Kylesku Hotel duo are best in Scotland
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OWNERS of a Sutherland hotel have been named the country’s best in the business.
Tanja Lister and Sonia Virechauveix of the Kylesku Hotel, between Scourie and Lochinver, were awarded the title Scottish Hoteliers of the Year at the 2014 Scottish Hotel Awards on Sunday.
Sonia said: “It’s brilliant. It’s not just for us, it’s for everyone who works here and gives so much of their time and their passion.
“We were totally surprised because we did not even know that we had been shortlisted for it.”
The awards were presented by enterprise and tourism minister Fergus Ewing at a gala dinner in Edinburgh attended by over 500 hoteliers and their guests.
Tanja and Sonia were unable to attend the event, but friend Jonathan Kinnell from Kerrachar, who also supplies the hotel with chocolates, picked up the award for them.
Sonia said: “It was nice to have someone for whom we have complete trust to go and receive it for us.”
Awards chairman Gary McLean Quin said: “We might send any owners of a small hotel to Kylesku to see for themselves how it should be done.”
Successful in the Highland regional awards were Dornoch Castle Hotel, which won Romantic Hotel of the Year; and Inver Lodge Hotel, Lochinver, which won Service Excellence Hotel of the Year.
Tongue Hotel picked up their third title in four years at the awards as 2014 Coastal Hotel of the Year.Owners Lorraine and David Hook were delighted at the latest acknowledgement.Lorraine said: “I have been really pleased because we are a small hotel in a very rural area so for anyone to even notice you is just really lovely.“We have such as small team and yet they work so hard. The fact that you are consistently showing that level as well is great.“The thing about it is it gives you a real boost, your motivation is high anyway because you want to do a good job, but then to get that seems to give you a new energy and gives you an impetus to continue to do the same.”
The Kylesku Hotel also picked up the Informal Dining Restaurant of the Year for Highland.
