Latest news with #StephenLeckie
Scotsman
25-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Leading Scottish hotel group honoured with top award for commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community
One of Scotland's leading hotel groups has received a top honour for its work to support members of the Armed Forces community into employment. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels – which has seven hotels across Scotland, including Peebles Hydro and The Park Hotel in Peebles, Ballachulish Hotel, Isles of Glencoe Hotel and Kingshouse Hotel in the West Highlands and Crieff Hydro Hotel and the Murraypark Hotel in Perthshire – has received the Gold Award in the UK Government's Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). The initiative recognises employers who take active steps towards supporting members of the Armed Forces community – including veterans, cadets, reservists and their families – through inclusive employment practices and active partnership. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Gold Award signifies the Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels' growing support and commitment towards supporting people within the armed forces community, having received the Silver Award last year. Stephen Leckie, CEO and Chairman of the Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels The group achieved the accolade after meeting several key criteria, including awareness of Armed Forces-friendly policies among staff, supporting service families with flexibility and engaging directly with Reserve and Cadet units through events and ongoing partnerships. Georgia Robertson, who is part of the team dedicated to supporting members of the Armed Forces community within the Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: 'Achieving the ERS Gold Award is a huge moment for us and something I've been personally proud to work on. 'It reflects not just a formal commitment, but a real and growing culture of respect, inclusion and support for the Armed Forces community. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've enjoyed attending recent engagement events and speaking directly with cadets and reservists. 'They bring a wide range of skills to the workforce and we're passionate about helping them build fulfilling careers. We look forward to continue growing that support in the years ahead." What's more, as a further demonstration of the Crieff Hydro Family's commitment to the Armed Forces Community, Chairman and CEO Stephen Leckie annually appoints a local cadet to support official public duties in his capacity of Lord-Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross. Not only does this opportunity provide them with valuable career insight, but it also allows them to experience one-on-one mentoring and first-hand hospitality experience in a professional setting. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stephen Leckie, CEO and Chairman of the Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: "We are incredibly proud to receive the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. 'This honour reflects not just our commitment, but the passion and dedication of our team in creating a workplace that values and supports those who serve."
The Herald Scotland
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
It's a family affair as Crieff Hydro unveils new look
Last month I interviewed the Hydro's long-standing chief executive, Stephen Leckie, who took me through the rationale behind a £5.2 million investment to rejuvenate the food and drink operation at the resort. Mr Leckie joked that his forebears would be 'turning in their graves' at the changes, which include a new 'secret' speakeasy that can be accessed – via a bookcase wall, naturally – from the new Ballroom Bar. More seriously, the veteran hotelier pressed home why continual reinvestment is needed in destinations such as Crieff to ensure guests keep coming back, and to persuade lapsed consumers to return. The widespread changes include renovations of the hotel's Meikle restaurant, where the Hydro's famous buffet breakfast is served, Winter Garden and Loggia, as well as the introduction of an Asian, small plates menu that is now available throughout. Mr Leckie, whose wife Fiona is the Crieff hotel group's head of interiors, also explained the project was something of a milestone for the Leckie family, who have run the hotel for six generations. Sons Richard and Charlie played a driving role in creating the concepts for the new food and drink offer, while daughters Sarah and Louisa work in events and marketing at the group. 'The fact is I have just turned 60,' Mr Leckie told The Herald. 'This is the start of a transition as I consider the latter working years of my life. 'I plan on working until I am 70 or more, assuming I am able, but I have to allow the new generation the chance to make their mark on the business and continue the success of the business. 