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BEAT THE WINTER BLUES WITH FURTHER SAVINGS AT MACDONALD HOTELS & RESORTS

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There has never been a better time to escape the winter blues and book a memorable winter break with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, the UK's largest privately owned hotel group.

For in addition to Macdonald Hotels ongoing winter campaign, offering savings of 50% on room bookings (B&B or DB&B basis) made between 5 January and 5 March, for bookings made from today (Tuesday 24 January) until 30 January guests will also receive a complimentary room upgrade and the opportunity to select either an early check-in or late check-out during their stay. 

All stays within the winter campaign offer must be taken by 16 March 2012.

Participating hotels are also offering a complimentary bottle of wine (or non alcoholic alternative) for bookings reserved on a dinner, bed and breakfast rate basis. 

And with an impressive portfolio of 4 and 5 star hotels across the UK, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts ensure guests can select truly luxurious hotels to enjoy the likes of award winning fine dining, an indulgent spa or even an adventure break.  Moreover, up to two children 12 years and under, stay and eat breakfast for free when sharing with two adults.

Guests may choose to unwind with a winter break at Macdonald Cardrona hotel in peebles, where the picturesque Scottish Borders provide the perfect setting for a family adventure break or cosy winter weekend. Alternatively, relax with a dram by a roaring fire in the rural splendour of Macdonald Pittodrie House hotel near Aberdeen or seize the opportunity to combine high street shopping with a stay in the stylish and central 4-star Manchester Townhouse Hotel.

And as a hotel group that prides itself on serving only the highest quality of cuisine, always freshly prepared from whole, raw ingredients, the latest offer includes the opportunity to stay at the 129 bedroom, 5-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel and to dine in style within its exquisite Vellore restaurant.

Alternatively, there's the opportunity to explore the historic Old Town of Edinburgh with a stay at the centrally located, 156 bedroom Macdonald Holyrood Hotel or combine culture with a round of golf and mouth-watering dinner at the stately Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club in Northumberland. 

www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Winter


Macdonald Hotels & Resorts Achieves Coveted Carbon Trust Standard

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Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, the UK's largest privately owned hotel group, today (20 September 2011) confirmed it has achieved the coveted Carbon Trust Standard.


The independently verified award is only accorded to organisations that provide genuine proof of a reduction in their carbon footprint to help combat the global impact of climate change.


Achieving the coveted Standard is a major milestone for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. It comes at a time UK businesses, annually consuming more than 6,000MWh of electricity, face a mandatory carbon emissions reporting and pricing scheme administered by the UK Government's CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (previously known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment).


Consequently, with its 40-plus, 4 and 5 star properties across the UK offering discerning corporate, conference and leisure guests the highest quality of product and service, the robustly assessed* Carbon Trust Standard confirms Macdonald Hotels & Resorts is making genuine year-on-year commitments to reduce its carbon footprint across its hotel operations.


Referring to the significance of achieving the Standard, David Guile, Chief Executive of Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, commented: "I am very proud of the contribution every employee across the hotel group has made to help Macdonald Hotels & Resorts achieve the coveted Carbon Trust Standard. 

 
"As a leading and responsible hotel operator, we take the issue of sustainability and energy conservation very seriously. We have created an in-house Energy Committee, led by Gordon Fraser, Group Finance Director, supported by the Board, that's specifically tasked with reducing our energy consumption and identifying sustainable solutions across the group. 

 Gordon Fraser added, "For example, it's estimated our decision to install LED light bulbs throughout The Macdonald Manchester Hotel  http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-manchester-hotel-spa/ & Spa will annually achieve a reduction of 343 tonnes of CO2 while a voltage optimiser in our Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh  http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-holyrood-hotel will contribute a further reduction of 167 tonnes of CO2.  The installation of a Combined Heat and Power unit at the Macdonald Berystede Hotel near Ascot  http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-berystede-hotel-spa/  and of a boiler optimiser in our 5-star Macdonald Randolph Hotel in Oxford  http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-randolph-hotel/  are yet other examples of how this hotel group is leading the way with the implementation of sustainable energy solutions.


