Hotel Scotland issue 14

HOTELSCOTLAND 14 – NOVEMBER 2018 ISSN 2515-8287

INTERVIEW:

ROBERT & VIVIEN KYLE

THE RAD GROUP

CHEFS WORTH TALKING ABOUT ONE DEVONSHIRE GARDENS FRESH NEW LOOK

CONTENTS

4

NEWS

9 RATES UPDATE

12

WELCOME

• CHEF MURPHY

W

Jason also headed out to the new Doubletree Glasgow Westerwood – that’s the abbreviated name! While I checked out One Devonshire at Hotel du Vin in Glasgow.

SCOTLANDS TOP CHEFS

18 INTERVIEW:

ROBERT AND VIVIEN KYLE

23 DESIGN FOCUS:

e are fast approaching the end of the year – and what a year it has been. Next month we will do a review of the year, but this issue we concentrate on the rates issue.

Jason Caddy headed to Ayrshire to catch up with Robert and Vivien Kyle the couple behind the RAD Group.

They may fly under the radar but their hotel group is one of the most successful independently-owned groups in Scotland.

12 HATS OFF TO FOUR OF

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON GLASGOW WESTERWOOD

26 DESIGN FOCUS: ONE DEVONSHIRE GARDENS

18

• ROBERT AND VIVIEN KYLE

31 WHAT’S NEW 34 CHECK OUT

This month we feature four great hotel chefs – see what they revealed in their Q&A’s on page 12.

We also have some pictures of the recent G&T Afternoon Tea that Angela Vickers organised as her Last Man Standing Challenge.

Look forward to catching up with you all next month.

Susan Young Editor

23

• ONE DEVONSHIRE GARDENS

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

30

• WHAT’S NEW

Editor: Susan Young Editorial: Jocelyn O’Keefe, Jason Caddy Commercial Consultant: Lynn Kelly Advertising: Sylvia Forsyth 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.

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 3

ACCOLADE FOR HOTEL INDIGO DUNDEE The Sunday Times’ Top 100 Great British Hotels singled out Hotel Indigo Dundee for special mention naming it as Scotland’s best hotel. Run by hotel management company Focus Hotels Management Ltd the news comes only months after the hotel opened in a former mill in the city.

The multi-million-pound renovation created 102 bedrooms and a restaurant.

Hotel Indigo Dundee was Focus Hotels Management’s first Scottish property. Since then the company has added Stirling’s Hotel Colessio to its portfolio and Focus Hotels’ third property, Staybridge Suites Dundee is scheduled to open early next year.

General Manager William Inglis said of the accolade, “We’re absolutely thrilled to be named as Scotland’s top hotel by The Sunday Times. We hope that it will encourage more people to visit Dundee from further afield. 2018 has been a pivotal year for the city, and we look forward to continuing to offer the highest level of service for our guests.”

Steven Frewer, director of Focus Hotels Management Ltd said of the award: “Having been involved with the development since 2013, we are delighted that the hotel has been recognised for the outstanding quality of design celebrating the rich history of Dundee, along with the exceptional great locally-sourced food and service provided.”

RICKARD LEADS MBO Chris Rickard has led a management buyout of the Strathmore hotel group which was founded by his father, Ronnie Rickard, in 1991. Rickard who has been MD of the company since his father’s death in 2012, purchased his mother’s shares.

He is now the majority shareholder of the company, which has assets of more than £30m, and his sister, Louise Hamill, who is the sales and marketing director, has a minority shareholding.

Said Chris Rickard, Managing Director of the Strathmore Group, “I wanted to keep the group in family ownership and continue the great work that my dad did in establishing and building up the business. I think that I have been building on his legacy since 2012, and now, following the MBO, put my own stamp on the business.. We will be seeking to expand our portfolio and grow the group.”

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

Euan Tripp, associate in Brodies LLP’s corporate team, who advised on the sale, said, “We’re delighted to have advised Chris on the next phase of Strathmore Hotels’ ambitions. Family partnerships continue to be the lifeblood of the hotels industry, with a reputation for resilience and a focus on long term sustainability of their businesses.

The current market is a prime opportunity for hoteliers to grow and develop their businesses, with widespread investment being seen across Scotland’s cities and rural areas, as well as the rest of the UK.” The Salutation Hotel in Perth was the group’s first acquisition, for £1m, in 1991. It now stretches from the Nethybridge Hotel in the North to the Cairn Hotel in Harrogate. Turnover rose 7.0% over the last year from £15.6m to £16.7m and the hotels occupancy rate increased from 62% to 64% over the same period.

NEWS

GLENEAGLES OUTPOST FOR EDINBURGH Press reports that Ennismore is planning a new Gleneagles Hotel in Edinburgh are short of the mark, instead, Communications Director John Diviney told Hotel Scotland, ‘We’re not opening a new hotel in Edinburgh – more an outpost with a mix of restaurants, bars, lounges, retail and a handful of bedrooms.”

Ennismore got the go-ahead last month from Edinburgh councillors to transform two properties, formerly occupied by the Bank of Scotland, next to Dundas House at St Andrews Square. There is also to be a three-storey rear extension, a bronze-clad garden pavilion, a new rooftop terrace for members and 33-bedrooms.

Sharan Pasricha, Ennismore Founder & CEO, said, “This is an exciting time for the Gleneagles brand as we look to expand the Gleneagles offering through the development of another iconic building in the Scottish capital. We have been working with the local authority, residents and stakeholders in shaping our plans, and we intend to invest a considerable sum to bring this building back to life whilst, like Gleneagles, respecting its incredible history and original features.”

Council leader Adam McVey said, “Gleneagles is a fantastic Scottish business and by expanding into Edinburgh they’re giving a strong vote of confidence to the hospitality market in the capital.”

DRACULA HOTEL RECEIVES PLAQUE The Kilmarnock Arms Hotel in Aberdeenshire is to receive a special plaque from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) due to its connections with Dracula and author Bram Stoker.

Stoker stayed at the inn while writing his famous novel Dracula. He wrote the book’s early chapters there and the new plaque will commemorate this.

Since 2012 HES has recognised more than 50 people they consider ‘significant’ by erecting plaques on the buildings where they lived or worked.

Stoker, who was born in Dublin, was a part-time writer for most of his life. He was a business

manager at the Lyceum Theater in London, but from 1894, he wrote for a month every year on holiday in Cruden Bay where he wrote his books after discovering the bay on a walking holiday in Aberdeenshire.

Caroline Clark of HES said, “Bram Stoker’s plaque is one of several awarded over the past six years to writers, poets and artists who have drawn inspiration from Scotland’s architectural history and natural heritage to create their works.”

Mike Shepherd of the Port Erroll Heritage Group who nominated Stoker for a plaque said: “The new plaque is the first-ever celebration of the link between Bram Stoker and Cruden Bay. As such, it will provide a focus for that pride.”

Isabella Kilgannon and Lesley Renton have bought the Whitebridge Hotel at Loch Ness. The duo, from Glasgow, are refurbishing the 12-bedroomed hotel, which was used as a hunting lodge in the past.

OPPOSITION TO NEW ST ANDREWS HOTEL St Andrews’ residents are objecting to a new 90-bed hotel and student accommodation planned for Abbey Park. Plans have been submitted to Fife council by Robertson Property. The company is also planning a 3,500sq park within the development. The residents have created an Action Group.

Katherine Mackintosh, managing director at Robertson Property said, “There is a clear demand for a mid-range hotel which will help to encourage people, whether in St Andrews for business or leisure, to visit Fife and help to deliver the Fife Economic Partnership ambition to increase visitor expenditure.”

Gleneagles Hotel has added to its accolades after being named ‘European Golf Resort of the Year 2019’ at the annual IAGTO Awards. .

Premier Inn has confirmed it is part of plans for a £12m Borders Gateway development near the terminus of the Borders Railway at Tweedbank. As well as a hotel it includes a BP petrol station, Costa drive-thru coffee shop and a food store.

Developers, New Land Assets, have said the project could create about 100 jobs and attract additional investment to the area.

The planning application was submitted to Scottish Borders Council last month.

