the people behind it, provide a new world-class facility for Scotland. The 12,500-capacity arena along with conference and exhibition spaces will host major events and music concerts.

It is expected to contribute an additional 4.5 million visitors, £113m of visitor spend and £63m net Gross Value Added to the Scottish economy. It will also result in the creation of 352 full-time-equivalent permanent positions by year 10 of operations.

Nick Harris, director of HBD in Scotland, said, “The Aloft Hotel is a key part of this flagship project for Aberdeen and the north east. This is the last of the buildings under construction to ‘top out’, and we are now moving to the interior fit-out stage. The installation of the interiors has already begun at TECA itself and at the adjoining Hilton hotel, so we’re entering another really exciting phase of the project where we will see the buildings really start to come to life.”.

HAPPY 30th AUCHRANNIE! Auchrannie Resort on the Isle of Arran is now officially a thirty-something.

And as well as 2018 marking the 30th year of business, Auchrannie also completed the transition to employee ownership.

DRYFESDALE HITS THE MARKET The 29 bedroom Best Western Dryfesdale Country House Hotel in Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, is on the market. It is being sold by, joint selling agents, Colliers International and Smith & Clough Business Associates who are inviting offers over £2.3m for the freehold.

Set in close to four acres of its own private grounds, it boasts four public rooms ranging in sizes to cater for small meetings up to a function room with capacity for 150. There’s also a separate three-bedroom cottage.

Graeme Smith of Smith & Clough Business Associates said, “Having sold the hotel to the current owner 15 years ago, it is a pleasure to be acting jointly in the sale of this extremely established and presented business, that offers an exceptional opportunity for a private individual or as an addition to a larger portfolio.”

It started out as a 12-bedroom guest house back in 1988 and the business now stands at 85 bedrooms, 30 luxury lodges and 7 couples retreats – accommodating up to 425. guests each night. It also comprises two leisure centres (both with swimming pools), three restaurants, a destination spa, outdoor adventure centre and children’s playbarn.

Auchrannie now employs over 160 staff, with

Hotel developer, the Dominvs Group, has bought a site at the corner of Osborne Street and Old Wynd in Glasgow for a reported price in excess of £3m. The one-acre site is currently being used as a car park.

Tom Kitchin to open pub with rooms in Gullane Later this year, Michelin starred chef Tom Kitchin and the team behind Kitchin Group will launch The Bonnie Badger, a pub with rooms in the village of Gullane on Scotland’s East coast. Located a stone’s throw away from Muirfield golf course, the hotel, which dates back to 1836 and was previously The Golf Inn, is undergoing a full refurbishment and will feature 12 bedrooms, a bar, a 60 cover dining room and an outdoor garden area.

Led and designed by Tom’s wife and business 6 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

partner Michaela Kitchin and Stephen Paterson of Burns Design, the interior, say the team, will take inspiration from Scotland’s rich tapestry of natural resources in a blend of Scandinavian and Scottish design which has become synonymous with the Kitchin Group’s restaurants.

Said Tom, “My wife and I have dreamt of having a pub with rooms for years and we’ve always been particularly fond of the East Lothian area, having spent time here on family holidays with the kids. When this opportunity

came up it just felt that it was meant to be.”

He continued, “We have always loved the feel of the old hotel and we want to ensure that we keep the heart of the building whilst enhancing the offering. Our aim is to create a welcoming and charming place for guests to enjoy good food and drink which I hope the local community will embrace and enjoy.

It will also be a place to escape for a day trip or a weekend break to experience the local scenery and beautiful setting that East Lothian has to offer.”

XXXXXXXX NEWS

HYPNOS CREATE EASYLINK

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Hypnos Contract Beds, has created EasylinkTM in response to increasing demand from housekeepers for Zip and Link beds that are easier, safer and quicker to transform room function.

Featuring the latest in linking bar technology, Easylink™ linking bars are placed on top of the bed base instead of underneath, meaning housekeepers no longer have to struggle to lift the bed to access the hidden linking bar. This also eliminates any unsightly external bars and means housekeepers can operate the new linking bar by standing up, rather than kneeling, making the job more comfortable, safer and quicker to do.

an annual turnover of almost £8 million.

Linda Johnston, co-founder and managing director of Auchrannie Resort said “When we first opened the doors back in 1988, I don’t think anyone imaged we would be where we are today. What has been achieved is truly outstanding and a result of the huge amount of work that has been put in over the past 30 years. Now is a good time thank again everyone who has played a part in making Auchrannie what it is; employees, suppliers, the community and of course our guests – each one of whom has helped us evolve.”

The company also uses ethical design and manufacturing processes. In fact, Hypnos is the first bedmaker in the world to achieve carbon neutral status for seven years. The company uses sustainable materials including FSC® or PEFC™ certified timbers that have been sourced from managed forests, and all beds and sofa beds are 100% recyclable at the end of their life, whilst maintaining an uncompromising level of excellence that the company is renowned for. For more information contact www.hypnoscontractbeds.com

FATTAL PLANS TO EXPAND EDINBURGH JURYS INN AND DEBUT UK’S FIRST NYX HOTEL BRAND IN THE CITY Fattal Hotels, owner of Jurys Inn, has announced it will invest £32m in the redevelopment and expansion of the existing Jurys Inn Edinburgh. If planning gets the green light , the hotel could see 101 rooms added. Fattal has also proposed converting an adjacent listed building into a new 131-room NYX hotel, as well as a separate development of 31 new residential units on the Jeffrey Street site.

The NYX development would be the first in the UK for the brand.

The company agreed to acquire the freehold of the property and adjacent land on Jeffrey Street from the William Pears Group for an

undisclosed sum. The transaction is expected to close later this year.

Fattal hopes expansion and renovation of the existing hotel and construction of the new hotel and 31 housing units to begin in the first half of 2019, to be completed by the first quarter of 2021.

Fattal Holdings, controlled with a 72.1% share by the Fattal family, was founded by David Fattal. It holds, operates, rents, and manages hotels in Israel and Europe and acquires and builds new hotels. The chain currently operates 36,000 rooms in 186 hotels in 17 countries.

The chain has 146 European hotels – 52 all or partly owned, 89 rented, and five managed.

I SPY THE MACHRIE Campbell Gray Hotels has just reopened The Machrie, the beachside hotel and golf course on the Isle of Islay. It was closed for several years, has undergone a complete renovation and expansion to what are now 47 rooms, plus suites and lodges, some of which include their own kitchens and terraces.

The hotel also features a restaurant overlooking the modernised golf course’s 18th hole. Other facilities include four lounges and bars, each with their own working fireplaces, plus a spa with two treatment rooms, a sauna and gym. A private screening room is available for both guests and visitors.

Campbell Gray Hotels runs five hotels including The Phoenicia in Malta, Le Gray Beirut and The Merchant House in Bahrain.

Mandale Construction North has submitted plans to Aberdeen City Council for a new 106-bedroom hotel at Custom House on Guild Street in Aberdeen. It is seeking planning permission from the local authority for a change of use from offices to a hotel.

Planning permission has also been requested for outside alterations because the building lies in a conservation area.

UKHospitality responds to Prime Minister granting EU citizens right to remain status It is estimated that one in eight staff working in hospitality are from other nations and UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls has responded to the Prime Minister’s August statement on European citizens being granted the right to stay in the UK even if there is a no-deal Brexit. She said, “The Prime Minister’s statement gives businesses much-needed clarity on the future of its workforce as we leave the EU, with or without a deal. It rightly acknowledges the contribution made by EU nationals to UK businesses.”

SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 7

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FEATURE

DUSTBUSTERS

Housekeeping Manager, Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow

LYNNE DOYLE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

CAROL DOVE

Age: 56. Holiday Inn Express, Glasgow

C

arol Dove’s boss Nicola Taylor described her as ‘an absolute legend’ so we couldn’t not include her. Carol is Hotel Manager at the Holiday Inn Express City Centre Theatreland and also heads the housekeeping team at the hotel as well as The Holiday Inn City Centre Riverside. She was responsible for Hotel Indigo’s housekeeping before it was outsourced three years ago. Carol started her career at the Central Hotel in her hometown of Glasgow as a room attendant and was quickly promoted to supervisor. After two years she high-tailed it to the city’s Thistle Hotel where she worked for 10 months as supervisor, before being made Floor Supervisor at the then Glasgow Forum, where Carol gained her first experience with a hotel opening. She explains, “Intercontinental pulled out of Glasgow and Queens Moathouse took over and I was made Deputy Housekeeper after 10 months and Executive Housekeeper after a year. This was the best job that I’ve ever had.

Stephen Carter is an amazing man to work for.

He promoted me twice, doesn’t micro-manage, develops, trains and praises like no other. It was here that I developed a taste for champagne – he always wanted to celebrate! I managed 50 staff and was broken hearted when I left.” Personal reasons meant Carol had to move to England at this juncture and she moved to Peterborough and gained experience with three Marriott re-brandings, two in England and The Royal Scott in Edinburgh. It was after five years of doing this that Carol was offered her current job.

In terms of the challenges, she said, “Housekeeping is a background job, so I have had to learn all the front of house stuff, but luckily the Holiday Inn Express is a relaxed brand and I can talk for Scotland, a quality every front of house person needs.” There are lots of unpublishable things that Carol has found in rooms, but the one that sticks in her mind is a wallet. “This little suede wallet was left in the safe unclaimed for two years and we eventually looked in it and it contained 1400 Japanese dollars that we eventually split between the staff.”.” n SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 9

FEATURE

CATHERINE DEVLIN

Age: 43. Head Housekeeper, Hilton Hotel, William Street, Glasgow

C

atherine Devlin’s career quite literally began on a high. “It all started in Germany in 1998 in a hotel in the Alps followed by a hotel in Dusseldorf called The Excelsior,” she said. Then she came back to Scotland after five years for a room attendant job at The Grosvenor in the west end of Glasgow where she quickly became a supervisor, and Catherine remained in this role for eight happy years. It was all change in 2010, however, when she decided to move to The Big Smoke. She explains, “I wanted some five-star experience so I went to London’s Intercontinental Park Lane, working for a company called LXJ. They’d created a role especially for me called Senior Supervisor even though I went for Supervisor’s role as advertised. I spent seven months there before moving to the Intercontinental Westminster (now the Hilton-owned Conrad St James). This was interesting because I worked

towards the hotel’s opening and got another string to my bow.” Catherine then joined the Montcalm Group, her first Head Housekeeper role, which she did for five years, leading to even bigger and better things. “After two years I was made Cluster Housekeeper, looking after two hotels. This was great but exhausting.” This was Catherine’s cue to come back to Scotland and her current role. Catherine’s seen a shift in customers’ expectations over the years. She explains, “Customers are definitely quicker to complain now, and more so if they are spending their own money rather than when the costs are covered, like by the company they work for example.” And we had to ask her what the most unusual thing that she has found in the hotel. “A prosthetic leg (and the person never called to ask for it back) and a pair of false teeth. Although not in the same room. There are plenty of other things but let’s not go there,” she said.

CHRISTIAN ADORIAN

Age 28: Head Housekeeper, Moxy Hotel, Aberdeen

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omanian-born Christian Adorian has been covering the substantive Head Housekeeper’s maternity leave for a year.

His usual role is as Housekeeping Supervisor.

Considering that he’s only been in Scotland since 2016, his rise has been nothing short of meteoric, even more so considering his former career and how short a time he has been working in housekeeping. Christian explains, “I was a painter and decorator in Romania and when I came to Scotland my knowledge about housekeeping was zero.” Christian kicked off his career as a cleaner with the WGC Group when he first moved here and was always motivated to bring his A-game. He said, “I took a lot of

10 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

pride in my work and worked hard and honed my housekeeping skills in my role as a cleaner and I’m very proud of my achievements. “And his efforts and talents were quickly recognised when he was promoted to supervisor at The Park Inn by Radisson. Christian was then moved to The Ardoe House Hotel before joining The Moxy Hotel in April of this year. Christian has plenty to be proud of so far in terms of achievements, but one thing in particular that stands out. He says. “A month ago we passed what was my first branch standard audit and I was extremely proud of that.” Away from the job Christian plays football and unwinds by reeling in a few catches when fishing.” n

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

ELIZABETH FRASER

AGE:64. Head Housekeeper, Windlestraw, Walkerburn, The Borders

G

lasgow-born Elizabeth Fraser is Head Housekeeper for VisitScotland’s five-star gold quality assurance award-winning Windlestraw in the Borders’ Tweed Valley.

Current owners, John and Sylvia Matthews, have worked with Elizabeth ever since they acquired the six-room hotel three-and-a-half years ago. But Elizabeth, who describes herself as incredibly family-oriented, has been with the hotel for ten years. Like a lot of people at the time, Elizabeth moved to the area in her teens to work in a mill and was employed by Ballantynes Mill for a number of years before she began working in housekeeping for a number of the big houses in the area. Today she presides over the small housekeeping team and is very much a traditionalist in her approach to the job, as well as being a firm believer in the personal touch. She explains, “I think that if you get the basics right in housekeeping such as top quality linen that is well laundered then I don’t think that you can go far wrong and customers appreciate this as it’s central to a comfortable stay.” She continues, “Of course, there are addons. We put espresso machines in the room and invest in a good quality finishes. Irrespective of trends or what’s trending on social media, I think that the basics and getting them right speak volumes.” Elizabeth also said that, and like some of the other people in this feature, she too has found stuff left behind like wallets containing passports that she has had to inform the customer about because they hadn’t missed them, which she finds baffling. n SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 11

FEATURE

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

ALISON MONAGHAN

AGE: 59. Head Housekeeper, Radisson Blu, Edinburgh

A

lison Monaghan is a tough person to pin down. She was training all day on the day that we first tried to get hold of her, and this, as it turns out once we were finally able to get a few minutes of her time, is one of Alison’s proudest achievements. She explains, “I’m a shy person by nature and so I’d say that one of my proudest achievements is all the training I do and all the people this involves coming into contact with.” Edinburgh-born Alison started at the city’s Radisson Blu back in 2000 and then worked her way up via Supervisor and Assistant to become Head Housekeeper in 2010.Today she heads up a team of 40 people, knows them all by name, and Alison gets most everyday satisfaction from leading the team to keep the hotel spick and span, while always driving up standards and encouraging all of her staff to play to their strengths in order that she can develop them. Away from the job, Alison is very family-oriented,. In fact, she spent most of her time immediately prior to taking on the role at the Radisson raising her two kids in between part-time jobs. Alison says that customers are very respectful in the main, if not a wee bit forgetful. She explains, “We seem to get a fair few customers who are absolutely convinced that they left something in the room when they haven’t.” Alison was also nominated for a Shining Star for Responsible Business Award for all fundraising efforts for a teenage cancer trust that she undertakes. Alison’s also a proud season ticket holder for Hibs. n

MAGGIE OJOBARO

Age: 43. Waldorf Astoria, Edinburgh

M

aggie Ojobaro is a hands-on Head Housekeeper and an excellent multitasker. As busy as she was checking rooms and greeting customers as she went along, she was still able to talk to us at the same time.