'And it is not just about Crieff – it's about Peebles Hydro, the Isle of Glencoe and Ballachulish on the west coast and Scottish Highland Safaris which all four children are getting involved with, even down to the uniforms, the type of pens that we want to have customers use in our conference rooms and in reception when they check in. The family needs to have a role in these little things.' Elsewhere in April I had an exclusive story on the decision by Western Ferries (Scotland) to name a Merseyside shipyard as preferred bidder for two new vessels – a move seen by some as a blow to Ferguson Marine, the last remaining commercial shipyard on the lower Clyde. Western, which operates a frequent shuttle service between Gourock and Dunoon, said APCL Cammell Laird had been chosen after making the 'most commercially compelling case for the new vessels'. Read more: The English yard had previously built, designed and delivered the Sound of Seil and Sound of Soay ferries for Western in 2013. The privately owned company, which runs around 32,000 sailings of the 20-minute crossing per year, expects the new vessels to be delivered in the autumn of 2026. Managing director Gordon Ross said: 'Western Ferries is pleased to announce the preferred bidder statement of a new vessel construction contract to leading UK shipbuilder APCL Cammell Laird, reinforcing a strong and trusted partnership rooted in British maritime excellence. 'APCL Cammell Laird was selected as the preferred bidder due to the strength of their proposal, demonstrating exceptional value in cost, expertise, and the quality of its shipbuilding facilities. Their bid was immensely strong on all fronts, and with their heritage of maritime excellence, we are confident that they will deliver vessels of the highest quality, on time and on budget.' Meanwhile, the AGM season for stock market-listed companies was in full swing last month and I reported on the latest shareholder gathering of NatWest Group in Edinburgh. Investors in the owner of Royal Bank of Scotland voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new remuneration policy that could see chief executive Paul Thwaite earn nearly £8m per year. Chairman Rick Haythornthwaite told reporters after the AGM that the bank had been 'very measured' in its approach to the new executive pay policy. He said: 'We just feel, as step one, let's do that and make sure we are competitive, so we do attract the best talent and keep the best talent. 'But let's not open up the floodgates of risk exposure and forget the lessons of pre-2008 when it all got a bit out of sync. 'We don't think we are close to testing the limits of that. It was a good opportunity to make the shift and remain in sensible territory, with the recognition that others are pushing the boundaries.'
The Herald Scotland
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Crieff Hydro overhaul raises key question for hospitality
In a bold move that may ruffle feathers among the hotel's older customers, some of whom will recall the Hydro as a 'dry' destination, a striking new island bar has been installed in the heart of the traditional ballroom. Perhaps more controversially, at least for certain guests, a 'secret' speakeasy – an adults-only bar – can now be accessed from the ballroom, as long as you know the password. Its location is concealed by a bookcase wall. 'How my ancestors will be turning in their graves!' quipped Stephen Leckie, long-standing chief executive of the Crieff Family of Hotels, in an interview with The Herald. The Ballroom Bar is just one of a raft of additions designed to rejuvenate the food and drink offer for guests at the resort, following an investment totalling £5.2 million. The Leckie family will rightly be excited about the potential of their latest investment at Crieff Hydro and hope it will not only encourage frequent guests to keep coming back but convince lapsed customers to return. They may also be hoping the changes at Crieff convince people to visit the other hotels in the group's portfolio, which include Peebles Hydro and, on the west coast of Scotland, The Isle of Glencoe Hotel and The Ballachulish Hotel. The Crieff project can also, perhaps, be more widely read as evidence of the importance of hospitality businesses continually investing to refresh their offer, in order to stay relevant in an extremely competitive market. This, however, is an increasingly difficult thing to do at a time when hospitality operators face relentless pressure on costs, and household budgets continue to feel the impact of the cost of living crisis. Mr Leckie, who has routinely emphasised the importance of reinvestment over recent years, acknowledged to The Herald that it was a 'difficult time' to find the resources to invest in the current climate. But he said it was vital to 'do the right thing' for the company and its guests. Read more: He observed: 'It is a difficult time. Costs are up significantly, every cost – most recently national insurance and national minimum wage. We will feel that. 'But we have to do the right thing by the customers and our people, our staff and reinvest back into the business, and that is what we will continue to do, because we have faith in it. And that is what it boils down to – we have faith in this industry and this business and in Scotland.' Such sentiment has surely to be lauded from the perspective of raising standards in the Scottish tourism and hospitality industry, which operates in a global market. And it is certainly encouraging to see such longstanding family owners display their commitment to safeguarding the future of their business. But the difficult reality is that not every tourism and hospitality business will have the capacity to reinvest at this juncture. It will certainly not be lost on the Leckie family, who routinely reinvest profits made by their business into the fabric of their properties, that many of their counterparts will simply not have the resources to think about refurbishments or revamping their offers at the present time. In common with businesses across a raft of sectors, hospitality companies and operators will be getting to