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 5

MV FINGAL GETS ITS LICENCE It’s full steam ahead for MV Fingal, the new floating boutique hotel set for Edinburgh.

City of Edinburgh has approved its licensing arrangements which will see the hotel’s facilities open to midnight closure from Monday to Thursday and until 1am from Friday to Sunday.

However, a late night licence for 3am was

refused after neighbours objected. MV Fingal’s outside decking is also licensed until 10pm. The MV Fingal, a former lighthouse vessel, will be based at Alexandra Dock in the Port of Leith and will have 23 bedrooms and a ballroom, as well as a restaurant and bars. It is now expected to open at the beginning of January.

New owners for Old Churches House Dunblane based hotelier Andrew Seal, 50, is the new owner of Old Churches House Hotel & Chimes House which he will be running with his partner Adele MacLaren.

He was formerly General Manager at Ballathie House Hotel in Perthshire and has purchased the hotel from The Fusion Group.

Andrew Seal comments, “Adele and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to work in the heart of a community we have lived in for so many years.

Old Churches House Hotel is already popular and well established and we look forward to working with the talented team here to develop it on the next stage of its journey. Steeped in

history, it has been thoughtfully modernised whilst retaining its charm and we can see huge potential to drive the business forward.”

Prior to Ballathie House Hotel Seal worked at Hart Hotels and also spent 11 years with Macdonald Hotels.

The Fusion Group, headed up by hospitality entrepreneur Alex McKie, bought the property in 2013 and subsequently invested heavily in the 11 bedroomed hotel, which also has a restaurant and a ‘secret chapel.’ The group also bought and refurbished the Chimes House Bed and Breakfast in 2016which is now also part of the Old Churches House Hotel portfolio.

Apex Facilities, owned by Apex Hotels Ltd and based in Livingston, is the largest hotel-owned laundry in the UK, and it has now opened its washing machine doors to all. Since 2013 it has been laundering the hotels’ own products at its £1.5million facility which has gone from strength to strength since its launch with current reject rates at around 1.5%. Now, after a £150,000 injection, it has been expanded and will now be able to launder 10 million items per year, which allows the facility to take on extra business from hotels and similar clients within central Scotland and beyond.

The recent six-figure investment has seen an upgrade to its boiler system and four energy efficient dryers installed within the plant.

Andrew Taylor, Group Project Director for Apex Hotels, said, “Laundry and linen is not only one of the biggest external costs for a hotel – it is also one of the riskiest. Poor quality linen can slow productivity in a hotel and at Apex, we were keen to be in full control to ensure it meets the high standards we expect for our guests at all times.

“As hoteliers we understand the value of great linen, both in terms of positive guest feedback and efficiency, so our continued investment in Apex Facilities means that we are able to launder more than three million items per year with ease and offer our services to other hotels and businesses who deal with high volumes of laundry.

6 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

GREEN LIGHT COLLABORATI UKHospitality and Scottish-based organisation, Green Tourism, which helps businesses and attractions achieve sustainability goals, have joined forces in order to raise awareness of environmental issues and sustainability within hospitality.

The new partnership will see UKHospitality work hand-in-hand with the organisation which operates a nationwide ‘green’ accreditation scheme.

The move was welcomed by Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, at a dinner to celebrate the national launch of UKHospitality, and the new Green Tourism collaboration. She said, “ I commend UKHospitality and Green Tourism for this partnership, which aims to address and promote the sustainability of Scotland’s tourism and hospitality industry.”

She continued, “Our environment is very precious and, now more than ever, we recognise the impact our businesses have on our planet.

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, said, “The hospitality sector is at a critical point,

XXXXXXXX NEWS

Conon Bridge opportunity Conon Bridge Hotel in Conon Bridge, a village on the NC500 route, near Dingwall, has been put up for sale through Christie & Co. The hotel, which has 12 letting bedrooms, a lounge bar and public bar, also has a beer garden and a two bedroom owners flat. It is on the market for offers over £285,000.

Pictured at the dinner Willie Macleod of UK Hospitaltiy, Stephen Leckie of Crieff Hydro and STA’s Marc Crothall.

FOR GREEN ION with fantastic innovation, dynamism and enthusiasm across the industry. Our links with Green Tourism will help the hospitality businesses we support achieve vital sustainability and environmental goals.”

This new platform for environmental issues coincided with the launch of Green Tourism’s upgraded online sustainable management tool, GreenCheck, which has been designed to enable thousands of businesses to quickly confirm they are hitting sustainability and environmental targets. It will go live in the coming weeks, and it will mean that hospitality businesses will be able to easily maintain and confirm their ‘green’ credentials and thereafter will receive Green Tourism accreditation using the online interactive platform.

Andrea Nicholas, MD, Green Tourism, said, “Our natural resources are limited. While all businesses must play their part, hospitality and tourism businesses are well placed to deliver sustainable goals due to their unique relationship with people.

“Our partnership with UKHospitality and the launch of our upgraded online GreenCheck tool are major steps towards our ambition to support businesses on their green journey.”

Stuart Drysdale, Director at Christie & Co is handling the sale and comment, “Situated at the start of the increasingly popular NC500 route, Conon Bridge is perfectly placed to benefit from the increased tourist numbers in the Highlands.

The property is the perfect size for a couple or owner operator to re-establish this business within the village, offering a quality food and beverage option along with comfortable letting rooms, perfect to get set for a trip around the northernmost section of the Scottish mainland.”

A new £20m hotel in Edinburgh’s Old Town, designed by architects jmarchitects, has just been unveiled. The latest addition to the UNESCO World Heritage site at Market Street, is an eight-storey hotel developed

by The EDI Group for the Carlton Hotel Collection work. Work has just started on the interiors, designed by FG Stijl.

Planning consent has been granted for a four-star Clayton Hotel at the former Custom House on Glasgow’s Broomielaw. The £90m riverfront development includes plans for 300 bedrooms along with a bar restaurant and conference facilities in the retained Custom House building and two adjoining high-rises if delivered as promised by mid2020. Designed by Sheppard Robson Architects the development plans include a 150-room aparthotel.

MOXY APPEAL FOR MILLENNIALS IN GLASGOW Marriott’s lifestyle brand, Moxy Hotels opens this month in Glasgow. It offers a modern, millennial-focused aesthetic but with an affordable price tag.

It features a lobby bar, photo booth elevators, communal ironing rooms and even dial-up bedtime stories.

Glaswegian General Manager Ross Saunders comments, “Moxy Hotels have really made a name for themselves in the hospitality industry as a spirited and fun place to stay where they are no rules or boundaries. Locating ourselves in Merchant City, the hotel will reflect the history and vibe of the local area with some specially commissioned, quirky art.”

Belvar, the management group operating the hotel, continue to evolve the Moxy Hotels as each one opens. Donovan Sumner, who opened the very first UK Moxy hotel in Aberdeen in December 2016 and is now Moxy Operations Officer UK, Italy and Norway commented; “Nearly 2 years after Aberdeen Moxy opened, we are delighted to be adding Glasgow to our growing UK portfolio. Since 2016, the Moxy brand has developed significantly and Ross brings a wealth of experience with him, especially in the local hotel industry.”

There is cash in ‘big ideas’ to save food waste Businesses with big ideas to cut food waste could be in the running for up to £1million in support to help them bring their plans to market. Grants of up to £1m are available for projects that will drive forward innovative, transformational, cost-effective and collaborative approaches to keeping foodbased products in high-value use, or to reducing waste in the food supply chain.

Estimates suggest that the amount of food which could have been eaten but instead is thrown away by food service outlets is equivalent to 1 in 6 meals. Research indicates that up to 75% of food waste from the food service sector could be avoided and a staggering £166 million could

be saved through food waste prevention in the hospitality and food services sector alone.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said, “Cutting down on food waste isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business, too.” He continued, “ We hope that by highlighting this funding we will encourage more SMEs to come forward with innovative ideas to cut waste and create new business opportunities. When it comes to food waste, there is no trade-off between doing the right thing for the climate and doing the right thing for your business.”