“I absolutely love seeing customer’s faces when they see the room for the first time,” she says.

Maggie heads up a team of 50 people and gets a buzz from working as part of a big team.

Nigerian-born Maggie kicked off her career in 1995 at the Intercontinental Park Lane, which she describes as “the beginning of my journey”. She also said that it was at this point that she knew where she wanted her career to take her. “I was determined to be a supervisor,” she said, and this ambition was realised at London’s Langham Hotel four years later. Maggie’s first senior supervisor post was at London’s Trafalgar Hotel, where she returned as Head Housekeeper. seven years later after an original three-year stint.

Several other roles later that included being part of the opening team, as Senior Supervisor, for the first Waldorf Astoria Syon Park in London, Maggie was head-hunted to come north of the border. She explains, “The GM approached me about the Head Housekeeper role at Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria in 2015 and now I’m quite settled here.”

Maggie has also seen quite a few changes in terms of what customers want. “Social media has made a massive difference to what customers expect, as have hikes in rates and greater competition, so we must always be attentive to their needs.” And to finish, the obligatory question about what customers leave behind, Maggie replies, “Sex toys are pretty commonplace, but what I find most astonishing is how many full handbags, including passports, are left. I guess this is a sign that they enjoyed themselves, perhaps a little too much.” n

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 12 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

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COFFEE

THE CULTURE OF COFFEE

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uests to hotels in Scotland are demanding better quality coffee. In fact hotel guests all over the world are following this trend. They have been experiencing quality coffee on the high street, and now they expect a similar experience, especially in hotels.

Wayne Horo, F&B Director, at InterContinental Hotels admitted that recently saying, “We know guests are demanding better quality coffee because they are experiencing it on the high street. The range of drinks has broadened and the environments have improved massively.”

However, according to research carried out by UCC Coffee, three-quarters of hotel guests find the coffee in their bedrooms uninspiring and are often disappointed, which although disappointing does mean that there is lots of room for improvement.

Indeed, many hotels in Scotland have improved their coffee offering in the past few years, putting one-serve coffee machines in rooms, and improving the quality of coffee served in their public areas. When you consider that coffee sales are one of the few commodities experiencing double-digit growth, it seem sensible to jump on the bandwagon.

Recent research conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), show that Brits drink 95 million cups of coffee every day, an increase of 25 million over the last 10 years and 10% of Britons are drinking coffee in hospitality premises.

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Chris Stemman, Executive Director of the Britich Coffee Association, says “In the last decade we’ve gone from a country of tea sippers who enjoy the occasional instant coffee, to a nation of seasoned coffee connoisseurs exploring a large variety of roast and ground blends. Coffee consumption has boomed across the UK and with so many choices on offer, both at home and on the high street, this increase is not surprising.”

The data showed Millennials (20-37) contributed to 50% of all the coffee consumed in coffee shops, bars or restaurants, compared to 25% of Generation X (38-53) and only 12% of those over the age of 72. On the other hand, Millennials were least likely to drink their coffee at home (18%) compared to the over `72-year olds who made up almost a third of at home coffee drinkers.

Commenting on the research, Stemman added: “It’s interesting to see the significant differences in consumption trends amongst the age groups. The research suggests that whilst Millennials are drinking slightly less coffee than the older generations, they are probably drinking more of the speciality coffee found in restaurants, bars and coffee shops, which are often higher value, and are therefore more of a treat.

The research also found that, on average, women consume slightly less coffee than men who make up 54% of the coffee drinkers in the UK vs 46% for women.

There are ways of growing your coffee sales and improving your offering.

One could be teaming up with a local roaster or coffee shop and of course ensuring you have staff that are trained on your equipment, and you do need good equipment.

SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 15

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FEATURE

BY JASON CADDY

WE GIVE YOU REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

I

n among the distinct lack of April showers came the sunshine news that Scottish hotels outperformed the rest of the UK in 2017, and there are plenty more reasons for Scottish hoteliers to be optimistic in 2018 other than the sunnier climate, according to the latest research findings that we’ve rounded up in this Hotel Scotland special report.

The latest data from the Expedia Group says that Scottish hoteliers enjoyed an early summer boom in business, with a significant increase in hotel demand compared to 2017. The boom comes on the back of a positive start to the year thanks to a significant rise in hotel demand by both domestic and international visitors - fuelled by a number of fast-growing markets.

The findings, drawn from Q2 2018 data (April, May, June), show that demand for Scottish hotels increased, with a number of cities and regions across the country seeing strong year-onyear growth. Demand in Scotland overall also increased for this quarter, compared with the same period last year. Inverness and Edinburgh both saw increases in demand, while Glasgow and Aberdeen also experienced a substantial boom each growing 15% year on year.

The data showed that over 50% of demand for UK hotels during the period came from UK-based guests who chose to enjoy a staycation rather than travel abroad. Hoteliers also continued to see positive growth from international travellers. Demand remains on the rise in traditionally strong visitor markets such as the US (+almost 50% year on year) and Australia (+ over 45% year on year).

Package demand to Scotland also grew strongly across a number of visitor markets,

encouraging a rise in average daily rates (ADR) for these types of bookings, as well as a typically longer booking window and longer length of stay. Edinburgh and Aberdeen both saw year on year growth in package demand, with Edinburgh also ranking second in the UK overall for package share of the market topped only by London.

Then we come to research by Savills. It has highlighted that investment into Scottish hotels in the first half of 2018 reached £389.67 million, doubling the total annual investment volumes recorded in 2017 (£195 million).

Investment was spread across 10 individual transactions and components of seven portfolios. Savills says the 10 individual sales that occurred in Scotland were principally focused in the £1-10million price bracket, with the Caledonian Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Edinburgh being the only transaction above this bracket, achieving a sale price of £85 million.

UK buyers were the biggest buying group, accounting for 41% of activity, followed by Middle Eastern investors (22% of transactional volume), Israeli investors (16%), US investors (8%), Canadian Investors (7%), Singaporean investors (5%) and German investors (1%).

Collectively non-domestic investors continue to be the dominant player in the market.

Steven Fyfe, associate director in the hotels team at Savills in Glasgow, said of the findings, “Investment volumes continue to build on the strong level of appetite we witnessed last year as we find ourselves already surpassing last year’s total annual volume at the half year point.

The spotlight is still firmly fixed on Scotland for hotel operators and investors. Existing brands are looking to increase their representation in

the country and new entrants are seeking to secure a foothold in the market.”

Looking at the UK as a whole, Savills research shows a total of £3.2 billion has been invested into hotels in the first six months of the year, with Scotland accounting for 13% of investment in terms of value.

Meanwhile, GlobalData research says that Scottish destinations are faring particularly well as demand to the whole of the UK is fuelled by visitors from several fast-growing markets such as Argentina, China and Ireland who all featured triple digit year on year increases. The number of Chinese visitors flocking to Scotland has soared by almost 200 per cent in a decade, and with the recently announced direct flights to China from Edinburgh, links with the country are set to strengthen even further.

Finally, analysis by Knight Frank found that prices in Edinburgh are growing at three times the speed of the UK’s, and revenue per available room is significantly ahead of the national average. A 37 per cent rise in new-build hotels is contributing to a significant boost in the sector.

The same research found that, of the UK cities presenting the best prospects for hotel investment and development, Inverness, Brighton, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Liverpool were the UK’s top five most attractive cities.

Knight Frank’s report also discovered that it’s the budget hotel sector that continues to dominate the market, representing 69 per cent of all new-build hotel stock and 65 per cent of all hotel extensions, with around 8,300 new branded budget hotel rooms planned to open in the UK this year.

SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 17

INTERVIEW

SUSAN YOUNG met with Michael Bonsor, of the Rosewood London

SMOOTH OPERATOR T

here has been a lot of furore over plans to convert the former Royal High School in Edinburgh into a five-star Rosewood Hotel. It’s not so much opposition to the Rosewood, but to the architectural plans. It would be the first Rosewood in Scotland, and to find out what the brand offers I went to London to catch up with MD Michael Bonsor and see the Rosewood London for myself. I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s a glorious Edwardian Grade II-listed building in Holburn, with 306 bedrooms, which was built in 1914 to house the Pearl Assurance company headquarters. It was then transformed into a hotel, and latterly, before being bought by Rosewood, it was a Marriot.

But today the hotel bears no resemblance to its former incarnation. Instead, Michael tells me more than £90 million has been spent transforming the hotel, which included restoring original features.

The Rosewood is imposing. You enter it through a grand carriageway entrance which leads to the hotel’s courtyard. It boasts Belle Époque architectural features and a seven-story Pavonazzo marble staircase.

The public areas were designed by Tony Chi and Associates and Martin Brudnizki was responsible for its Holburn Dining Room

18 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

and its Scarfes Bar. The company has at its heart the philosophy ‘A Sense of Place’ and the designers main brief was to design a building which reflected the history of the hotel’s location, and its culture and sensibilities. As a result, the hotel is used as much by the local community as by visitors to London. It is luxurious, but it is also not at all stuffy – with a refreshing casual informality.

Michael is now MD of the business having been GM until six months ago. I asked him what is the difference, he told me, “There is none really. In some organisations, they call it GM in others MD. Rosewood globally call the GM an MD, some companies have both.

But it is typically the same thing.”

Certainly, the title MD fits when you consider the revenue the hotel generates as a company. Says Michael, “I don’t think people realise that the revenue and profit a property like this generates is enormous.”

It’s not just revenue from hotel rooms that drives the business at Rosewood London, its restaurants and bars are very busy too.

Says Michael, “We have a real mix of people and our restaurant is quite unexpected in a luxury hotel. It has an informal brasserie style, which because it is busy has quite a buzz. Typically when you go to a luxury hotel the restaurant is expensive and

relatively empty, despite the concierge often recommending it. However, customers don’t want to go to a restaurant that appears to be overpriced, which is no fun, and too quiet with no locals. Rosewood has addressed this with a different approach. It is refreshing here that you can go down for a meal, and then go to the bar, and don’t feel that you have to leave the hotel.”

And that’s exactly what I did on my visit! We had a pre-dinner drink in its gin bar, then had dinner in the Holborn Dining Room and then to Scarfes for a cocktail. We didn’t feel like we were in a hotel but instead felt like we were in different places almost. And Scarfes I just loved – with 1,000 books lining the walls, live jazz and incredibly efficient staff it was my perfect bar!

Before joining Rosewood, Michael spent four years at Claridge’s and in fact appeared

on the BBC 2 ‘Inside Claridge’s’ in his role as Operations Manager. He came across as a very smooth operator. Today he is even smoother and more assured with his melodic transatlantic accent and polished appearance. His staff too are polished, gracious and very slick and I have no doubt this has come from the top down.

Having had the ‘Rosewood Experience’ I am not surprised that the hotel has won multiple accolades. It was the Cateys Hotel of the Year in 2017, as well as being voted Best Hotel in London in the Condé Naste Traveler 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards. It also picked up a gong from the AA winning Hotel of the Year 2014–15 and Opening of the Year 2014 at the European Hospitality Awards. The Rosewood Hotel’s global business is also flourishing. When Michael

joined the business five years ago there were 16 hotels in the Rosewood portfolio, now there are 24 and over the next two to three years it is expected to double in size.

He believes that Edinburgh would really benefit from having a Rosewood in the city.

He tells me, “There are some beautiful hotels in Edinburgh and I’ve stayed in many, but I think the city would benefit from a 5-star Rosewood. We are incredibly sympathetic when it comes to preserving the historical aspect of a building. You just have to look at what we have done here, and with the Hotel Crillon in Paris – it was a former Palace and it is now exquisite as a hotel. Parisians are very happy with it.”

Michael doesn’t come to Scotland as much as he would like, and when he does it is mainly to see his mum who lives in

Inverness, which was where he started out his hotel career.

His first job in the industry was helping out his parents, David and Marion, in their small hotel called Culduthel Lodge (now Rocpool Reserve). It was his parent’s habit of taking the winter off and travelling to first-class hotels throughout the world that cemented Michael’s love of luxury hotels. He tells me, “I was quite lucky because when the hotel was closed for the winter we would go overseas to the likes of Raffles in Singapore or other luxury hotels around the world.

But I didn’t hang out by the pool. Instead, I was running around the hotel trying to figure out what was going on behind the front desk and speaking to the concierge.

I was a super nosey kid. I think I like fell in love with that end of the market then.

Looking back a lot of my friends were still SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 19

INTERVIEW debating what they wanted to do, even when they were at university, but I was lucky because I knew what I wanted to do from the age of 8. I wanted to work in luxury hotels.”

But his parents’ long hours and dedication to their business also made him realise that he would be quite happy working for someone else, rather than running his own business. Says Michael, “My father was an accountant, and that was key to running his own business. He had bought a large house which needed renovated – but it was so big and the renovations so intensive, that it seemed sensible to turn it into a small hotel.

Subsequently, they extended it twice to make it larger and the hotel just evolved. As you know with your own business it quickly takes over your life, and they would be up at crack of dawn and still at their desks at 1am.”

He went to Strathclyde University to do his hotel management degree in 1997 and when he graduated he went for an interview in London, but on his lunch break he popped into the Four Seasons and that decision changed the course of his life.

Michael explains, “I wanted to see what the Four Seasons Park Lane was like and ended up talking to a lady who was directing guests regarding why I was in London. She was the hotel’s Director of HR. Two weeks later (this was before the days of 9/11) I had a visa to the US and a job at the Four Seasons in Boston. I was 21, and everything just fell into place.”

He continues, “Mind you I hadn’t really thought things out. I couldn’t get credit in the US because I didn’t have any credit history, and I couldn’t pay my six months’ rent up front without it. I had to get my mum and dad to help me out!”

His first role at The Four Seasons also wasn’t quite what he imagined. Says Michael, “I had this grandiose idea that I would be running my own restaurant. But instead, I was back of house. Over the next six months, I kept knocking on the GM’s door and finally got moved into the hotel’s Bristol Lounge, which was its main all-day dining lounge, as an assistant manager. It was my first managerial job.”

Over the next ten years with the Four Seasons Michael moved from Boston to Toronto, The Pierre in New York, back to Toronto and then back to New York to the company’s flagship Four Seasons on 57th Street. Michael comments, “When I moved to Boston it was a city that is easy to navigate, and I could walk to work, Toronto was the next step up and then there was New York. I love the fact 20 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

that in this industry travelling is so easy, particularly intra-company. They do all the paperwork and organise the visas. It’s a great experience for any age.”

He certainly loved his time in Manhattan.

He tells me, “London is slow compared to Manhattan. There is a pace in Manhattan unlike any other city in the world. I still go back six or seven times a year and stay in the same neighbourhood I lived in. I still see some familiar faces and we nod to each other. Despite being a big city, and London is the same, there are small pockets which are like little villages within a gigantic city.”

He adds, “In New York especially there is the culture of service and the profession of being an hotelier is held in high regard, especially when you work for the Four Seasons. Hospitality staff are also incredibly well taken care of. For instance, a bartender can earn $150K dollars at the Four Seasons in New York. The tipping culture means that you are directly rewarded for good service.