"Having achieved the Standard and an overall reduction of 7.9% in our CO2 emissions over the period 2009-2010, we remain committed to further improving our energy efficiency and to meet a self-imposed target of reducing by 2015 our overall carbon footprint by 15%."
The right for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts to proudly display the Carbon Trust Standard logo also comes at a time when research indicates an organisations 'green credentials' strongly influence a consumers purchasing decisions.


A 2008 Carbon Trust You Gov survey of employees (drawn from multiple industry sectors) found 70% 'would like to cut workplace emissions' while a separate You Gov survey reported 71% of consumers questioned 'are more likely to buy from a business certified as having reduced emissions.'
Macdonald Hotels & Resorts now joins other leading brands, including Boots UK, Marks & Spencer and IKEA to have received the Carbon Trust Standard mark of excellence for achieving real carbon reduction.


www.macdonald-hotels.co.uk


www.carbontruststandard.com

Macdonald Windsor Hotel Shortlisted For Prestigious Tourism South East Beautiful South Excellence Award

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Macdonald Windsor Hotel is delighted to announce it has been shortlisted for a Tourism South East Beautiful South Excellence Award.  These prestigious Awards are often called the 'Tourism Oscars' for the high status they have achieved within the industry.  Winners in this region will go on to compete in the national EnjoyEngland Awards for Excellence in 2012.


The category in which Macdonald Windsor near Windsor Castle has been shortlisted is Large Hotel/Townhouse of the Year.  The winners will be announced and the Awards presented at a glittering gala dinner to be hosted at Denbies Wine Estate on Thursday, 1st December.


General Manager, Beverley Molmans, said; "We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious award, particularly after such a successful opening year for the hotel in Windsor.  To be recognised for excellence, quality and innovation achieved over the last 18 months is spectacular.  This is a wonderful accolade for our business and team as we work so hard to ensure the highest standards for our guests."

Jeanette Howse, Tourism South East Business Development Executive for Berks, Bucks and Oxon added, "In 2011 the ability to provide exemplary service and the highest quality is paramount.  These Awards recognise those businesses that have been delivering to the highest standards and we're delighted with the record number and quality of entrants.  May I congratulate all who have been shortlisted and we look forward to seeing them on 1st December, when we announce the final results."

 

For more details call the Macdonald Windsor Hotel on 0844 879 9101, www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Windsor.

Business travellers vote Macdonald Manchester Hotel a big hit

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The Macdonald Manchester Hotel and Spa has been voted one of Europe's best hotels for business travellers by leading online bookings website www.LateRooms.com

The luxurious 338 bedroom hotel, located adjacent to Manchester Piccadilly Station on London Road in the heart of Manchester, placed 6th among the Europe-wide hotels on the prestigious Best for Business Travel List.

LateRooms.com compiled the list based on positive online reviews submitted by business customers and the number of corporate bookings secured by hotels. The only Manchester Hotel to feature in the top 10, the Macdonald Manchester Hotel & spa, that prior to a £50m conversation was the city's telephone exchange,
placed higher than many hotels in the likes of London, Paris and Berlin.

Steve Dunford, general manager of the Macdonald Manchester commented: Based on real customer feedback, the results from the prestigious Best for Business travel list confirm the Macdonald Manchester is a recognised by the seasoned business traveller as a great example of hotel that goes the extra mile to cater for corporate
clients.

"It's a tremendous accolade and testament to our understanding business travellers' needs, the professionalism and dedication of our staff, spacious comfortable rooms, quality of dining and unrivalled proximity to transport links"

 

Aiden Byrne British Grill at Macdonald Craxton Wood Serves Up 2AA Rosettes

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Less than eight weeks after opening its doors, the Aiden Byrne  http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-craxton-wood-hotel/eat-drink/the-aiden-byrne-british-grill/ British Grill restaurant in Ledsham near Chester has achieved coveted 2AA Rosette status.   