More more information see: www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/circular-economy/ food-waste-fund NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 7

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FEATURE

20,000 SCOTTISH HOSPITALITY JOBS AT RISK DESPITE THE RATES CAP

BY SUSAN YOUNG

T

here is not a hotelier in the country who does not mention rates when we ask about business pressures, and you might have thought there would have been relief all round when Scottish Finance Minister Derek Mackay announced last month that the 12.5% plus inflation cap (15.88% in cash terms) would continue until 2022. But many more believe that rates should have been frozen and not capped and in fact, many believe they should have been reduced. And should we have a hard Brexit – the relief may not be there at all in any case!

In fact, for some, the extended cap to 2022 means nothing because many hoteliers will have already used up the maximum amount of Transition relief allowed, which is £180,000 over a three-year period.

The cap is not automatically granted to hotels and licensed premises – it has to be applied for by each business under European Union rules on State Aid. It is also subject to the EU State Aid rules, which, as already mentioned, limits overall aid to 200,000 Euro or £180,000.

There has also been no mention what will happen to the cap after Brexit? After all, it is funded by Europe and not by the Scottish Government.

See table for an illustration and thanks to Lisa Wishart of Lisini for making it so simple.

There is no doubt that if a fairer rating system is not implemented Scottish hospitality businesses will close, and those still operating will make significant staff reductions. UKHospitality believes it could cost 10% of hospitality jobs if the current state of play continues into 2022.

In Scotland, this would equate to more than 20,000 jobs!

There are tourism implications too – less staff, reduced service, poorer reviews – Scotland is open for business the Scottish Government has to do something to make sure that hospitality businesses stay open for business too.

Let’s recap: First of all the rates levy is based on the annual rent council-employed assessors estimate business premises would command on the open market and a “poundage” rate is set by the Scottish Government. This, of course, means

unlike other industries, hospitality businesses are penalised with higher rates when they improve their business and increase turnover.

The huge increases hospitality businesses faced were due to the fact that the previous revaluation of rental values in 2010 were based on 2008 rents and the 2017 Revaluation was based on 2015 rents – two very different economic periods.

Along with the revaluation, the “poundage rate” also changed. The poundage rate is a proportion of the rateable value that is payable. In 2016-17 the poundage was 48.4 pence, that has since been reduced to 46.6 pence. On top of that Large Businesses, those with an RV of more than £51,000 pay a 2.6 pence supplement.

But smaller businesses, those of a rateable value of less than £15,000 don’t pay rates and a 25% discount is available to those businesses up to £18,000 RV. But many in the higher bracket feel that they are in fact subsidising these businesses with their excessive rates bills. In Scotland, more than 100,000 businesses are exempt from rates.

Last August the Scottish Government published the Barclay review into business rates. Among the suggestions were:

TRANSITIONAL RELIEF €200,000 OR £170,000 RATES INCREASE CAPPED AT £12.5% (PLUS INFLATATION 15.88% IN CASH).

RV 2015 £100,00 £115,000 RV 2017

YEAR ONE

180,000 £65,000

115,000

RELIEF USED

(105,000 CARRIED FORWARD) YEAR 2

CAPPED AT

RV 180,000 £48,000

£132,000

103,000 YEAR 3

CAPPED AT

RV 180,000

£152,000

LEFT OVER £29,000

RELIEF USED

• The introduction of three-year revaluations from 2022.

• A ‘road map’ to explain changes to the rating system, prepared by the Scottish Government, and the requirement that they consult, whenever possible, on those changes, prior to implementation.

• More transparency and consistency of approach from assessors and if this cannot be achieved voluntarily, a new Scotland wide Statutory Body should be created which would be accountable to Ministers.

The Barclay Report also highlighted that reform of the appeals system was needed to modernise the approach, reduce appeal volume and ensure greater transparency and fairness and that rates bills should be standardised across Scotland.

It suggested a Business Growth Accelerator - to boost business growth, a 12-month delay should be introduced before rates are increased when an existing property is expanded or improved and also before rates apply to a new build property.

Since Barclay Finance Minister Derek MacKay has confirmed the following:• Use the September 2017 Consumer Price Index rate (3 per cent) rather than for Retail Price Index (3.9 per cent), to calculate the annual inflationary uplift in the Business Rates poundage for 2018-19 • Introduce a Business Growth Accelerator in 2018-19, which will ensure that any rates bill rises due to improvements to or the expansion of existing properties will not take effect until 12 months after those changes are made to the property • Keep the Large Business Supplement unchanged at 2.6p • Expand Fresh Start Relief to include all property types, not limited to only listed property types as recommended by the Barclay review;

TOTAL RELIEF USED

• Move to three-yearly revaluations from 2022 with valuations based on market conditions on a date one year prior

RELIEF USED 28,000

• Continue the transitional cap for Aberdeen City and Shire offices and all but the very largest hospitality properties. This means that NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 9

XXXXXXX FEATURE 2018-19 bills will rise by no more than 12.5 per cent in real terms (15.88 per cent in cash terms) for eligible properties.

So the Scottish Government is paying attention, but there is still the issue of excessive rates which ultimately will cost Scottish jobs.

UKHospitality has called on the UK Government to freeze business rates increases and introduce enhanced hospitality rate relief over the next two years. It pointed out that “hospitality generates 5% of GDP but pays 20% of all rates, which is unsustainable.”

The organisation pointed out recently to the UK Government that Hospitality was “the third largest private sector employer in the UK; double the size of financial services and bigger than automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace combined.” Hospitality ranks as a top seven employer in every region of the UK, and accounts for up to 11% of the regional workforce.”

Even accounting for the fact that these are UK figures, in Scotland the hospitality industry is bigger now than shipbuilding ever was.

The date for appealing your current RV was

the end of September, (and the first appeals in Glasgow have been heard – and if Glasgow is to go by it seems that Assessors are digging their heels in. But what can be done now?

A Scottish government spokesperson, James Messis, at pointed me in the direction of local councils... saying in an email, “under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act Local Authorities have the power to create local rates reliefs for businesses which can reflect the local needs. This may apply to a sole business, sector or area. The relief may be an adaptation of an existing national relief scheme or a unique standalone scheme.”

So the Council do have redress, and the Councils employ the Assessors.

Hotel Scotland spoke to rating experts and hoteliers. To summarise this is what they believe:First and foremost the current rating system is not ‘fit for purpose.’ It is fundamentally flawed and overly complicated which has led to unfair rates bills that have been arrived at through hypothetical valuations ie they are not based on fact.

Ideally the rating system should be based on nett profit or Fair and Maintainable Turnover (FMT).

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10 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

The hospitality industry is one of the very few businesses that pay rates based on turnover. The associated costs with running the businesses are not taken into account, which means the tax burden on hospitality businesses is out of proportion to what the businesses actually make.

There is no doubt that if a fairer rating system is not implemented Scottish hospitality businesses will close, and those still operating will make significant staff reductions. UKHospitality believes it could cost 10% of hospitality jobs if the current state of play continues into 2022.

In Scotland, this would equate to more than 20,000 jobs!

There are tourism implications too – less staff, reduced service, poorer reviews. Scotland is open for business the Scottish Government has to do something to make sure that hospitality businesses stay open for business too.

So contact your local MP, councillors, newspapers.

There’s a window now before the next rates evaluation to create a fairer rating process. It’s time for everyone to do their bit. The loss of 20,000 jobs in Scotland would be a disaster for all involved!

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HATS OFF CHEF JAMES MURPHY

Executive Head Chef – Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow How long have you been a chef, how long have you been at Grand Central… and what brought you into the profession?

Forty one years. ago I started as a KP in the Royal Hotel at Portree on the Isle of Skye washing pots. I’ve been at the Grand Central since it opened.

What part of the job is the most stressful and how do you deal with it?

I am too old to be stressed. I have learned to stay calm. I need all my energy and it’s no use losing it needlessly. Myself and my team deal with challenges when they are thrown at us, that’s daily! ‘My team’ being the most important two words here.

How do you decide on the suppliers you use and what would you see is key?

Quality, delivery and personal contact is what helps me decide.

