'SCOTTISH HOTEL AWARDS'

A NOTE TO CLARIFY THINGS

BACKGROUND

Our team, led by current Chairman plus Founder Vice President, created the Hotel Review Scotland guide project that bore the original Scottish Hotel Awards in 2003, and chaired the research & judging for 20 years - independently and later under the management of Paragraph Publishing - so are identified with 'Scottish Hotel Awards'.

We put on record our gratitude to our former Paragraph Publishing colleagues 2012-2019 Damian Riley-Smith and his staff who ran the Scottish Hotel Awards as part of the Scotland Magazine business.

Paragraph Publishing subsequently sold the magazine and the Scottish Hotel Awards brand, which has since changed ownership a few times. When we refer to 22 years' continuity, it is to over two decades of our team working together on professionally organised annual hotel awards for Scotland assessed by us. Although we're not now branded Scottish Hotel Awards  nor working with new owners of the brand name, The Daily & Sunday Telegraph Media Group, practically every judge / researcher previously with SHA has moved forward under National Hotels of the Year - Scotland.

WE ARE NOT 'SCOTTISH HOTEL AWARDS'
* Brand owned by Telegraph Media Group, London
* We are also not the 'Prestige - Scottish Hotel Awards'
* Our Member rates are c.50% less than the previous scheme

We are a newer brand developed by the same longstanding team. It's been shaped by Hospitality Research Organisation (Estd. 2002) to be international, operating under National Hotels of the Year & National Hotel Honours brands, and our Registered Trademark and Trademarks, owned and based in Scotland, as an integrated program with our forthcoming consumer guide. Hotels of the Year is a brand that will operate in the future in other countries and licenced in Scotland to HOTYS Limited.

NEW OWNERS - COVID - DORMANT AWARDS - OUR REBOOT

After some 7 years in their excellent management, in 2019 the brand Scottish Hotel Awards was bought alongside Scotland Magazine from Paragraph Publishing by The Chelsea Publishing Company, London - which in turn was acquired by the Daily & Sunday Telegraph Newspaper Media Group in London. Their 'Scottish Hotel Awards'  brand has now been dormant for some 6 years, as far as we can tell. We did seek to acquire the brand from Chelsea Publishing but, sadly, were unable to agree terms.

Our team hasn't been involved with Scottish Hotel Awards since the 2019-20 season, when we organised all the judging - and that season's virtual presentation due to Covid. We were let go. We were not in control of the SHA website, which remained frozen for several years, nor the social media, and were sadly extremely disappointed in the way hotels, especially winners, were treated after the event's cancellation.

None of our team has been involved with business management of 'Scottish Hotel Awards' for a decade. We appreciate Covid made things extremely difficult for all involved, and regret that we were unable to move the old brand forward.

However we have re-established our awards using our long experience to make National Hotels of the Year an innovative and lasting success - and to it becoming a Social Enterprise in Scotland. We are based in Scotland and have Researchers and Judges - including Industry-leading Peer Judges - in every part of the country.

T H A N K   Y O U

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