m e e t
THE TEAM
2 5 Y E A R S O N
Hello!
we are committed
to our cherished, complex,
fascinating & demanding
industry
Our lead team have worked on an annual Scottish hotel awards since founding a high-profile review guide in
2001... which spun-out
a national awards that started work back in
2003. A full 25 years' continuity of experience, concern and support for an industry we genuinely care about.
Now, for season 2026/27, we're hard at work on an expanding project. It involves not only
National
Hotels of the Year® Scotland - working with ScotHot, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, supporting HIT Scotland & Hospitality Apprenticeship Scotland -
but also, from late 2026, a new
consumer guide site, dynamic
Gold Welcome Plaques™ and our busy social media
industry help groups.
T H I S Y E A R ' S ▼ T E A M B E L O W
When we founded the awards the vision was to have travel writers, industry experts and industry peers independently and thoroughly get to know individual hotels and their teams. It's the hotel
people
who matter most: yes, of course,
investment is critical, but it truly is the
skill and qualities of key individuals
that are the heartbeat of every hotel. We place great store in understanding and observing talent, dedication, reliability, charm, performance, promise and constancy in every department and at every level of seniority or ownership.
We shape the full awards results with great thought, care and integrity, making sure the facts are bang up-to-date, the recognition deserved and the category helpfully appropriate.
P R E M I E R 2 0 2 6 S P O N S O R
SOME OF THIS YEAR'S FACES
n a t i o n a l
Hotels of the Year®
S c o t l a n d
Team 2026/27
Awards President
William Gorol
LinkedIn
| MD,
triSaaS
|
Entrepreneur
| ex-Chair,
Social Bite
Awards Chairman
& Guide Editor
Gary McLean Quin
Founder | Chartered Designer | MD | LinkedIn
Vice President - Founder
& Guide Deputy Editor
Vivien Devlin
ex-BBC Arts | British Guide of Travel Writers | Feature Writer
Vice President - Sernior
David Welch
Former Senior GM / Long-standing Senior Judge
Patron
Lady Claire Macdonald OBE
Bestselling Scottish food author | Renowned Skye Hotelier
Awards Deputy Chairman
Denny Norris
Judge / Group Ops Manager / Hospitality Graduate /
LinkedIn
S e n i o r A d v i s o r s & J u d g e s
Marc Crothall MBE
Senior Judge & Advisor |
CEO, Scottish Tourism Forum
Toby Wand
Senior Judge & Advisor | MD
ScotHot
&
365 Events
Malcolm Duck
Senior /
Golf Hotels Judge | ex-Chair industry bodies & Hotelier
Ken Scott
Senior Judge | Founder
Lea Harris
Senior Food Judge |
Writer |
Bite |
Great British Bake Off
Peter Ferguson
Senior Events Judge | Principal,
Beautiful Events
Phil MacHugh
Senior Style & Trend Judge Journalist & TV Presenter
Ian McAndrew
Food & Chef Judge | former
Michelin-star Chef Patron
Katie & Laurence Mackay
Judges | former AA Red Star award-winning hoteliers
Sharon Green-Wilson
Food & Drink Judge |
Councillor | Editor,
Bite Magazine
R e s e a r c h J u d g e s
Jan Leatham
Judge Researcher | Reviewer
Katie White
Judge Researcher | Designer |
MD, White Creative
Susie Farley
Judge Researcher | ex-GM
Iain Fraser
Ops Director & Support | Family Hotels Senior Judge | ex-GM
Scot Cameron
Judge Researcher |
Hospitality Tech expert
Jody Marshall
Judge Researcher | ex-Scottish Hotel Manager of the Year
Deborah Welsh
Judge Researcher |
Print Media PR expert |
AM+A
P e e r J u d g e s
Are not listed, to maintain our vital ability to carry out mystery visits, but include top industry experts, CEOs, hotel general managers, recognised chefs and leaders
A d m i n & S u p p o r t
Elisabeth Laird
Member & Team Support
Al Noor
Guide Hotel Liaison Manager
Saqib Ahmed
Guide Technical Development Manager
~~~
➦
Judging
The Team arrive onstage for the exuberant start of the 2025 Hotels of the Year Scotland Awards Night gala