They need to want my business, and they need to do as much as possible for me as I’m their customer and I pay them handsomely - spending around £3m approximately each year on messages!

What is a typical day for you?

Fry eggs – especially at the weekend. This morning we did 276 breakfasts! At 10am we have a morning managers briefing. The chef brief. Then we discuss the business for the day and the next day this takes 10/15 minutes. Then I deal with emails, the float, kick ass and place orders. At the end end of the week we have beers for the boys and girls especially after a busy week. It’s a a wee thank you. Wednesday is meeting day and payroll day. We have an Ops, and Food and Beverage executive meet.ing. The week flies in.

What has been the highlight of your career?

How we started from nothing at Grand Central and grew the business. My very, very, very, very prestigious Catey Award in 2014, that really went unnoticed, sadly, especially as I was up against the cream of the big buoys in that place called London.

If you were persuading someone to be a chef what would you say?

Be serious, expect the unexpected. You only get out of life what you put in. Expect to miss out on your family growing up (possibly not so much now.) Don’t think TV programmes are the life of a chef. There are possible more sacrifices than most trades. Look at me. It’s tough, it has been, and still is. Every day is a school day, but look at where I am, and it is worth it. I have had ups and downs and been a wee bit successful. I can go to bed at night and say I did a day’s work and my customers are happy.

12 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

XXXXXXXX FEATURE

SCOTLAND’S HAS SOME SUPERB CHEFS. THIS MONTH WE FEATURE FOUR WHO ARE A CREDIT TO THEIR PROFESSION.

GARY TOWNSEND

Head Chef – One Devonshire Hotel at Hotel du Vin, Glasgow How long have you been a chef, how long have you been at Hotel du Vin… and what brought you into the profession?

I’ve been a chef since leaving school at the age of 16. I’ve now been here at One Devonshire Gardens for just over a year. Being a chef is something that I never wanted to do, I just fell into it. I was leaving school not knowing what to do. My friend at the time went on to study catering so I joined him and I’ve never looked back!

What part of the job is the most stressful and how do you deal with it?

As I’ve progressed throughout the years, more so in the past few years, I’ve found that cooking is the easy part. The more stressful part of the job is the day to day running of the kitchen whether it’s dealing with staff, health and safety, and food costs… the list is endless. I have a very strong team behind me so they relieve the pressure at times.

Where do you get your inspiration from for new dishes for your menus and who personally inspires you?

My inspiration comes from food I personally like to eat and the seasonality of the produce. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in a mixture of kitchens where the food styles have differed, from French classics to a more modern style, using different techniques and flavours. I always pull from these without trying to go too crazy!

How do you decide on the suppliers you use and what would you see is key?

I have a very good source of suppliers. The majority are local to the area which is key as is the quality of the produce. I have a fantastic relationship with all my suppliers, many I have used prior to One Devonshire Gardens. They are all very honest with me as I am with them and all will most defiantly help me whenever I need something at short notice.

What is a typical day for you?

My typical day consists of waking at 6am thanks to my one-year-old daughter Nora. I start the day with an hour or so in the gym then aim to be in the kitchen for 9am.

Depending on the day here it can be a busy lunch service/ dinner service/ a wedding, a private function, meetings with suppliers, team meetings, menu writing, trying new dishes….every day is different!

What has been the highlight of your career?

There are two career highlights that stand out most for me. The first was my time at Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond when we were awarded the first Michelin Star. It was a feeling that only such few can have, and really was like no other moment! My second, is now taking on the role here as head chef at One Devonshire Gardens. It’s such an honour and privilege to work at such a prestigious address.

If you were persuading someone to be a chef what would you say?

However hard it gets, don’t give up! Head down, learn as much as you can, absorb everything, don’t cut corners and be your own worst critic. If you don’t think it’s good enough, it’s probably not!

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 13

ZOLTAN SZABO

Executive Head Chef Blythswood Hotel, Glasgow identify my own personal style. My greatest mentor is James Murphy of the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.

How do you decide on the suppliers you use and what would you see is key?

This is really important for me. I spent most my time with my grandad when I was a child and he taught me so much about our pigs, sheep, poultry, vegetables and harvesting.

As chefs we have a key responsibility in sourcing and supporting biodiversity. It is really important to know where your product is from, how is it been fished, caught, shot or grown and harvested.

We work together with a number of small producers from and around Glasgow and I have the opportunity to visit them and to see the field to plate process.

What is a typical day for you?

I think the best part of our job is that every day is different and I take it as it comes.

Today I am harvesting the honey from our bees (yes, we have three bee hives on the roof of the hotel pollinating Glasgow). One of our suppliers will deliver a whole Mangalitza pig that will be butchered by the team and I. How long have you been a chef, how long have you been in your current role and what brought you into the profession?

My grandad was a coal miner, my dad was a coal miner.

There were no cooks in my family.

At the age of 14 I had to decide what path I would take and my choices were I ether become a stonemason specialising in gravestones – as the rich will always afford an expensive funeral or I become a chef – as the rich will always eat. We kept farm animals, grew our own fruits and vegetables and as a result I liked to eat. My first job was working in an elderly home kitchen at the age of 14... somewhat 20 years ago.

What part of the job is the most stressful and how do you deal with it?

All of us has different stress threshold. I don’t often show how much I stress or how anxious I am about things. The best way to manage is to switch your mind off for a little bit and this is easier said then done. I carve wood or hand knead bread. It helps me to manage my feelings lot.

Where do you get your inspiration from for new dishes for your menus and who personally inspires you?

Inspiration can come in many forms and many ways. I can get inspired by the team I work with particularly their culture and of course my own origins, the produce I am cooking with and art. I love using seasonal ingredients and I prefer the fall season the most. I am a self taught person in many things and I feel cook books from chefs like Alain Ducasse, Joel Robuchon or Michel Guerard helped me 14 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

We have a number of functions and a rather perky afternoon tea service ahead, and todays going to be a good day.

What has been the highlight of your career?

I won a number of competitions both in the UK and in Hungary. I got featured in a number of cook books, live television shows and papers. Ihave cooked for many high profile clients, head of states and Royals. I was also recently shortlisted for Chef of the Year at the Hotel Cateys.

My highlight. I was a 15 years old commis chef when I assisted in the cooking of a Guinness record 1.2 tonne Goulash stew. My grandad was so proud and delighted to see me on television... that was the last time he saw me. Personally, to know how he felt is worth more than anything can be ever awarded to me.

If you were persuading someone to be a chef what would you say?

Ask yourself a question, is this going to be a career or job? if you answer job, there are better jobs than being a chef, if you answered career, it is a magnificent trade and go for it.

However you need to know what you want to be. Keep your head down and focus to learn the basics, pursue a dream.

Read as many books as possible and be curious about everything from your suppliers, ingredients, cooking methods and techniques.

And lastly, remember the elevator to success is broken down, you have to use the stairs, so take it step by step.

Unless you are super talented and have an amazing palate and skills because reaching head chef level does not happens overnight. There are plenty of tears, laughs, failures and success ahead to celebrate on this path.

XXXXXXXX FEATURE

PASCAL ECK Executive Head Chef, Glynhill Hotel How long have you been a chef, how long have you been in your current role and what brought you into the profession?

I started at French Catering College in the Loire valley when I was 15 and have been in the profession my entire career. I’ve been an executive chef for the past 19 years, and at The Glynhill Hotel since 2003.

What part of the job is the most stressful and how do you deal with it?

Managing a big team can be challenging – it’s really important to remember to motivate and coach them, even in busy times.

Where do you get your inspiration from for new dishes for your menus and who personally inspires you?

I really enjoy eating out and take inspiration from far and wide – small cafes, restaurants, even DIY store displays can have fantastic ideas that can be adapted to work in a big busy hotel. I’m personally inspired by the Rick Stein simplistic approach with cooking and by Raymond Blanc’s passion for this profession How do you decide on the suppliers you use and what would you see is key?

It’s a decision based on the whole package. Quality of the product is the most important – fresh, local as possible and sustainable. But there’s no point in having great produce if the delivery is poor or the invoicing incorrect. I have great relationships with my suppliers, and a lot have become friends as we share the same work ethic.