Certainly, there is more of a pride there about delivering good service. That is something in this country we need to overcome. Working in hospitality here is still seen as long hours and poor pay. But this change in attitude has to start from a change at home. Are parents happy when their offspring say they want to be a pastry chef or a sales manager for a hotel? I’m not sure.

There seems to be a stigma with regard to jobs in hotels, which I don’t really understand.

“Tourism accounts for 10% of GDP and it must be taken more seriously. We should be shouting about how the industry has changed and that we pay appropriately and abide by working hours, as well as offering a multitude of other benefits too.”

He adds, “When I was working with my parents, and subsequently when I went to uni, I didn’t fully fathom, or understand, all the cogs in the hotel business. I understood the operational side, but not PR, sales, marketing, finance or engineering. All these jobs are essential in hotels. I wasn’t taught that when I was at the Scottish Hotel School. When I was there it was more about accountancy and book keeping and, from an HR perspective, how to motivate people. I don’t think my course had enough practical sessions – schools in Europe offer students more placements. Certainly, I feel that all hotel management courses should combine practical, real experiences with the coursework.

“A hotel is like a small world, and now we are bringing even more talent in-house.

For instance, here we have our own digital team, we used to outsource it, but because we are now communicating with

our customers digitally, and the fact that we have our own free-standing website, means that it makes commercial sense to have our own team. We also do a lot of videos now, which we use to promote the business. We did a video at the start of the year, which wrapped up the previous year, and it cost £2,500 but it gave us a return on investment of about £300K – we could tell this because of the traffic to our website. If we had sent a text format we may only have got £20/30K worth of bookings. We were amazed at the difference, so now we will be making more videos.”

It’s not the only measure that Michael and his team take to drive business. He tells me, “I socialise four to five nights a week, a lot of that is with work – a lot of gatherings, dinners, industry dinners, clients, new clients.

I go to New York several times a year and meet with clients and potential new clients.

It is something that you need to do, if you are not in front of these people and nurturing relationships you can be forgotten, after all we are a people industry. The travel agents and corporate accounts want to know the individuals – they want to know who is taking care of the clients. These accounts can be worth £100,000s if not millions. “

“Tourism accounts for 10% of GDP and it must be taken more seriously. We should be shouting about how the industry has changed and that we pay appropriately and abide by working hours, as well as offering a multitude of other benefits too.”

He continues, “This year I’ve been in the Middle East – that is a market that really wants to know who the general manager is and meet that person. I was in Brazil too and I am about to go to Vegas to the largest gathering of luxury travel associates – hotels, agencies, cruise lines and airlines. It is called Virtuoso and is literally speed dating. I sit in the Bellagio ballroom with three of my colleagues and there are a 1,000 people in the room, and there are six rooms like this.

A buzzer goes and I move along working my way up a line of tables as far as the eye can see. I then host a lunch for 30/40 people and in the afternoon go the other way down the room. Between us, we meet 400/500 people. If you are not there how do you expect any of these people to book your hotel, if you have not invested your time?

Most of them are America-based but people come from all over the world from Australia, Europe and such like – I love it. You also end up seeing all the GMs from London.”

He also catches up with his London colleagues monthly. He explains, “We have a group called the W1. Every month we meet.

There are about 26 GMs – usually 20 make it. We discuss last month’s results and future bookings. It is great, we get a lot of insight.

It’s been running for more than 10 years and we do, as a collective body, have quite a bit of clout. We speak to the Mayor and we get involved with tourism issues. We’ve even had the Tourism Minister here.”

Michael manages 400 staff at the hotel and it has a reputation for staff retention.

Michael says, “We don’t call them staff, we call them associates and we also spend a lot of time on how the staff look. We don’t call them uniforms we call them wardrobes, and, so the associates have a wardrobe – you need to feel good about yourself. I believe if you don’t look good you don’t feel good. How many times do we go out and you look at a waiter or waitress and they are wearing a uniform that doesn’t fit? If that was you, you would feel uncomfortable. We use Savile Row fabrics and have a tailor inhouse, and a professional tailor also comes in every few weeks. Pride in your role starts with that. Then you have to give your staff knowledge. If you don’t have knowledge you shy away from people, and you don’t want to have eye contact in case someone asks you a question. These things are basic, but they need to be on-point.”

He continues, “We also have a lot of talent

in this building and now we are building stories around the people here. I think storytelling is now key in hospitality. There is so much craftsmanship and knowledge in our own building from own people and we are tapping into it. For instance, we have a great pie-maker and we now run a pie-making course for our guests, and they love it. We also do gin-tastings as so on. We need to celebrate the different talents we have. It all adds to the story.”

It certainly does, here’s hoping the next chapter in the Rosewood story is an Edinburgh chapter.

It has just been announced that there will be a public inquiry which begins the month. The decision over the future of the Royal High School will be made by Scottish government reporters Scott Ferrie and Dannie Onn. Codevelopers Duddingston House Properties and Urbanist Hotels are appealing against City of Edinburgh Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the Rosewood hotel in August 2017. Rosewood are the planned hotel operators. The hotel plan has been opposed by campaigners who want to turn the former high school into a new home for the St Mary’s Music School.

SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 21

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FEATURE

CREATIVITY: THE HOTEL CHEF’S HOLY GRAIL How can hoteliers encourage their chefs to be more creative?

That’s the question we posed to a food and drink consultant, a hotel group’s cluster head chef, as well as some hoteliers of course...Here’s what they had to say.

BY JASON CADDY

C

hef Michel Roux may have banned camera phones at one of his restaurants but diners will continue to take pics of their food in hotel restaurants and post them on social media.

Yet the taste-shaping power of social media isn’t the only reason hoteliers need to encourage their chefs to be more creative these days. Trends toward more specialist foods, veganism, more causal dining and a lower price point because of what’s happening elsewhere, like dine-in deals at supermarkets for example, are all topical considerations for hoteliers and chefs.

Global food, restaurant and hotel consultancy Baum + Whiteman’s trend report from the turn of the year highlighted the rise of multiple cuisines, greater influence of technology, the popping up of one-item restaurants (again). It also highlighted the prominence of plant-based food (vegan searches on Google rose by 90 % in 2017), Filipino cuisine (double the searches on Google since 2012) – even diners injecting food with extra flavours using a syringe. Then we have a Bladerunner-esque facial recognition payments – but that’s a whole other article.

Creativity, as we all know, is a very personal thing and in an interview with The Guardian, Jocky Petrie, formerly of Heston Blumenthal’s experimental Fat Duck restaurant and now

• GLITTER BALL BY CHEF RYAN NEIL AT THE HILTON GLASGOW

bringing his creative fair to Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant business, said that his creativity sprang from a boring childhood on the west coast of Scotland. He credits stuff like playing football using two jumpers on a hill. He was also quoted as saying that everybody’s ears prick up the most at head-chef staff meetings whenever anybody starts talking about some new concoction or other that they’re working on. He also emphasized the absolute need for chefs to make mistakes.

Plus we’re also witnessing the emergence of new hotel models like the recently opened Edinburgh Grand that outsources its food offering via The Hawksmoor and Register Club brands so that guests are not tied to a traditional hotel food and beverage service.

Now for the main course. How can chefs be motivated to something a wee bit more creative?

Colin Bussey heads up Food and Beverage Solutions, a consultancy, and he’s also worked at Glasgow’s Oran Mor and Gleneagles. He said, “ There’s good quality hotel dining at the four star level that takes in casual and luxury fine dining. These chefs can still follow trends and push boundaries, but 42 per cent of diners always order the same food, so they need to have their taste pallets challenged if they’re to be expanded. Yet they don’t want to pay to experiment. So the chef has got to keep an SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 23

points because they need to make a profit of course. But the other side of this coin is that this can also kind of force chefs to become more creative. It’s in these kinds of conditions where creativity flourishes.