Byrne's third restaurant, set within Cheshire's serene setting of Cheshire's 4-star, 72 bedroom Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel  http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-craxton-wood-hotel/ , offers diners a taste of the 'Aiden Byrne British Grill' concept, a style of cooking first developed at the renowned chefs Church Green (Lymm) and Collingwood (West Kirkby) restaurants.

The award of 2AA Rosettes just weeks after opening firmly underlines the quality of the dining experience at Aiden Byrne's 120-cover restaurant. It also reflects well upon the UK's largest privately owned hotel group where every restaurant within the 4 and 5 star Macdonald Hotel portfolio proudly serves only the freshest and highest quality produce to its discerning business, conference and leisure guests.

Macdonald Hotels is a self-styled industry leader in the hotel dining market and now boasts over 40 AA Rosettes across its national restaurant collection.

Reflecting on his latest culinary accolade, Byrne said: "Whether enjoying a succulent rack of Texal lamb, classic fish pie or a ploughman's platter, the Aiden Byrne British Grill at the Macdonald Craxton Wood offers diners the opportunity to truly relax and savour dishes that epitomise the fabulous and traditional taste of British cooking."

Byrne, whose dynamic cooking ethos has been showcased on TV programmes including Master Chef, Saturday Kitchen and the Great British Menu, added:  "I am very proud to see the restaurant achieve 2AA Rosette standard within such a short period of time and it's in no small part testament to the professionalism and passion of our dedicated kitchen team at the Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel."

Alan Swinson, Catering Director at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, added: "Macdonald Hotels is very proud of the fact we promise our discerning guests the freshest and highest quality of produce in our restaurants."

"This latest accolade reflects our relentless commitment to quality. Aiden is a terrific asset to the Manchester Craxton Wood Hotel and his presence reinforces our belief that as part of delivering further added value for guests, there are locations within the Macdonald Hotel group that lend themselves well to establishing successful joint ventures with some of the nation's top chefs."

http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/craxtonwood/

http://www.aidenbyrne.co.uk/AB_crax_menu_food.pdf

 

Macdonald Hotels Triumph at North East Tourism Awards

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Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, the UK's largest private hotel group, scooped three prestigious awards across two categories at the North East Tourism Awards on 6 October.

Hosted at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, William Salve, restaurant manager at the 4-star Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club in Morpeth, Northumberland received the Gold Award for Outstanding Customer Service. 

In the Large Hotel of the Year category, the historic 70-bedroom, 4-star Gisborough Hall Hotel in North Yorkshire picked up a Silver Award. In the same category, Macdonald Linden Hall, dating back to 1812 and nestled within 450 acres of private grounds received the Bronze Award.

In reaching their decision, judges may have noted that Salve's high standards of customer service have been consistently praised both on hotel guest comment cards and on TripAdviser.  Salve, who started his hotel career in 2006 at Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa in North Berwick, now goes forward to the VisitEngland national awards in the Spring of next year.

It is the second time in a year that the 30 year-old, originally from Mumbai in India, has been recognised for delivering the highest standards of service to discerning business, conference and leisure guests within Linden Hall's stylish two AA Rosette Dobson restaurant. In March, he received a silver gong for customer service at the North East Hoteliers Association Awards; a ceremony at which his colleagues Helen Butler and Jean Mills respectively picked up the prestigious Sales and Leisure Excellence awards.

Salve, who holds a postgraduate qualification in Hospitality & Tourism Management from Stratford University in London, said of his latest success: "I am over the moon to win this award. No words can describe how I feel.  I was initially just delighted to be shortlisted, so to have won the Gold Award for Outstanding Customer Service is a dream come true."

He added: "Of course, I would also like to win the national (VisitEngland) awards while I focus on building my career within Macdonald Hotels.  Every year I have been fortunate to earn a promotion (he was appointed restaurant / bar manager in 2010) and hopefully one day in the future I will have the opportunity to manage a Macdonald Hotel." 

