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“I know nothing else like it that exists in Scotland”


the next 12 months. Average length of stay has increased by around 25%-35%. Although the staycation market is predictably not as strong as it was during the Covid pandemic, inter- national customers started to return last year, particularly the key US market, which has come back with a vengeance. Plans to keep building on


the hotel’s success include continued reinvestment into the property (the hotel closes for 10-14 days every January for a refresh and any required refurbish- ment work) and the team. Like many hospitality


busi-


nesses across the UK, Glenapp is finding recruitment a challenge post-Brexit and post-pan- demic. “The biggest challenge for every


It wasn’t the first time Glenapp has


welcomed in the television cameras – the hotel has also hosted Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars, a Burns Night segment of ITV’s This Morning hosted by Gok Wan, and two of the hotel’s pastry chefs were contestants on Channel 4’s most recent series of Bake Off: The Professionals. Chalmers says getting the hotel on


television has also been part of her strategy to get the name out there, with every feature increasing the visibility of Glenapp and Ayrshire across the UK market. She hopes that Amazing Hotels’ international reach once the programme is syndicated abroad will further increase visibility in overseas markets. Following advice from other hotels that


have been on the show, in preparation for an expected spike in web traffic when the episode is broadcast, the venue has upgraded its server and will have a technician on site the evening of the broadcast in case of any issues. Additional recruits have also been brought in to bolster its reservations team to deal with an anticipated increase in enquiries.


The episode of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby featuring Glenapp Castle is expected to broadcast on BBC Two at 8pm on Sunday 24 September.


www.thecaterer.com 15 September 2023 | The Caterer | 27


hotel up and down the country is staff- ing. We’re doing OK with that. You’ve just got to keep your foot on the accelerator; you’ve got to keep at it,” Chalmers says. “Before, you could put out an advert and we


would get applications. [Now] you have to be a bit more proactive about it... We do as much as we can with the local market. We employ on attitude and train people with the skills.” Engaging an agency with links to South Africa has also helped with recruiting chefs.


When it comes to initiatives to support exist- ing staff, there are monthly team gatherings and staff meals which have increased from one to two a day. The need to invest into the team is more important than ever, particu- larly with the impact the pandemic has had on people’s mental health, says Chalmers, who emphasises that while Glenapp pays its employees “above the industry norm”, it’s not just about the money. “Because we’re remote, a lot of them live


in the area or in staff accommodation in the village. Making sure they’re OK, that pastoral care side of things, which sometimes you can’t put a price on, that is a key part of everything we do here as well,” she says. All this investment and develop- ment across the business has helped reposition Glenapp Castle within the industry and in the eyes of con- sumers, and ultimately led to it being featured on Amazing Hotels, joining previous UK stars the Lanesbor- ough and Shangri-La at the Shard in Lon- don, Swinton Estate in Yorkshire, and the Torridon in Wester Ross


(see panel). Although a proud moment


for the property, it certainly isn’t the end point of Glenapp’s ambition,


with plans already in the pipeline for fur- ther expansion and development. The hotel has received planning permission to convert two cottages on the estate into guest accom- modation, with hopes to convert five in total and reach around 33 keys throughout the estate. The investment is expected to be in the “millions” with the accommodation hoped to come online in the next two to three years, while more long-term plans include a spa.


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