Highland Coast Hotels is celebrating a remarkable run of national and regional recognition, with five major awards over the past 18 months spanning leadership, marketing, community impact and its people.
The latest accolades came at the Highland Business Awards, where Managing Director Kenny McMillan was named Business Leader of the Year, while Highland Coast Hotels took home Best Marketing Campaign, sponsored by STV.
The two wins follow further recognition for the group, including the Community Impact Award at the Scottish Impact Awards, Community & Social Impact at the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards, and Team of the Year at the Highland Business Women Awards.
Coming during a challenging period for hospitality and businesses across the Highlands, the awards recognise different areas of Highland Coast Hotels’ approach, from its people and leadership to its work within local communities and its marketing of the Scottish Highlands to audiences at home and internationally.
Established in 2021, Highland Coast Hotels now operates six hotels across the north Highlands and employs more than 150 people. With the continued support of its investors, the group has focused on strengthening its hotels, developing its teams and creating new reasons for visitors to explore more of the region throughout the year.
The Best Marketing Campaign win recognised work that has included leaning into the global popularity of BBC’s The Traitors to showcase the Highlands, alongside the development of North Coast 500 itineraries encouraging visitors to slow down, stay longer and discover more of the communities and experiences across the north of Scotland.
The campaign has attracted national and international attention, helping to showcase the Highlands to audiences across the UK and overseas.
Kenny McMillan, Managing Director of Highland Coast Hotels, said:
“We’re absolutely delighted with the recognition we’ve received, but these awards really belong to the teams across our hotels who put so much into what they do every day. There’s no getting away from the fact that it’s a challenging time to operate a hospitality business in the Highlands. That’s why I’m particularly proud that we’ve continued to move forward, make some brave decisions and, with the support of our board, keep investing in our people, our hotels and the communities we’re part of.
“For us, that also means looking beyond the traditional Highland tourism season. We want our hotels to be places that local communities enjoy throughout the year, while giving visitors more reasons to experience the Highlands in autumn, winter and festive season too.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to operate in one of the most spectacular parts of the world and we want to keep finding new and creative ways to showcase it. If we can encourage more people to discover the Highlands, stay a little longer and explore more of the communities around us, while building a strong and sustainable business that creates opportunities for local people, then we’re doing something worthwhile.
“To have our leadership, marketing, community work and, most importantly, our team recognised along the way makes it all the more special.”
Highland Coast Hotels operates Lochardil House in Inverness, Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch, Royal Marine Hotel in Brora, Tongue Hotel, Kylesku Hotel and Plockton Inn.