Ruaridh Macdonald, Sales & Marketing Director for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, added: "The very fact that prestigious awards have been conferred again on staff at the Macdonald Linden Hall and Gisborough Hall Hotel reflects the highest possible professional standards for service and product delivery that we strive to consistently offer our discerning guests across all Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.

"It is also a tremendous personal accolade for William (Salve) to receive the Gold Award for Customer Service - one that I believe underlines the fact that within the Macdonald Hotel group, our guests are always our number one priority."

A total of 44 tourism businesses across the region were recognised at the North East Tourism Awards.

www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk

Marlow Hotel In Running For Top Business Award

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An impressive hotel in Marlow will line up alongside some of the country's most successful companies as it competes for a leading national award.

The Macdonald Compleat Angler, one of the premier hotels in Marlow, situated on the River Thames, has picked up the regional Award for Excellence in Customer Service in the South East, sponsored by AXA PPP healthcare.

The company is now a finalist in its category for the UK title in the Chamber Awards hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce, which were created to celebrate the UK's most successful businesses.

John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "The health of the UK's economy relies upon the confidence of our businesses to grow, invest and create jobs. That's why the British Chambers of Commerce has been working hard to ensure government makes good on its promises to encourage enterprise, and do everything in its power to help businesses grow.

"All the good things we want to see in society depend on business and wealth creation. These awards provide a snapshot of some of the most impressive companies from across the country. Many of these business owners are working day in day out to build upon the companies they have built from scratch, creating jobs in local communities, and contributing to the economic recovery we so desperately need. We're delighted to be able to celebrate the success of these companies through the Chamber Awards."

The hotel - one of the most romantic wedding venues in Marlow - has already achieved the coveted red star status from the AA, making it one of the top 200 hotels in the UK and Ireland. In 2010, it enrolled its entire guest-facing staff on the NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service and all department heads were trained to implement the course.  Since then 30 staff have achieve the NVQ and all team members were awarded their Commitment to Excellence badge and certificate.  The business also has a policy of actively sharing positive feedback with all staff and celebrating success in Quarterly Communications Meetings.

Having won a regional award, The Macdonald Compleat Angler is now in the running for the national title in its category, as well as the chance to collect theAward for Outstanding Business Achievement- with a top prize of£25,000and runner up prizes of£15,000and£10,000.

There are nine categories, backed by high profile sponsors including RBS and NatWest, BT Business, BT Directories, Dell, DHL Express, the British Standards Institution (BSI), AXA PPP healthcare and Westfield Health. The national winners will be announced at a ceremony at London's Grand Connaught Rooms on November 24th 2011

Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel Chef Wins Visionary Chef Of The Year

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Rohan Nevins, a senior sous chef at the 5-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel is fast-tracking to become a star of the professional chefing world after being crowned Visionary Chef of the Year.

For on 20 October, the Jamaican born 32 year-old impressed the world-class judging panel, including Peter Birnie, former chief restaurant inspector at the AA, to fend off stiff competition from nine other finalists to lift the prestigious title at the Lakes Hotel School in Cumbria.

Mentored by Aiden Byrne of Master Chef fame and who in the summer opened the 2AA RosetteAiden Byrne British Grillat Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel (Ledsham, Chester), Nevins cooked up a hare dish par excellence to win the title - and savour the mouth-watering prize of a return flight to dine at any restaurant of his choosing in the world!

Nevins, who since 1999 has been an employee of Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, said of his win: "I feel very happy.  All the work I did in preparing my hare dish for the final really paid off. Aiden (Byrne) helped me a lot with his insights. I really want to say a huge thanks to him and all the staff at Macdonald Hotels who have supported me throughout the competition." 

Though it required just 3 minutes to cook, the modest chef explained it took seven hours, including preparation of 40 whole hares, to produce his award-winning dish of fresh loin of hare in chicory leaves and hare cutlets topped with hare mousse and smoked foie gras wrapped in pigs caul. 

