Bernard Murphy - Gleneagles' General Manager
Posted by Administrator on 07th January 2011
Resolute in our commitment to you 
I hope that, like us, you had a wonderful
festive period and you’re managing to stick
to your new year’s resolutions! If Gleneagles
were to have a resolution of its own, it would be
to redouble our efforts to deliver the best
possible service we can to all of our guests.
It’s a commitment that had its reward last
year, when Gleneagles won a number of
prestigious awards, as voted for by both our
industry peers and the guests who stayed
with us. These included Condé Nast Traveller’s
‘Best UK Hotel for Leisure Facilities’for the third
year running, that same magazine’s
‘Best UK Hotel Spa’ and ‘Favourite UK Resort Hotel’
in The Sunday Times Travel Magazine
Reader Awards 2011.
As we continue our build-up to the Ryder Cup
in 2014, we recently received another accolade
for our golfing facilities. The PGA has chosen
Gleneagles to be the home of its new
National Academy. Building on our already
excellent teaching facilities, the new
PGA National Academy includes the very
latest coaching software. To complement the
teaching, the Wee Course has been transformed
into the PGA National Academy Course. Together,
these initiatives will, in the words of
Colin Montgomerie, become a welcome
and much-needed initiative to grow the
game in the country.
Staying with golf, I’m particularly pleased to
bring you further news of the major transformation
of the Dormy Clubhouse. Work is well underway
now to create new eating and drinking areas,
including an open fire pit in the lounge and a large
horseshoe bar. Stylish new male and female
changing rooms are also on track in development
totalling some £2.5 million. The new look Dormy
will open in April 2011.
Further investments are being made in
The Club’s changing rooms and in the laying of
a lovely new drive up to Gleneagles’ front door.
They’re all part of our ongoing commitment to create
the best possible facilities and the best possible
experience for our guests.
We know, of course, that we are incredibly
lucky here in one of the world’s most
beautiful locations. We also know that not everyone
is quite so fortunate. That’s why we give as much
as we can - in terms of both funding and
benefits in-kind - to the local community and
other worthy causes. This year, for example,
we were involved with:
CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association Scotland)
Our nominated charity for 2010, as voted for by
our employees. In 2010, we raised £34,775
for the charity through a range of
activities, including runs, cake and
coffee mornings, fashion shows
and spa treatments.
HITS (Hospitality in Tourism Scotland)
We have long been involved in this charity
that promotes learning and training
within the industry. In January 2011, our
very own Andrew Fairlie and Alan Hill, our
Food and Beverage Director, are
climbing Kilimanjaro,where they will be having
the very first Burns Supper, cooked by Andrew,
at the summit. If you’d like to donate,
please visit www.hitscotland.co.uk.
Hosting school visits
Gleneagles looks to encourage and support
children in making positive career choices.
In 2010, we hosted 22 school visits, during
which a total of 1543 school pupils
gained an understanding of what it takes to run
a resort on the scale of Gleneagles.
On behalf of all the team here,
I wish you the very best for 2011, and look
forward to welcoming you
here very soon.
