The best independent hotel in Scotland

PETER and Caroline Mackenzie were celebrating in Edinburgh on Sunday night after Scalloway Hotel was judged Scottish independent hoteliers of the year in the Scottish Hotel Awards.

The hotel won the award jointly with The Pierhouse Hotel in Port Appin, Argyll.

Speaking from the Grand Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh where the awards ceremony took place, an overwhelmed Caroline Mackenzie said: “We are absolutely over the moon, this is absolutely incredible.”

She stressed that they could not have got as far as they have without the support of all their staff.

The 23-bedroom hotel has won regional awards for the quality of its breakfast, fine dining and front-of-house team, but has never won a national award before.

The couple are now embarking on a revamp of the lounge bar, restaurant and public reception, having upgraded all of its bedrooms.

In January the hotel became the first hotel in Scotland to be accredited with paying a living wage, by the Living Wage Foundation, which earned it a motion of congratulations from Green MSP John Finnie.

In last year’s Scottish Hotel Awards the hotel was judged to have the best restaurant in the Scottish islands.