Reflecting on the moments before he was named the winner, Nevins said: "After my dish went out (to service) and I spoke to diners, many people commented how good it was.  That gave me a bit of an indication of my chances. And when I was announced as the winner, I was so happy I was hugging Aiden (Byrne)."

Nevins will now enjoy a return flight to Japan with accommodation and dining at the 2- Michelin star Joel Robuchon Restaurant. And he hopes his dream win will also see his chefing career soar to even greater heights: "As part of the team working under head chef Giles Stonehouse at Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, I am already used to preparing dishes that utilise only the finest and freshest ingredients. Now I hope that winning Visionary Chef of the Year will give me the edge to take a further step in my career within Macdonald Hotels & Restaurants," he said.

Certainly, his achievement hasn't gone unnoticed.  For Alan Swinson, Catering Director of Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, commented: "To win the coveted title of Visionary Chef of the Year further underlines the professionalism, passion, culinary skill and flair that Rohan, working as part of a close-knit team, consistently offers diners at Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel. 

"Everyone at Macdonald Hotels, where our chefs always only work with wholesome raw ingredients and use the finest and freshest produce, are very happy for Rohan and proud of his achievement." 

All ten finalists from the regional (UK) heats prepared a pre-determined dish that was served to all 132 diners and the five-strong judging panel of: Peter Bain, former chief restaurant inspector of the AA; Monica Galetti, senior sous chef at Le Gavroche and judge on Master Chef the Professionals; Sat Bains, a World Culinary star; world renowned flavours expert Dr Tony Blake and Vicky Enderson, a former Michelin-start pastry chef and now development chef and flavour specialist at MSK.

www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/bathspa

www.VisionaryDining.com


“Good, honest, simple food from great ingredients”

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Joanna Blythman investigates what's on the plate at Macdonald Hotels.

It's fashionable for hotels to boast about the quality of food they serve, but delve into the detail of food sourcing practices that are common throughout the hotel industry, and such claims often turn out to be over-egged, sometimes little more than marketing spin.

But when Macdonald Hotels promises to serve you "good honest, simple food from great ingredients" it really does take this mission to heart. Whether you check in to a Macdonald hotel as a guest, or come for a conference, or any function from a wedding to graduation party, you will be served food that genuinely represents the highest benchmark standard for ethics, taste and food quality set by any hotel group in the UK.

The motivation comes right from the top of this Scottish, family-controlled business. Macdonald Hotels was created by chairman Donald Macdonald, a soft-spoken, gentle Hebridean from the beautiful Isle of Harris off Scotland's West Coast. Donald was brought up in a crofting family, which has left him with an enduring love for well-produced, natural food, a love that still drives the UK-wide hotel collection he has built. "Throughout my Harris childhood, Mum baked twice a week and we grew everything we ate. We used only natural methods: the traditional method of growing crops in rotation and leaving the land fallow to recover every seventh year. We never used chemical fertiliser, only seaweed and manure from our animals."

One of the most influential strands of Donald's upbringing was a strong feeling for farm animal welfare. "As a crofter, my father passed down to me a real love for animals. He taught me respect for nature and the need to look out for animals as they can't defend themselves" Donald explains. It's this principle that now underpins his hotels' buying policies.

If, for instance, you order chicken in a Macdonald hotel, you can be 100 per cent sure that it is from a fresh, free-range bird. Standard hotel practice, on the other hand, is to source factory-farmed, indoor-reared birds, often imported frozen from Thailand or Brazil, in forms such as cooked satay sticks, casseroles, and pre-cooked breasts with an additive-laden sauce. As Alan Swinson, the man charged with implementing Macdonald Hotels' enlightened food sourcing points out: "Imported chicken is becoming commonplace because it is cost effective. It is reared and packed in countries with low labour costs and stock is managed frozen and re-heated from frozen".