What is a typical day for you?

Long and varied! Check deliveries, prep food, meet with the management team to discuss the week ahead, cook, speak with customers, coach the team, do my orders, paperwork…try and fit it time to volunteer at local primary schools and encourage kids to love food.

What has been the highlight of your career?

Being able to work in different countries, - Italy and Scotland. Dealing with different styles of cooking and learning the language. Cooking for Gerard Depardieu, Billy Connelly, Prince, Phil Collins, Michael Lee Aday, Lulu, David Tennant and many more!

If you were persuading someone to be a chef what would you say?

If you’re committed, dedicated, not afraid to work hard then it’s a fabulous career choice.

Great opportunities to travel, meet like-minded professionals and show your creative side. Feeding and nurturing people is a great feeling!

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 15

FEATURE

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PAID REVIEW FRAUD

A landmark ruling over fake TripAdvisor reviews in Italy, known as paid review fraud, has resulted in the world’s first prosecution, and the likelihood is this will happen in Scotland.

What do hoteliers need to know about this, and what can they do to combat this type of activity in the meantime? Jason Caddy reports.

A

landmark ruling over fake TripAdvisor reviews in Italy, known as paid review fraud, has resulted in the world’s first prosecution, and the likelihood is this will happen in Scotland. What do hoteliers need to know about this, and what can they do to look out for and report this type of activity in the meantime? Jason Caddy reports.

Paid review fraud is when companies or individuals ‘sell’ fake reviews to businesses to boost said businesses rating on a review-based site, whether that’s TripAdvisor, Google Reviews or Yelp, thereby giving it an unfair advantage over its competitors.

A recent investigation by The Times newspaper revealed that a whopping third of reviews on TripAdvisor are fake as a result of hotels and restaurants ‘buying’ fake reviews. The investigation has found that websites are offering glowing reviews for £38. Others allowed owners to bulk buy reviews for less money, with one offering 10 positive reviews for £69.

Naturally this falls foul of the law, but a landmark ruling in Italy earlier this year, when a fake Trip Advisor reviewer, PromoSalento, was prosecuted and is now serving a ninemonth sentence, plus an 8,000 Euro fine for posting fake reviews and for selling fake reviews to hospitality businesses, is the first time an individual has received a criminal conviction.

TripAdvisor has supported the prosecution by sharing evidence from its in-house fraud investigations department. Brad Young, VP,

16 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

Associate General Counsel, TripAdvisor, said, “We invest a lot in fraud prevention and we’re successful at tackling it – since 2015, we’ve put a stop to the activity of more than 60 different paid review companies worldwide. However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we’re eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions.”

The World Committee on Tourism Ethics, UNWTO, publishes guidelines on such activity.

Said Chairman Pascal Lamy, “Fake reviews clearly contravene the World Committee on Tourism Ethics guidelines, which we published last year to guide the responsible use of ratings and reviews on digital platforms.

The recommendations were developed in collaboration with TripAdvisor, Minube and Yelp and we know that industry collaboration has an important role to play in tackling review fraud.”

So what can you do if you suspect a rival business is guilty of posting fake reviews?

It’s mainly down to the monitoring systems these sites have in place, yet they can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of reviews, as well as differentiating between which ones are real and which ones are fake. Some sites have warnings if a user has used fake reviews in the past, and repeat offenders face removal from the site altogether of course.

The Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 protects customers from those whose intent is to mislead by what they post online, and this may be the first step towards similar legal action

being taken against offenders in the UK. Which.com devotes an entire section on its website that walks customers through some of the telltale signs of a fake review, which is worth a read because it may help you spot this type of activity if, for example, you suspect someone of using such reviews. Among what it details are two online tools that you can use to spot fake reviews. One is Fakespot.com, the other ReviewMeta.com, and both allow you to copy and paste a review URL into the site.

Meanwhile researchers from the University of Portsmouth have devised a new method to rank hotels more accurately. They argue that way individual ratings are currently aggregated into the overall rating is very simplistic, with some platforms just offering an arithmetic average of individual ratings. The problem, as they see it, is that this provides an equal weighting to each individual criteria and doesn’t differentiate between important and nonimportant hotel characteristics. Also, a hotel could compensate a low score in one aspect with a high score in another. This new model relaxes some of the assumptions made by this average approach and reflects a customer’s decision process more accurately by providing different weighting to attributes that are more important to customers.

This may be the future for online review sites, but for the moment TripAdvisor is king, and you are of course able to report any reviews that you suspect are fake by reporting them to the site in question.

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INTERVIEW

JASON CADDY paid a visit to The Royal Hotel in Cumnock to catch up with Robert and Vivien Kyle, the husband and wife team behind the successful RAD Group

SETTING THE GOLD STANDARD

R

obert and Vivien Kyle are the husband and wife team behind the Ayrshire-based RAD Hotel Group, which employs 500 people over six hotels, with a £15m turnover. Despite being one of the biggest employers in Ayrshire, they very much operate under the radar.

I first met Robert Kyle in 2012 at The Lochside where the former hairdresser filled me in on his plans for the hotel. Fast forward six years and his vision has become a reality with The Lochside now boasting a new Glen Caol Suite, 32 bedrooms, four lodges, a spa, the Afton restaurant and of course the Lochview Banqueting suite. At the time they also owned The Royal in Cumnock, The Carlton in Prestwick and they’d just bought The Shawlands Park (now The Radstone) near Larkhall on the M74. Since we met, they have also added the Dalmeny Park in Barrhead and Hetland Hall, just outside Dumfries, bringing the RAD portfolio to six.

This time around we met at The Royal Hotel in Cumnock and Vivien joined us.

18 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

The couple is in the process of putting the finishing touches to a new lounge bar at the hotel called 1906.

The RAD Group bought the Mercat Hotel adjacent to the Royal Hotel a couple of years ago and now the company has joined the two buildings. Robert explained, “The alterations at The Royal Hotel, involved the incorporating of the two Hotels. The new 1906 bar is now front facing rather than tucked away at the back of the hotel. This has freed up space that the old sports bar occupied for a RAD Group HQ which will house our sales and marketing personnel as well as Finance, HR and Compliance – 30 people in total.”

He continued, “We are also increasing the size of the hotel from nine to sixteen rooms.

It’s expected to be completed by summer 2019.”

This is one in a long line of investments the RAD Group is making, after investing £2m into a refurbishment of the 30-bedroom Hetland Hall Hotel in 2017/2018, and the couple has already got their next refurbishments planned. Said Robert, “We are in a good position with our Bank, Santander,

• ROBERT & VIVIEN KYLE

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 19

INTERVIEW

Aaron, and Mhairi also work in the business, after forming their own events and social media business, JAM. Said Vivien, “It’s all about ‘the gram’ as they call it - Instagram to you and me – even though neither me nor Robert is on it personally, the hold and influence social media has over a business can’t be underestimated.”

Robert and Vivien have also noticed the impact social media has had on the events business. Said Vivien, “The events business has changed. Now, on top of weddings, people celebrate kids’ parties, baby showers and anniversaries on a grander scale. There’s just more emphasis on this type of thing. The Social media-influenced ‘need to impress’ is also on the up.”

and our Relationship Director, Narinder Baryah, who has supported our plans because they are good plans. Next up is a total refurbishment of the Dalmeny Park Hotel, estimated cost £1.5m, and another function suite for Lochside.” He explained, “This will improve the circulation space so that the customer experience is enhanced. As part of the long-term plan for Lochside, we acquired the adjacent farm, which has 221 acres, and which we are hoping to use to build a resort facility, with lodges and activities such as kayaking, zip wires, mountain biking etc.”

However, there are business challenges. Said Robert, “There isn’t always a return on an investment. It is a challenging time for all of us with the increase in the minimum wage and Rates Revaluation.” He continued, “When you invest in one of your hotels the business rates increase in addition to the cost of the spend, but sometimes you have to refurbish a place simply to stand still, or to get it back to where it was. For example, we invested half a million in The Carlton over two-and-a-half years because it was looking a little tired but, despite this, there’s only been a slight increase in turnover.”