“We’re also seeing a growth in high class restaurants using cheaper cuts of meats produced in more fashionable, creative styles.

The Ivy in London, for example, provides the right ambience and serves haddock and chips or shepherds pie, which some hotels may still consider downmarket, yet it’s already happening in some hotels in other parts of the country.”

• STEPHEN CARTER

element of the menu concerned with classics and comfort foods, while trying to drive creativity.

It can be demotivating and drive chefs mad if they see the best seller on a menu is fish and chips the whole time, and we’re seeing far more creativity with twists on classics, like seabass tempura, or the more common beer battered fish, and chips in attempt to capitalise on this.”

Colin’s also concerned about hotel menus being influenced by what’s happening in the retail sector. He explains, “The price point for the casual dining market has been affected by supermarkets ‘ dine in for two’ deals and the like. These huge retailers have cornered the market because they have the budgets to research and identify the trends that we’re seeing emerging now, like Vietnamese, Korean, low carbs and gastro food etc. Hence the casual dining market reacting by doing lunch for £5.95, say, and the pressure that this puts on food costs is nothing short of horrendous.

Menu engineering like this forfeits provenance.”

What about a head chef ’s perspective?

Vladimirs Kruus is Cluster Head Chef at the Apex Hotel Group. In answer to the question, he said, “Give chefs the freedom to be creative is my answer. Controlling environments stifle any kind of experimentation and you have to take the odd risk. It also helps that I have a truly international team of people, so creativity comes from all of us sparking off of each other.”

The legendary Stephen Carter is former GM at The Old Course Hotel St Andrews, where he now works in a consultative capacity. He said, “Managers need to be more flexible, thereby liberating chefs to be more creative.”

He continued, “Dining is changing, both at home and in hotels. The old starter, main, pudding combo is now not the only option.

Customers like small plates. They are looking to graze. In corporate hotels the chef is under pressure because of cost constraints and price

Colin also thinks that hoteliers and chefs must also remain ahead of the curve when it comes to rising health-consciousness as well as changing appetites. He explained, “It’s no longer acceptable for hoteliers or chefs to ignore the full range of dietary requirements.

It’s estimated that 15 per cent of people have food intolerances, and Glasgow now even has a low fodmap restaurant, (DRG’s Atlantic Restaurant), for people with conditions such as IBS and celiac disease.”

So what, according to Colin, is the best way for chefs to navigate all of this? “The short answer is education, training and development.

Nobody know everything, and 30 years ago hoteliers and restaurateurs kept things to themselves whereas now it’s all about sharing for the greater good. We must all get behind this philosophy. ” 24 • HOTELSCOTLAND • AUGUST 2018 24 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

• CALUM ROSS

Calum Ross is GM at Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel on William Street, and when we posed the question to him, he said, “I think you have to make this (creativity) part of their (the chef ’s) ‘purpose’.

As leaders we have a real responsibility to create the ‘space’ for the reflection and inspiration required to unlock creative potential. Travel is a real source of inspiration for many and at Hilton we have fabulous travel opportunities for all team members. I see it as a personal objective to get the culinary leadership group connected to and engaged with these opportunities to travel, learn and experiment.”

Then there’s the economic uncertainty resulting from all the Brexit umming and ahhing that’s upturned the chessboard in terms of what the future of the hospitality game holds. Let’s give the final word on the impact of this to Colin Bussey, “Pre-Brexit we all wanted provenance, yet this needs to be paid for, and the price point took a bit of a lift. But now, with Brexit chaos and rising food prices, there’s uncertainty regarding where it’s going to go, so this is no longer the case. One glimmer of hope on the horizon is the tourist industry, and this has been a real success story for Scotland especially lately, and this could be the key to chef creativity in the future.”

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HOTEL INDIGO LOWER DENS MILL, CONSTABLE ST, DUNDEE, DD4 6AD

I

ntercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) is massively contributing to what we can safely say is Dundee’s renaissance with the opening of Hotel Indigo – its flag-waving, celebration of all that’s standout about the city’s past and present. The design pops with the three J’s – jam, jute and journalism – and loads more besides.

It’s a three-phase project. Phase one is the 102-room hotel, which opened on the 11th of July and shares a courtyard with the hotel’s bar and restaurant, Daisy Tasker, on the left (as you approach). Phase two is the as yet unopened Staybridge apartments (85 in all) on the right, scheduled to open January 2019.

Phase three involves a building at the entrance to the courtyard, known as The Smugglers, which is listed. Its fate as a future bar isn’t exactly sealed because phase three will reflect the needs of the business at the time when it kicks in next year, but this is certainly one of the ideas on the table according to the hotel’s Director of Sales, Elaine Gray, who kindly showed me around the hotel’s communal areas as well as a few of the rooms.

I asked Elaine how the hotel’s benefitted from 26 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

the buzz around Dundee and about the Hotel Indigo design ethos, and she said, “Amazing things are happening here and the hotel’s definitely at the forefront of this. We have 50 international media staying during the week that the V&A opens. No pressure then!”

She continued, “Every Hotel Indigo is designed in sympathy with its location, for example the one in Liverpool is in a former spinning mill with old drum kits as lights as a nod to its most famous sons.”

On a sunny day in Dundee the walk up to the hotel courtyard from Constitution Street reveals just how much of a landmark the building is, yet, as Elaine also explained, it was overdue some much-needed TLC. “It’s the old Baxter Jute Mill that had lain derelict for 50 years so it took the contractors almost a year to make it ready for the construction work to begin. The roof had practically caved in, plus I think it took about three months alone to get through all of the pigeon poo.”

The contractor has been on-site for a total of two years and the plan is for the land that their portacabins currently occupy to become a car park eventually. This land, as Elaine also explained,

used to be the location for a since demolished former Dundee institution known as The Marquee where many Dundonians of a certain age celebrated their 18th/21st/ engagement.

Gordon Campbell of jmarchitects project-lead the development. He said, “The conversion of the disused old Mill building provided many challenges. Predominantly those relating to the constraints provided by the existing structural layout. The introduction of three new stair cores and two new lift shafts were necessary to meet current building standards and hotel brand standard compliance. jmarchitects were therefore required to carefully design and plan these circulation routes in order that they could be incorporated within the existing cast iron beam and column arrangements. The retained cast iron columns, whilst providing a unique feature, also provided a challenge when planning guestroom layouts..”

He contined, “The overall scheme elevates this historic building and iconic Dundee feature to its original glory, matching the historic design aesthetic and bringing this once derelict building back to life.”

Now for the interior design. Through the main

DESIGN FOCUS

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door, reception is a large oblong space off which there’s a 20-person capacity meeting room called ‘Gnashers’ (pet dog of The Beano’s Dennis the Menace) immediately to the right as you enter through the red Perspex vestibule. Take a left and you’re on the long walk up to the reception, with a smattering of seating and tables either side, and just before you reach the desk, you can turn off to the left again for the lobby containing the lifts and then forward on to Daisy Tasker.

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Reception area design highlights include the colour scheme, dominated by teal coloured painted walls and a black painted ceiling (including the exposed air conditioning pipes), and despite the large windows there’s nothing stark about the way the light falls.

It’s a very cool, relaxing shady space. Some of the furniture is plain, other pieces, like the semi-circular chair-booths, are fairly Kubrikesque, like velvet horseshoe-shaped booths in various colours. The floor is concrete and there are original black pillars dotted about the place.