Buying only free-range chicken ups Macdonald Hotels' food bill considerably. "A free-range chicken breast costs £1 more than an intensively-reared one, but we don't pass the additional buying cost on to our customers" says Alan. "Instead we absorb the additional cost for the simple reason that we believe that serving free-range is the right thing to do. We also have faith that our customers appreciate the difference." So the bottom line is that while a chicken dish in a Macdonald hotel will be priced on a par with comparable establishments, its provenance will almost certainly be superior.

  "At the end of the day, quality comes to the surface in every walk of life" Donald believes, and this focus on pedigree and ethics powers all Macdonald Hotels' sourcing of animal products. Every little bit of pork used, be it roast belly in the smart restaurant or the rashers and sausages on guests' breakfast plates, is outdoor reared, free-range and British, from one of six Yorkshire farms. Most hotels, by contrast, use imported bacon, mainly Eastern European or Dutch, from factory-farmed pigs fed on rations designed to promote rapid growth. Much of it injected with water and polyphosphates to increase its weight. Some hotels boast that their pork is outdoor-bred, but this still means that they have spent most of their lives inside a shed.

Every egg that Macdonald Hotels buy is free-range (the majority of hotels still use eggs from caged hens) and the lamb and beef is all Scottish and grass-fed. Beef served in UK hotels is often imported from Africa or South America, from countries with lower welfare standards and poorer workers' conditions. Such imports tend to be butchered within days of slaughter, vacuum-packed and then 'matured' in the hull of a ship. This means that hotels and restaurants can state on menus that the meat has been matured for 28 days, even though the meat won't have the flavour or texture that traditional, more costly, aging methods produce. "At Macdonald Hotels, we stipulate that our meat must be from one of three breeds - Charolais, Hereford and Angus - and be dry matured on the bone, in the time-honoured way, for 7-14 days" Alan explains. He is also at pains to point out that Macdonald hotels won't have any truck with the cheap and ubiquitous 'Angus' burger, pre-cooked and frozen, that many hotel groups now use for room service and lounge food orders.

Macdonald Hotels isn't just committed to animal welfare. More than a decade ago, Donald Macdonald took the decision that it simply wasn't acceptable to serve up bought-in, prepared food, something that is standard practice in the hotel world. If he himself didn't want to eat it, why should he expect others to? So at Macdonald Hotels, you won't see a queue of lorries at the back door, delivering those ready-made meals 'off a truck' favoured by lazy chefs and cheeseparing management.

Neither will you be served food prepared using cost-cutting techniques that lower quality. Macdonald Hotels doesn't use ready-prepared vegetables or those that have been soaked in chemicals to give them a longer life. The bacon in your room service club sandwich won't have been bought in, pre-cooked and frozen, but cooked to order. On the breakfast buffet, all fruits and compotes are freshly prepared, never tinned, scrambled and poached eggs are made to order, not bought in pre-cooked then microwaved or reheated from a vacuum pack, and the ham is cooked in the hotel's own kitchen. Your orange juice will never have been reconstituted from a 'just-add-water' powder either.

Freshness, ripeness and flavour is something of a preoccupation on Macdonald Hotels' shopping list. "Many other hotels use pre-prepared, frozen vegetables to eliminate wastage. Most have fruit and vegetables delivered twice a week, but while this is fine for some items, we feel it won't do for more delicate produce, such as herbs, salad leaves and items like strawberries and asparagus, that rapidly show their age when they aren't really fresh. So we have our fruit and vegetables delivered daily" says Alan. The same is true of all the fish the hotels use. This enlightened buying policy makes a significant, palpable difference to the taste and vitality of food on the plate.

Although it is hard to credit it, many hotels routinely use powdered dehydrated milk mixed with tap water, instead of fresh liquid milk, simply because it is cheaper. Macdonald Hotels' milk, on the other hand, arrives daily from family-owned Scottish creamery, Grahams, from cows that spend much of the year out on grass. Eat a sausage in a Macdonald Hotel and in addition to coming from humanely-reared animals, it will be meat-rich and from traditional butcher's cuts, shoulder and belly, not power blasted from the carcase, as is the case in some other establishments.