The two work well together, and do different roles, but said Vivien, “We never have less than one argument per day, and despite 20 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

Robert being the builder and me being the finisher, there is the inevitable crossover when Robert wades in. We are both incredibly hands on. This has been made a lot easier by the infrastructure we have introduced. We now have two cluster General Managers, one per three hotels.”

She continued, “We do all our training inhouse, even though we don’t have a training academy per se. We also work closely with Flow Training. We provide good staff development opportunities and our staff retention rates are above average for this industry, with most people leaving for a lifestyle change.”

Robert also chimed in at this point with, “When I worked as a hairdresser there were always new hairdressers opening and I was always of the mindset that you had to be better and step things up a gear and that’s what I do today. I want everything yesterday.

I operate at 100 miles per hour. Vivien definitely has more patience than me.”

“We try to engender a positive forwardlooking culture where customer service is never compromised despite the increased amount of compliance checks and admin that must be undertaken.”

The couple’s three grown-up kids, Jenna,

Robert was also keen to mention what Prince Charles has done for the area at Dumfries House. “I’m a local boy (we built our house in Auchinleck) and therefore we have chosen to make The Royal in Cumnock our base.

Dumfries House is competition to what we’re doing but our hotels do benefit from the Dumfries House effect and I jokingly call Prince Charles my ‘neighbour’. Our clientele is made up from workers, tourists, salespeople, plus one of the biggest schools in Europe is being built in Cumnock right now.”

He continued, “There are phenomenal people in Ayrshire, a lot of whom are unrecognised, but can we say we’re the best company in Ayrshire? We get recognised, yes, with two Ayrshire Best Business Awards in the last two years, one for Business and one for Growth, but there are a lot of bloody good people out there that don’t.”

September wasn’t a good month for the couple, who suffered a complete loss of power at Hetland Hall because of Storm Ali and a felled tree. So they’re planning a few days away.

Said Robert, “The kids got us a weekend at The Blythswood Hotel in Glasgow, my favourite hotel. We are also going away for three days to the Lake District.”

All too soon the interview was over as Vivien had to take her leave to focus again on Bar 1906, so I finished off by asking Robert where he saw himself in five years’ time. He said, “I’m 59 in five years’ time yet I ‘d bet I’d still be able to make a fortune if I could bottle my adrenalin and sell it, but I think that kids are going to eventually take over the business when they have gained as much experience as Vivien and I can give them.”

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As well as this, our vinyl flooring and sanitary ware products have been very popular with the Group.

PORCELANOSA knows the genuine passion Robert and Vivien Kyle of the RAD Group have to make their service attribute to no other. With our attention to detail, and vast range of innovative products, together we are constantly exceeding expectations. We wish them the continued success they deserve.

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T: 0141 533 1000 NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 21

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DESIGN FOCUS

BY JASON CADDY

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON GLASGOW SPA AND GOLF RESORT 1 ST ANDREWS DR, GLASGOW, G68 0EW

T

he former Westerwood Hotel & Golf Resort in Cumbernauld, home of Scotland’s only Seve Ballesterosdesigned golf course, is now part of a new DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Spa and Golf Resort, managed by RBH. It has undergone a £1.1m refurbishment of its lobby, lounge bar, 13 rooms and first floor events space, most of which happened over the summer. There are also four new luxury suites, two of which have balconies overlooking the golf course. The plan is to renovate the other 148 rooms over the course of the next two years.

The property joins 50 other hotels within the DoubleTree by Hilton portfolio in the UK, but the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Spa and Golf Resort stands out as the only one in Scotland with a golf course attached. The signature hole, the par-three 15th, was created

by Ballesteros and known as the Waterfall hole and requires a tee-shot from an elevated tee to a green surrounded by a 60ft rock face.

As well as the refurbishment, which ICA architects and interior designers were concerned with, every bedroom was kitted out with a new luxury Hilton bed with new

bedding and pillows, the latest 50” LG TV, and the inclusion of mini safes and refrigerators.

Externally there’s also new signage, landscaping and lighting. There was also £100k worth of work carried out at the pool area within the spa complex and the installation of an ‘air handling’ system, taking moist air out and bringing fresh air in.

GM Bill Burnett gave me the guided tour. He said, “Back in February we identified that the hotel’s interior identity had really nothing to speak of that tied it back to golf. We also wanted to reinstate a greater connection with the golf course, and one way we have achieved this is via the artwork on the first floor, plus the bedrooms also have golf-related textiles in the rooms. We had to rebrand the business during the summer and this was a massive undertaking and only part of this was the process of rebuilding the rooms.”

He continued, “A large part of this were the new systems that had to meet Hilton worldwide standards and all during our busiest months of the year and this involved a tremendous amount of planning, organisation and technical considerations. This all entailed

a two-month build up to the two-month refurbishment.”

Let’s look at the public areas first of all to assess the design’s impact. The lobby as you first enter is a light and airy space, painted in white, with touches of lilac, and what stands out the most is how uncluttered this space is, apart from a few sofas and chairs in grey and yellow around the periphery that go really well with the largely grey slate grey, and a smattering of autumnalcoloured, sundry other tiles. There’s also a big static carpet in the middle of the space with an abstract pattern on it.

One of the most coveted areas within the lobby surely must be the sleek black gas fire in the exposed brick chimney breast at the far end of the space as you enter, next to which are two indigo leather wing-back chairs. On the wall opposite the reception desk are shelves in a similar indigo colour and containing various ornaments, like coffee table books, paperweights and vases.

The reception desk is fairy plain. The walls behind it are panelled in lilac, and along the front of the desk are padded lilac leather additions.

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 23

DESIGN FOCUS

This area leads into the lounge, where the autumnal colour theme continues, thanks to dark reds, browns, rusts and yellows, in what is a fairly busy space with a sea of sofas and low tables. There’s also a fireplace in this area that’s the reverse of fireplace that serves the reception area. There’s also a very busy carpet and wooden glass-top coffee tables.

This in turn leads into the bar area with a wooden floor and bar set into one wall with a wooden frame, bar top and back bar shelves. This area has been painted in a mauve/aubergine colour, with comfortable low-slung chairs in faux cream leather and oatmeal-coloured fabric chairs.

Now on to the bedrooms. They are all decorated rather plainly, thanks to clean white walls and bedding. There is also a standard grey and white flecked carpet which provides an interesting contrast to the cleanness of the rest of the design.

Other pops of colour in the rooms are provided by the big statement burnt orange faux-leather headboards, plus the curtains in the room are a mushroom colour. There are honey-coloured lampshades on the bedside lamps, a leather chair in each room, plus a cluster of abstract art hanging on the walls, the majority of which is crisp and fresh with clean lines.

All in all this refurbishment has been a triumph in that it’s given this hotel a real shot in the arm. It’s neutral without being bland, and I also have to say that the level of comfort is also very high, and that despite the pictures being very good, they really don’t always do refurbishemt justice. w 24 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

CASE STUDY

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts gets in bed with Zonal

M

acdonald Hotels & Resorts has been serving up award winning hospitality to its guests since 1990, when the first hotel was opened in Aberdeenshire by Donald Macdonald and colleagues.

Today, it is the UK’s largest privately owned hotel group, operating 53 hotels throughout the UK, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, employing over 4,000 staff and servicing in excess of 4,500 hotel rooms.

Great service and a passion for delivering excellence when it comes to the perfect stay, sit at the heart of Macdonald’s ethos and success.

But with expansion also comes challenges in terms of keeping track of operating costs. This is where Zonal and its range of hospitality focused technology solutions, including its market leading Aztec EPoS, has checkedin and is having a positive impact on operations.

A great example of where Zonal technology is making its mark is Macdonald’s Berystede hotel in Ascot. A favourite with horse racing fans from across the world, the hotel’s bar is a hotbed of activity during race week, particularly Ladies Day, and in the past has required runners to keep orders flowing from the outside seating area to the tills and kitchen. Not only is speed of service an issue but the system was open to human error.

With Zonal technology, iServe means orders can be quickly taken at the table, which directly feeds into EPoS, which in turn sends the order directly to the kitchen.

