scottish hotel of the year in the scotsman

15Monday 29 april 2013 The Scotsman

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Just grand! Station hotel wins top honour£20m overhaulpays off forGlasgow venuealaSTair dalTon

THE hotel from where JohnLogie Baird transmitted the firstlong-distance television pictureslast night received the Scot-tish hospitality industry’s tophonour.

Grand Central Hotel in Glas-gow, which towers over CentralStation, was named as hotel ofthe year, three years after re-opening following a £20 millionoverhaul.

Built 130 years ago, the Rob-ert Rowand Anderson-designedbuilding hosted Logie Baird’spioneering transmission in 1927,while the adjacent station isnow one of the busiest outsideLondon and used by 25 millionpeople a year.

Other visitors have includ-ed Winston Churchill, John FKennedy and Frank Sinatra. Thehotel also won the events hotelaward.

Gary McLean Quin, managingdirector of the Hospitality Re-search Organisation and chair-man of Scottish Hotel Awards’judges, said: “There were again

The Robert Rowand Anderson-designed Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow’s Central Station underwent a £20 million overhaul three years ago

The stunning Grand Central Hotel impressed the judges

The Sheraton Grand’s One Spa, in Edinburgh, won an award

“It was great to seethe building reopena fewyears ago”Gary McLean Quin

many strong contenders forScottish hotel of the year, but theGrand Central stood out becauseof its all-round performance,passionate leadership, staff man-agement and wise future devel-opment. It was great to see theold building reopen a few yearsago and its plans are marvellousfor Glasgow.”

The award follows generalmanager Laurie Nicol havingbeing named manager of theyear at last year’s event.

In other honours presentedat a gold-themed dinner in Glas-gow to mark the awards’ tenthanniversary, Loch Melfort Hotelowners Calum and Rachel Rosswere named as hoteliers of theyear for their establishment atArduaine, near Oban.

The manager of the year titlewent to Bill Burnett of the Holi-day Inn Aberdeen West, whilerising star hotelier of the yearwas Jody Marshall, of BallathieCountry House Hotel, at Kin-claven, near Perth.

The country house hotel

award was presented to Lau-rence and Katie Mackay for Ti-roran House on Mull, and thesmall country house hotel awardwent to the Pierhouse Hotel atPort Appin in Argyll.

Scotsman Magazine cookerywriter Lady Claire Macdonald’sKinloch Lodge, at Sleat on Skye,was voted most romantic hotel,while island hotel of the yearwas awarded to Anne Gracieand Ken Gunn’s nearby ToravaigHouse Hotel.

In the food and chef catego-ries, Michael Simpson of Cul-loden House, near Inverness, waschef of the year, and the chefs’team award went to RaemoirHouse Hotel, at Banchory inAberdeenshire. Hadrian’s at TheBalmoral in Edinburgh was res-taurant of the year.

The new hotel award wentto Tune Hotel in Edinburgh,the Malaysian chain’s first UKbranch outside London, whose“limited service concept” in-

volves extra charges for every-thing from towels to televisionsand wi-fi.

Among a series of awards forArran, parts of which were leftwithout power for a week aftera blizzard last month, the islandwas named as destination of theyear.

The Douglas Hotel at Brodickreceived the boutique hotel ofthe year award, while the Glen-isle Hotel in Lamlash won theseaside hotel category.

1,800 miles of water pipes upgraded in £113m project

SCOTTISH Water has completedthe first phase of a major pipeupgrade stretching more than2,600 miles.

When completed, the£113 million programme – Scot-land’s biggest-ever water mainsrenewal project – will have cov-ered a distance equivalent tothat from Edinburgh to Mali.

The scheme started two yearsago and has so far seen about

lucy chriSTie 1,800 miles of pipes upgradedto meet strict water qualitystandards.

Scottish Water said its teamshad been tested by “difficult en-vironments and unusual discov-eries” – including the unearthingof a 3,000-year-old Beaker burialground in Duns in the Borders.Workers also had the challengeof negotiating the Rocks of Soli-tude ravine by Edzell, Angus.

Deputy First Minister andCabinet Secretary for Infrastruc-

ture Nicola Sturgeon said: “Theextensive reach of the scheme,stretching from Shetland to theScottish Borders means house-holds throughout the countryare now benefiting from an en-hanced water supply while localareas have been boosted by thesupport of extra jobs.

“Scotland’s water quality isat its highest level ever and weare striving to improve on thisthrough the renewal and main-tenance scheme.”

nicola Sturgeon saidwater is atits highest level of quality ever

thewinners . . .Grand Central Hotel (Glasgow)

Hotel of the YearBill Burnett (Holiday Inn Aberdeen West)

Manager of the YearCalum and Rachel Ross, below (LochMelfort Hotel at Arduaine near Oban)

Hoteliers of the YearJody Marshall (Ballathie House, Kinclaven,near Perth) Rising Star Hotelier of the YearLaurence and Katie Mackay (TiroranHouse, Isle of Mull) Country House HotelLady Claire Macdonald (Kinloch Lodge,Sleat on Skye) Most Romantic HotelHadrian’s (The Balmoral, Edinburgh)

Restaurant of the YearTune Hotel (Edinburgh) New HotelDouglas Hotel (Brodick, Arran)

Boutique Hotel of the YearGlenisle Hotel (Lamlash, Arran)

Seaside HotelOne Spa(Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh)

Spa Team