grips with the sharp increases in employer national insurance contributions and the national living and minimum wage, which came into effect this month. It has been estimated by UKHospitality that the hike in labour costs, which was brought in by Chancellor Rachel Reeves to raise much-needed cash for the public purse, will contribute significantly to a £1.9 billion increase in wage costs for the sector. The increase also reflects the lowering of business rates relief for the sector in England, to 40% from 75%. It amounts to a heavy burden for the industry at a time when economic growth is proving extremely hard to come by, particularly in light of Donald Trump's tariff wars which this week led the International Monetary Fund to slash its forecast for UK growth for this year to just 1.1%, down from 1.6% in January. Faced with a stuttering economy, and widespread concern over the potential impact of Trump tariffs, it would certainly not be surprising if the owners of many tourism and hospitality businesses decide this is not the right time to unleash investment plans. Yet, with reinvestment so critical to the ability of hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions to keep customers coming back, it is a double-edged sword. Preserving cash to steer a business through uncertain times certainly makes a good deal of sense. But on the flip side, many business owners will only be too aware of the need to keep their offer fresh so that, when consumers do decide to part with hard-earned cash for a meal in a restaurant or weekend stay in a hotel, they are given a good reason to visit. And this matters in an international context too. It is fair to say that Scotland punches above its weight in attracting foreign visits to these shores. The most up-to-date figures from VisitScotland show 1,975,000 visits were made to Scotland by overseas residents in the first six months of 2024, up 14% on the same period of 2023 and a rise of 46% on 2019. The recovery of the international market has come as the domestic tourism sector in Scotland, which comprises tourism trips by people resident in the UK, continues to struggle amid the cost of living crisis. Vicki Miller, chief executive of VisitScotland, hammered home the importance of tourism to the country in an article in The Herald this week, writing that visitor spending creates a 'ripple effect that touches every corner of Scotland's economy'. In order for this trend to continue, consumers need good reason to keep on spending, which underlines precisely why businesses need to keep reinvesting. But it is certainly not an easy thing to do in the current climate.
The National
23-04-2025
- The National
See inside Crieff Hydro in Scotland after major revamp
The revamp of Crieff Hydro has seen the creation of six new bars and restaurants as well as a total rethink of the menus on offer at existing spots. The owners hope that by positioning the hotel as one of the "most exciting" culinary locations in Scotland, it can meet the needs of younger visitors. See inside Crieff Hydro after Scottish hotel given massive revamp Crieff Hydro's "signature" restaurant - EAST is described as an Asian-inspired dining spot (Image: Crieff Hydro) The new food and drink venues on offer at the Crieff Hydro in Scotland range from Asian restaurants serving small plates to elegant and relaxed cocktail bars. The hotel's signature restaurant is EAST, an Asian-inspired dining spot offering "sizzling" sharers and a menu that is perfect for mixing and matching. Dishes on offer here include Javanese Sticky Chicken with a Gooey Sweet Sauce, Korean Fried Chicken, Spicy Gochujang Sauce, Slow Cooked Cambodian Spiced Lamb Shoulder with a Masala Sauce and a Hong Kong-Style Whole Pan-fried Seabass. The Ballroom Bar (Image: Crieff Hydro) The Ballroom Bar, which is set in a "totally remimagined" space, is said to be a nod to the hotel's heritage while still offering a "relaxed, elegant and contemporary experience." For some "feel-good" food, guests can check out The Brasserie, where rustic, bistro classics await, including burgers, fries and pies. The Winter Garden (Image: Crieff Hydro) The Winter Garden, another new location at the lodging, retains all the elements of a traditional Victorian Winter Garden, making it an "airy" and "elegant" space Guests can enjoy coffee and pastries in the morning, as well as light lunches and drinks in the evening. The Winter Garden, looking away from the greenhouse (Image: Crieff Hydro) A wee brew or two can also be enjoyed at Tea at Loggia, a lovely spot that draws on Scotland's traditional larder. Dishes here include Gazpacho Soup with a Chorizo Bon Bon, Cullen Skink Quiche and Mini Venison Cottage Pie. Dishes available at Loggia include Chorizo Bon Bon (Image: Crieff Hydro) Finally, there is The Hermitage, a spot which has been described as a "speakeasy-style, decadent, low-lit, grown-up hideaway." It is said to blend mixology with a "bit of mischief," thanks to its curious cocktails, non-alcoholic creations, and rare whiskies, including six exclusive Diageo bottlings locked behind a private keep-safe. Recommended Reading: Discussing the changes, Stephen Leckie, CEO of the Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said this is a "significant" chapter in the hotel's 157-year-long history. He added: "For us, investment large and small is always about creating something better for our guests and for our team here. "This is no exception, but the scale of the transformation, I believe, will really put us on the map for food and drink in Scotland."