Stuart explains: “Ascot is our busiest time of year at Berystede. Zonal technology has gone a long way to helping our staff to take more orders, while reducing mistakes and speeding up service.Thanks to Zonal technology we are delivering a ‘thoroughbred’ service that lives up to the Ascot experience!”

Macdonald’s was suffering from an outmoded EPoS solution, which was inflexible and not geared up to flex and grow as the hotel group expanded. IT director, Stuart Garrick, explains: “We had been with our previous EPoS provider for a decade, but unfortunately the technology hadn’t kept pace with today’s demands. Zonal impressed from the outset with its full suite of technology solutions, real-time reporting and its capability to integrate with our property management system OPERA.

Ultimately, it’s the business intelligence that Stuart and his colleagues can now access that will help Macdonald Hotels continue to expand effectively and efficiently.

“Also, being Scottish and a family business, we shared the same values, so the chemistry was there too.”

This flexibility allows the Macdonald team to compare various sources of data and gather a huge amount of insight, from bed to dining ratio, to top sellers and wastage percentages.

Zonal installed its Aztec EPoS into 35 Macdonald hotel bars and restaurants. In addition, mobile ordering through iPads featuring iServe, Zonal’s handheld EPoS solution, were deployed.

“The difference is like night and day. Zonal’s technology offers no barrier to what we want to achieve; whether that’s our chef ’s creativity to develop seasonal specials, to changing prices locally or across the estate. In the past, this took weeks of planning but now, we can do it in minutes,” says Stuart.

Macdonald’s can quickly access data from Aztec’s Dimensions reporting module that has been designed with the operator in mind, offering the functionality to aggregate with external platforms, such as PMS, payroll systems, budgets and spreadsheets, to create bespoke, real-time data analysis.

Stuart sums it up: “We have gone from a dictated to, to a more collaborative approach. Feedback from staff has been excellent, as they had a say in the design and layout of the Aztec interface, so the workflow is extremely intuitive. And if there are any issues there’s a Zonal engineer just a phone call away who can come and help – whether it’s in Southampton or Inverness.”

Find out more at www.zonal.co.uk NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 25

BY SUSAN YOUNG

ONE DEVONSHIRE GARDENS 1 DEVONSHIRE GARDENS, GLASGOW G12 0UX BT

O

ne Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin in Glasgow has seen its bedrooms and restaurant areas transformed and two new luxury townhouse suites created.

The hotel, which was bought by Frasers Hospitality UK Holdings Limited three years ago, has seen a substantial investment in its 49 rooms which includes six suites.

The refurbishment was spearheaded by Hotel du Vin’s Group Development Director Jonathan Livesey, and supported by interior design business Anita Rosato Interior Design who have worked on other hotels within the Hotel du Vin portfolio. The designers brief was to give One Devonshire Gardens a distinctive contemporary

26 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

approach, which was still sensitive to the property’s heritage and longstanding reputation as one of the best hotels in Glasgow.

Certainly the new-look bedrooms are hardly recognisable. Out have gone the four-poster beds, dark walls and traditional furniture and in has come a contemporary look combined with a retro-feel, based around an association with the flora and fauna of the nearby botanical gardens. However the designers have kept the original fireplaces, original ornate cornices and mouldings and have created an ecletic of-themoment feel.

Anita Rosato, Owner at Anita Rosato Interior Design, comments, “Inspiration for the concept of the guestrooms came from the Hotel du Vin

brand and its close association with great wines and champagnes as well as from the beautiful Botanical Gardens nearby, where boldly coloured flora and fauna have really informed the move to a more vibrant colour palette.”

She certainly has been bold – the autumal wallpaper in the bedroom of the newly-named Belle Epoque Suite is all encompassing and has a oriental feel. It covers the four walls and certainly makes an impact. The pictures however don’t do it justice – it marries together amazingly well with the oriental artwork and soft furnishings – . The suite itself (formerly The Krug suite) has been completely reconfigured and now features a dining area (which can also serve as a meeting room) and a luxury

DESIGN XXXXXXXX FOCUS

“The designers brief was to give One Devonshire Gardens a distinctive contemporary approach, which was still sensitive to the property’s heritage and longstanding reputation as one of the best hotels in Glasgow.”

NOVEMBER 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 27

DESIGN FOCUS

bathroom which comprises a free standing roll top bath and large shower.

The lounge area features a retro-sideboard, armchairs upholstered in a vibrant purple velvet and matching drapes. It is split from the dining area with a feature room divider The room is set off by modern artwork and funky contemporary sculptural lighting as well as reinvented antique furniture.

The other suite – Toques & Clochers has been elevated to a sumptuous Luxury Townhouse Suite, and now has the potential to be either a one or two bedroom suite.

All the bedrooms have had new Sealy beds put in, bespoke headboards have been created in vivid colours and fabrics, and behind each there is a hand blocked abstract panels of Grasscloth.

There are numerous large mirrors particularly behind the beside lamps. Where wallpapers hasn’t been used the designer has used heritage paints – but again she is certainly not afraid of 28 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

colour. As you will see from the photographs.

The soft furnishings in the rooms range from deep pinks to vivid orange, and the wallpaper in the rooms feature exotic species. The carpets have all been replaced and are a more neutral gunmetal grey.

What the new look also emphasises is the scale of the bedrooms, which are all of a very good size, with high ceilings and cornicing. The new décor reflects the brightness of the rooms, yet at night the clever lighting creates an cosy ambience.

All the bathrooms have also been given a make-over. Contemporary, monochrome, wallcoverings have been used in all the bathrooms which again have been inspired by the Tropical Gardens at the Botanics. The wood work has been refreshed, simply, in white, and black matt tiles have been used specifically in areas where walk-in showers have been added.

It’s not just the bedrooms that have benefitted

from a refresh, one of the most effective additions to the hotel has been new flooring which now extends throughout the dining areas and whisky snug. It may look like it has always been there, but until recently the flooring was different in the each are – now it hangs together and gives character to the dining areas.

This grand old lady of the West end has certainly been livened up. The 19th century Grade B listed houses, have been brought firmly into this eclectic generation.

Guus Bakker, CEO EMEA Frasers Hospitality comments “One Devonshire Gardens is a truly unique hotel which brings centuries of heritage together with today’s modern life, and I’m delighted that the guestrooms reflect this. The final result is 49 beautiful spaces which marry together the old and the new, creating a warm space which is not only steeped in history but is also functional for today’s traveller. We’re delighted with the result.”

EVENTS

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PETER WALKER TAKES UP ROLE AS MD AT MARYCULTER HOUSE Aberdeen’s Maryculter House has a new boss in the shape of Peter Walker who has been appointed Managing Director. Peter Walker (38) joins the hotel from Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Club where he spent the last nine years as General Manager. During his time there he presided over two major multi-million pound developments including the most recent the adding of an additional 28 rooms and a ballroom.

Prior to joining Meldrum House Peter worked at The Marcliffe at Pitfodels, Ardoe House and the Craigendarroch in Ballater. He was inducted into the Worshipful Company of Innholders earlier in 2018 as a Master Innholder.

Maryculter House is owned by the Gilbert family. Martin Gilbert cpmments, “Peter is an extremely well-respected hotel professional who is recognised as one of Scotland’s finest hotel general managers by his peers across the UK. We’re delighted to welcome him to the role of Managing Director at Maryculter House.”Peter added, “I am delighted to be taking on a new challenge at Maryculter House. The hotel has an excellent reputation for hosting events and its riverside position and courtyard mean it’s perfectly situated for weddings and functions. As well as growing the weddings and events business, we’ll be developing further leisure business. I look forward to developing all facets of such a vibrant hotel which is full of opportunities.

New Executive Head Chef checks into The Bonham Chris MacDiarmid has joined the The Bonham, Edinburgh as Executive Head Chef. Chris, who brings more than 30 years’ experience within the hospitality industry, has worked at various restaurant and hotels across the UK including The Capital Hotel, Edinburgh, Macdonald Hotel Marine, Berwick and Wincham Hall Hotel, Northwich.