An entire wall of Dundee-related nods and SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 27

DESIGN XXXXXXX FOCUS

memorabilia, whether that’s jute, journalism or jam, reaches just the right design pitch without being too loud or overpowering. There are old pieces of mill equipment, pictures and even an old cash register.

The focal point of this entire area is arguably the reception desk. The gold-metal fronted desk and brown tarnished metal back screen are overshadowed by the dramatic circular lights that are strung above it in four rows of four that get progressively lower.

There’s even an old NRC cash machine – the company still has its HQ in the city – and the plan is to convert it into a computer game, as a nod to yet another Dundee claim to fame, the gaming industry. One of the art students who works behind the bar is working on developing this at the moment.

Moving through to Daisy Tasker and my first question to Elaine was ‘who’s that?’ to which she replied, “Daisy Tasker was a 14-year-old girl who worked in the mill. She grew up to be a glamorous figure who organised tea dances and stuff so she became a bit of a romantic figure in local lore, so we went with her name instead of, say, a Marco Pierre White restaurant, like some of the other Indigo Hotels have done. The local story has really gone down well with guests who ask the same question as you did.”

This is a lovely space with exposed brick walls, brick vaulted ceilings and original high arched 28 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

wall of windows that were restored by Sharkeys and a row of horseshoe-shaped velvet seating on the other wall as you enter from reception at the far end is the bar, that is a little art deco, with what are to me, Japanese influences. The monochrome colour scheme is simple yet dramatic, with an entire back bar that’s a wall of light with imbedded black gantry shelves. Black ‘witch hat’ pendant lampshades light the bar, and the front of the bar is a chalkcoloured corrugated stone, in front of which sits a row of black metal bar stools.

Peacock-blue horseshoe-shaped booths on the wall opposite the window are lovely, and other hghlights include the long refectory-style wooden tables, the piece of exposed original roughcast wall above the serving station (on the other far wall directly opposite the bar) and the huge statement cylindrical pendant lampshades in white. Above the main part of the space hang while spherical lights that look like misshapen blobs of white marshmallow.

There are also wooden floors throughout and a smattering of chairs and tables made from a combo of wood and plastic.

I also got to tour a couple of the rooms. The colour scheme as far as the décor goes is muted greens and greys, offset by vibrant furnishings and abstract art by Lauren Li Porter.

She was commissioned to do three works: Bon Accord, Dundee Cake and Marmalade and these designs have worked their way onto both wall hangings and cushions.

An Orkney-based artist made some throws that represent the ripples of the Tay, and they go well with the tartan curtains and cushions.

The high, bulky beds are regal looking with velvet headboards (in a variety of colours) and there’s a few copies of The Beano in each room of course. And a 70s-style trim phone in, again, various colours!

I was drawn to the tiny writing on the picturerail, which, if you look closely is the cheat code for the Grand Theft Auto game, or the recipe for Dundee cake, depending on which room you happen to be in. The bathrooms are tiled white (with one solitary orange marmalade tile in each) contrasted with slate grey fixtures and fittings. When you take a selfie in the mirror #HotelIndigoDundee is visible mirror-ready (i.e. back to front as viewed on the wall) legibly in the back of the shot!

We wrapped things up with another chat about the Staybridge apartments and, as Elaine explained, they are going to be a real home from home. “We expect there to be 60 per cent long stay and the rest are transient visitors. They are self-contained apartments, and three nights per week we organise social events with drinks and nibbles. This has been a surprisingly big hit in Newcastle with 60 people attending one night (I was even thinking of giving some of my single friends a heads up) and so we’re looking forward to how well all this is going to be received in Dundee.”

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PEOPLE

McKerrell takes up role at ibis Styles Jason McKerrell, who hails from Ayrshire, has taken up the role as ibis Styles Glasgow Centre West Hotel Manager. The hotel now open on Waterloo Street, is the second hotel in the city for the brand.

As well as running the new hotel on Glasgow’s Waterloo Street when it opens, Jason will assist General Manager Rory MacAleece – who was looking after the Miller Street property, and is now set to oversee operations across both ibis Styles hotels.

The hotel has 137 contemporary bedrooms as well as a bar area.

NEW GM FOR APEX CITY QUAY DUNDEE Ronnie MacKay is now leading the team at the four-star Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa in Dundee.

Ronnie, who is originally from Glasgow, will oversee operations at the 151-bed hotel, which recently received a multimillion pound refit and also boasts the Yu Spa as well as a swimming pool, fitness suite and dedicated events space.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, Ronnie has worked in operations and general management in properties across the UK, most recently as Regional Managing Director for Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, looking after its hotels across the central belt of Scotland.

MILNE TAKES OVER AS GM AT MARCLIFFE Calum Milne, former general manager at Llangoed Hall near Brecon, Powys, has moved to Aberdeen’s 40-bedroom Marcliffe hotel, which has been privately owned by Stewart Spence since 1993.

The move marks a return to Scotland for Milne after eight years. He moved to the four-red-AA-star, 23-bedroom Llangoed Hall, owned by the Interesting Hotel Group in 2012 after a two and a half year stint as general manager at Lower Slaughter Manor, Gloucestershire. He had previously worked at Inverlochy Castle in Fort William from 2007 to 2010. Built in 1852 as a private residence, the Marcliffe today sits in eight acres of grounds alongside the River Dee.

30 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

Hotelier Jason, who has more than 13 years’ industry experience, worked at hotels and resorts across Benidorm in Spain from 2005 until 2017, when he took up the post of Food & Beverage Manager for Crerar Scotland in Pitlochry.

The hotel is operated by hotel management company RBH.

Helen McBride has taken on the role of General Manager at The Old Course Hotel, St Andrew’s. She was formerly Resident Manager at the hotel, and takes over from Stephen Carter, who is still retained by the hotel on a consultancy basis.

COSTLEY BOARD APPOINTMENTS Costley & Costley has announced two new executives to its board as well as a senior appointment to its management team. Dawn Costley joins the board with responsibility for growing the company’s wedding and function business. She has worked for the company for more than 12 years and will be based at the Brig a Doon Country House Hotel.

Joining her is Linda Leckie (right) who recently celebrated 29 years with the business. Following 11 years in local government, Linda joined Costley & Costley as a part-time receptionist before becoming general manager at Highgrove Country House Hotel.

Costley & Costley’s portfolio includes Ayrshire’s Lochgreen, Brig o’Doon, Doonbrae, Highgrove, Ellisland country house hotels, the Cochrane Inn and Souter’s Inn.”

WHAT’S XXXXXXXX NEW

BENRIACH CELEBRATES 120 YEARS BenRiach Distillery has marked its 120th anniversary with a commemorative cask selected from Warehouse 13, the oldest dunnage warehouse at the heart of the distillery.

BenRiach Marsala Hogshead Cask No.10299 was distilled 100 years after the distillery doors opened and has been maturing for twenty years.

BenRiach Global Brand Ambassador and recently named Keeper of the Quaich, Stewart Buchanan comments, “Cask No. 10299 which I saw laid down 20 years ago celebrates

the multifaceted, fruit-laden style for which BenRiach is renowned and unlocks a cocktail of fruit sweetness.

Celebrating 120 years of unconventional distilling, we are proud to release 290 bottles of our anniversary expression matured in a Marsala Hogshead, ageing slowly in Warehouse 13 amongst our eclectic cask collection.”

BenRiach Cask No. 10299 is bottled at cask strength with an ABV of 53.4% it is only available for the distillery shop.

INAUGURAL SINGLE MALT Kingsbarns Distillery has unveiled its very first single malt Scotch whisky release; The Founders’ Reserve Inaugural Release. Bottled solely for the pleasure of the Kingsbarns Founders’ Club, this is the first ever single malt to be released by the fledgling, family owned, Lowland Distillery.