“Scotland’s larder is bursting with some of the best local produce there is and I’m extremely passionate about Scottish ingredients and love using Scottish seafood and the beautiful game that is in season at the moment.

Chris comments, “I am delighted to join the passionate and driven culinary team at the four star Bonham Hotel and begin this new chapter in my career.

The hotel recently underwent a multi-million pound refurbishment unveiling its 49 individually styled and refurbished guest rooms and suites. .

“We have a fantastic team of talented chefs at the hotel and I look forward to leading and inspiring them as they will be integral in helping me bring my vision to life.”

BUSBY HOTEL MAKES WISHES COME TRUE FOR FAMILIES Glasgow’s Busby Hotel has welcomed children and their families from the When You Wish Upon a Star charity to enjoy a Disney themed Afternoon Tea for the second year running.

A total of 22 families from all over Scotland travelled to the hotel, where they were treated to a day of Disney characters, music, dancing, games, prizes, food, face-painting and lots of fun. When You Wish Upon a Star is one of the chosen charities supported by the Busby Hotel, and the team fundraise by doing charity walks and cycles – they also arrange special events where they spend time meeting the families and granting wishes. The charity helps to bring smiles to children aged 2-16 years who live with a life-threatening illness by giving them memories 30 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

to treasure. While the event was more about giving children and their families a memorable day, a total of £400.00 was also raised for the charity. Judith King, from the Wish Upon a Star charity in Scotland, said, “We would like to thank Juliet Parry and her wonderful team at The Busby Hotel, this is such a fantastic event.

The aim of the day was to create and make precious magical memories, putting illnesses to one side and bringing smiles and laughter to our very brave and courageous children and their families. The team at The Busby Hotel have made it happen and more, and we can’t thank them enough, we are truly honoured that they have chosen to support us”. .

WHAT’S XXXXXXXX NEW

The Balvenie DCS Compendium The penultimate chapter in The Balvenie DCS Compendium: Chapter Four, titled ‘Expecting the Unexpected’ is now out. Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE’s says: “Despite spending many years studying the science and art of whisky maturation, there are still occasions when I find myself pleasantly surprised with the unexpected direction a liquid has taken. The nature of whisky making is unpredictable and in the case of The Balvenie DCS Chapter Four, means a selection of remarkable and distinctly different liquids have

been released that would otherwise never have seen the light of day.”

The oldest chapter is the 1971 matured in refill European oak Oloroso sherry butts while the 1982 vintage matured in an uncommon European oak Oloroso sherry hogshead. The 1992 expression is a hallmark example of what The Balvenie was in the experimental days before the launch of The Balvenie DoubleWood. The 1999 Refill American oak hogshead holds significant personal meaning for David as it was the year he celebrated 25

years as The Balvenie Malt Master. But perhaps the most unexpected vintage is the nine-yearold first-fill American oak bourbon barrel, which David considers one of his ‘biggest surprises’. This 2009 liquid contains notes of distant smoke and peatiness.

Fire & Cane from Glenfiddich Glenfiddich has reveiled its fourth concept in its Experimental Series: Fire & Cane, a smoky whisky finished in sweet rum casks. Fire & Cane boldly marries smoky whisky with non-peated malts that have matured side-by-side in bourbon casks, highlighting Glenfiddich’s sweet and fruity signature style. The whisky was finished in Latin rum casks to produce a surprising and unexpected overlay of flavours with added caramel toffee sweetness.

Fire & Cane is now available with with a RRP of £43.

Commenting on the liquid, Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman said, “This new single malt truly

encapsulates the spirit of experimentation. We started with a question - what would happen if we did something with peat that we had not done before? The answer is an unconventional and unexpected whisky, one that is truly surprising.”

Other releases in the series include the Glenfiddich IPA Experiment, Glenfiddich Project XX and Glenfiddich Winter Storm. Fire & Cane comes in a coloured glass that seamlessly transitions from a black and brown base to clear glass to display the world’s favourite single malt Scotch whisky. The bottle was designed to showcase the juxtaposing flavours physically with the shift in colour.

BENROMACH ADDS WOOD FINISH TO CONTRAST RANGE Benromach Château Cissac Bordeaux Wood Finish 2010 is the latest limited-edition addition to The Benromach Distillery Company’s Wood Finish portfolio.

Benromach Château Cissac Bordeaux Wood Finish 2010 is matured in First Fill Bourbon barrels in the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouses in Forres, Speyside.This expression is then finished for just over two years in Château Cissac wine casks, hand-selected from the illustrious French wine region of Haut-Médoc near Bordeaux.The single malt Scotch whisky balances Benromach’s signature Speyside smokiness with rich red wine undertones.

Keith Cruickshank, Benromach Distillery manager, said, “I’m confident that Benromach Château Cissac Bordeaux Wood Finish 2010, with its unique and appealing characteristics, will be appreciated by new and existing Benromach enthusiasts. At our distillery in Forres, we’ve always been unafraid to innovate, and we hope those who enjoy our flagship Benromach 10 Years Old will enjoy exploring our different finishes.”

A limited release of 7,789 bottles will be made available for sale through specialist whisky retailers with a recommended retail price of £47.75 in the UK.

NOVEMBER AUGUST 2018 • HOTELSCOTLAND • 31

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CHECKOUT Andrew Fairlie married his long-term partner Kate White earlier this month after telling the world he was retiring from the restaurant at Gleneagles due to ill health. He has been living with a brain tumour for more than a decade, but he has now been told that no further treatment will help him. He is handing over the restaurant to head chef Stevie McLaughlin, general manager, Dale Dewsbury, and his business partner, Gregor Mathieson, in February. He says on his twitter account “looking forward to officially handing over to my friends and lifelong collaborators... I couldn’t leave the restaurant in safer hands.” He also went on to thank Gleneagles owner Sharan Pasricha for making it happen. I’ve never interviewed Andrew, but my mother did a number of years ago, (journalism runs in the family). She still raves about the meeting today. She thought he was just wonderful. Full of passion and a real gentleman. A view shared by so many. He also gave her advice on how to make a great risotto, and we have been having it ever since. We wish him all the very best. If only love cured!

I don’t know where Angela Vickers, CEO of Apex Hotels, gets her energy. As well as running the hotel business she organised the recent G&T Afternoon Tea in aid of HIT in her role as Last Man Standing (LMS). She has now passed the baton to me and I’m planning a health and well-being event next year. But well done to Angela on a terrific day at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Glasgow.

The rates issue keeps on giving. I think I’ll be writing about it for the next few years, and I certainly understand the frustration that hoteliers and indeed the licensed trade feel. The industry bodies are doing their best, but it also needs people to talk to all their contacts – at parliamentary level, and at local level. This includes their local press and councillors. The more the issue is raised, the more noise is created, the more chance something will be done about it.

The debate about the Tourism Tax or Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) goes on. Now the Scottish Tourism Alliance and UK Hospitality have requested that the Edinburgh consultation is called off. In a letter sent to Council Leader, Adam McVey, and Chief Executive, Andrew Kerr, the two bodies said the consultation was ‘not fit for purpose’ and asked for it to be closed at the earliest opportunity.

The tourism bodies argue that the consultation document as 34 • HOTELSCOTLAND • NOVEMBER 2018

FROM THE EDITOR it currently stands presents no opportunity for opponents of a TVL to register their opposition, fundamentally undermining the consultation, which currently has little or no support from within the City’s broader tourism industry. The letter also raises the point that the consultation neglects to seek alternative views about how revenue could otherwise be raised and that the consultation fails to inform respondents of the contributions of millions of pounds by the tourism and hospitality sectors to the council finances through business rates and employment. The organisations state that no effort has been made by Edinburgh Council to explain the impact of the UK VAT regime to respondents, which drives UK hotel day rates to a significantly higher level than Scotland’s international comparators, and that the consultation wrongly seeks views on whether TVL money should be spent on what many would argue are core Council services, such as emptying bins. A request has been made by the organisations that the consultation ceases as soon as possible, particularly in light of the Scottish Government’s own proposals to consult with local authorities and industry as to whether a TVL approach should be considered at all.

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