It is the first in a series of five, exclusive, annual bottlings and will be delivered directly to Founders in December 2018.

William Wemyss; family owner of Kingsbarns Distillery told members, “Over the past few

years the development of Kingsbarns Distillery and its long awaited single malt has been an enthralling experience and the next chapter in the history of Kingsbarns Distillery is almost complete. I am sure the Founders’ Reserve will meet all expectations and I look forward to sharing this Inaugural Release with fellow Founders’ Club members later this year.”

The Kingsbarns Founders’ club is still available to join at www.Kingsbarnsdistillery.com for £500.

GORDON & MACPHAIL CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ‘CONNOISSEURS CHOICE’ To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ range, Gordon & MacPhail is enhancing the range with a series of single malts aged 30 years and above.

The new series of ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ releases is aged to a minimum of 30 years and features single malts from distilleries such as Mortlach, Caol Ila and Linkwood, among others. Available in decanter-style bottles inside engraved wooden presentation boxes, each whisky has been selected for bottling by Associate Director of Whisky Supply, Stuart Urquhart.

The premium expressions are complemented by 30 further ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ single malts.

Matured in Gordon & MacPhail casks in small

batches, all are non-chill filtered and bottled at natural colour.

Gordon & MacPhail is also releasing three new expressions in its new ‘Discovery’ range, designed as an ideal starting point for whisky drinkers to explore the wide diversity of flavours that exist within single malt Scotch.

Under the ‘Discovery’ banner, Gordon & MacPhail groups new expressions in three distinct colour-coded profiles; ‘Smoky’, ‘Sherry’ and ‘Bourbon’. The latest releases are from the Ledaig, Bunnahabhain and Tomatin distilleries.

Prices for the new ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ releases start at approximately £75 RSP, rising to around £500 for the premium expressions, dependent on taxes and import duties.

AUGUST 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 31

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• 4 star hotel with 2 AA Rosette restaurant • Extensive gardens and kitchen garden • Bespoke bedrooms, bar, conservatory, library, sml function rm • 3 Self -Catering cottages, with river views • Staff flat and spacious 2 bed owners cottage • Ideal for chef operator or as family run business • Same ownership for 11 years, easily accessible • Exceptional opportunity with growth potential

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32 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

• Well-presented, award winning country hotel • Set within extensive grounds and car parking • Individually designed bedrooms including Honeymoon Suite • Function rm, restaurant, bar & owners accommodation • Perfect for family/chef operator or addition to portfolio • Ideal setting for weddings and functions • Potential to grow on reputable business • Easily accessible from Glasgow

• Very well established and presented 3-star hotel • Family owned - operates with full complement of staff • Member of Best Western Hotels • 40 plus bedrooms and several 2 bed self-catering suites • Extensive dining, meeting and leisure facilities • Pleasing panoramic beach and sea views • Extensive refurbishment & Biomass Boiler • T/O for Y/E 31st Jan 18 was c. £1.8m net

• Family owned, multi award winning country hotel • Mix of individually designed rms & award-winning restaurant • Presented to a very high standard throughout • Offers extensive grounds and panoramic sea views • Owners house & staff accommodation • Self-catering house within the grounds • Potential to develop the business further • Ideal for private bespoke weddings/functions • Approx. 2 hrs drive from Glasgow Airport

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Ovenbird Coffee Roasters The Whisky COFFEE COLLECTIOn by Ovenbird Coffee Roasters is aged in freshly emptied whisky barrels from Auchentoshan distillery In glasgow and Laphroaig distillery from Islay in Scotland. The beans are hand-rotated daily to ensure all the coffee comes into contact with the oak barrel over the course of several weeks. After ageing the green beans, we computer-free roast them to a medium roast (full city), which we feel produces the perfect balance of whisky and coffee flavour. It is the perfect complement to a chocolaty dessert or morning coffee and tastes great with oat/soya milk. Unfortunately no alcohol folks. Sorry!

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SEPTEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 33

CHECKOUT It’s been an interesting month – I have been the length and breadth of the country checking out hotels and doing a bit of judging for our sister magazine DRAM. It’s certainly been an eye-opener. I travelled to Skye, Aberfeldy and London.

The quality of service has been quite variable – but what certainly strikes me again and again is how important that first meeting is – the receptionist, the barman, the maitre d’.

You don’t have to be served right away, but it is nice to be acknowledged. It is amazing how that first impression sticks with you.

We served Venison at an award ceremony we hosted recently and it was great. The feedback (excuse the pun) to the event, which took place at The Hilton in Glasgow, regarding the food, has also been excellent. With some people saying it was the best meal they have had at a hotel function ever! That must be music to the Hilton’s new chef Ryan Neil. He and his team did a great job. However the reason I was mentioning venison is that a new strategy for the Scottish venison sector has been launched, so expect to see more publicity around this premium food. The venison market in the UK alone is estimated to be worth around £100 million per year and demand is growing! Certainly the cut that we had at the awards was first class.

FROM THE EDITOR business in Bruntsfield. If you haven’t been go check it out. Maybe instead hoteliers could be collaborating with Scottish licensed trade entrepreneurs rather than going down the celebrity chef route!

I see that there is to be an inquiry into the decision by Edinburgh Council to refuse planning for the hotel at the Royal High School at Carlton. Having seen the quality of establishment operators Rosewood have in London, I can’t help feeling that the objectors, if they went to visit it, would be equally impressed. It isn’t just another hotel!

I see that in the US, legislators are considering plans to limit on how many hours employees can work, unless they consent to work longer, and how much floor space they can clean daily. It’s called Measure WW. I didn’t realise the US was so much further behind than Europe? There are also plans afoot in Long Beach to insist that hotels put in panic buttons, not for guests, but for staff that have to work alone in guest bedrooms.

More and more hotels are opening their doors to dogs.

But Macdonald Resorts’ has gone a step further. The group revealed, on National Dog’s Day, free accommodation for two dogs throughout September and November. With 58% of pet owners choosing their holiday based on the needs of their pets, according to data from market research specialist Mintel, that could be a good move.

Camille Craig, Marketing Manager at Macdonald Resorts, said, “Pets are a crucial part of many families, leaving pets behind can often cause upset and distress. It’s always great seeing dogs bounding about the extensive grounds we have at our UK resorts and the joy and peace of mind they bring their owners.

Scottish resorts included are: Macdonald Lochanhully Resort, Carrbridge; Macdonald Spey Valley Resort, Aviemore; and Macdonald Forest Hills Resort, Aberfoyle.

I think because I edited DRAM, the licensed trade publication for 23 years, the subject of hotel bars frequently comes up. Certainly I think some hotel operators could learn a thing or two from Scotland’s top bar operators such as Buzzworks and Montpeliers. But one person who has it cracked is Billy Lowe of Black Ivy – winner of the Hotel Bar of the Year award. The hotel has 30 bedrooms, but its the bar that really holds the business together – it is running away with the 34 • HOTELSCOTLAND • SEPTEMBER 2018

Angela Vickers, CEO of Apex Hotels, is this year’s ‘HIT... Last Man Standing’, and her special event is coming up. She is hosting an event on 9th November at the Hilton Doubletree. It is an afternoon G&T event. There will be an Eden Mill gin tasting and Harris Tweed Fashion showcase. There’s also afternoon tea designed by Helen Vass, the 2016 winner of Creme de la Creme - The Great British Bake Off. There’s also entertainment from Edward Reid, the former Britain’s Got Talent finalist and last but ot least a Rod Stewart Tribute act and DJ to play the guests out.

Ticets start at £50. For more info contact kirsty@hitscotland. co.uk

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