Another of the hotel industry's dirty secrets is the re-use of leftover butter, which is recycled and served up again in small pots as table butter. Of these and other dubious hotel food practices largely unknown to the general public, Macdonald Hotels heartily disapproves. "There's no compromise. It's important that we don't dilute our standards" says Donald. And neither will he accept a two-tier food sourcing policy that permits budget buying for certain uses. "I don't see why an invitee at a wedding, or someone at a conference, or a guest at breakfast time should be served poorer ingredients than those in the upmarket dining room." So there's only one all-embracing food standard in his collection of hotels as far as he is concerned: good food.

Huge importance is placed on forging long-term, mutually beneficial relationships and maintaining an ongoing dialogue with smaller producers and suppliers who are widely respected leaders in their field. All the cured and smoked fish used by Macdonald chefs, for instance, comes from John Ross Jr in Aberdeen. He still uses truly traditional 150 year-old red-brick kilns, not the modern steel type, which gives his fish a special character with lots of smoky depth. His fish won a gold medal by the Guild of Fine Foods, and his company is a proud holder of the Royal Warrant, supplier to H.M. The Queen. Potatoes used to make Macdonald Hotels' rather splendid hand-cut chips are supplied by Lucy Carroll in Northumberland, whose family business specialises in flavoursome 'heritage' varieties. She selects for them the best 'chipper' for the time of year, anything from Yukon Gold to Red Duke of York. In summer, strawberries come from the Wye Valley, celebrated for its fragrant fruits. The hunt for the most vital spring greens leads Macdonald Hotels to expert Lincolnshire grower, David Carr.

The best ingredients can be ruined, of course, if chefs don't know how to handle them, and this is where Alan Swinson comes in as catering director. A highly experienced chef himself, with a glittering curriculum vitae that includes Michelin-starred restaurants and top Mayfair hotels, he is ultra-clear about what Macdonald Hotels asks of its chefs. "I'm looking for classic food, executed to perfection" he explains.

Alan considers himself fortunate to work with a supportive, principled, management that wants its chefs to cook with high calibre raw materials and is prepared to pay for them because it makes his job easier. "Good ingredients attract good chefs" he explains. Unlike the glory days when leading British hotels offered an apprenticeship for the highest professional standards, nowadays many hotel groups devalue and deskill their chefs in order to cut costs. Macdonald hotels is different, attracting chefs for the widely respected training it offers and the excellent ingredients it gives them to work with. Alan Swinson's goal is not to turn out would-be Heston Blumenthals, he stresses, or experimental chefs who end up putting too many show-off elements on the plate, but steady, careful chefs who consistently deliver immaculate food. "It's about cooking for customers, not accolades" says Alan.

Macdonald Hotels is on a constant quest for improvement and never blasé. "At one point we decided that our bread wasn't good enough. We made it badly, in a way that demonstrated disrespect for the baker's craft skill. At the same time, the price of grain shot up, creating a pressure for us to keep our costs down. Instead of compromising on quality, we found a baker who could handle the volume we require, but still supply us with a genuinely handcrafted loaf. He delivers it to us 90 per cent baked, and we finish it off in the hotel. This way we can be sure of serving consistently good, properly made bread that's really fresh in every one of our hotels.

It's very obvious that the people at the top of Macdonald Hotels love to eat and this inclination constantly cranks up their aspirations about what ends up on the menu. There's a constant quest for ever better ingredients. Board meetings often turn into impromptu tasting sessions. When I dropped in, Donald Macdonald and Alan Swinson were blind tasting two rival Stornoway black puddings, prepared identically by the chef (with caramelised apple, tea-soaked raisins and poached egg) so as to allow a comparison of their relative merits. You can see that Donald and Alan's keen interest is much more than professional, it's personal.

 

  • About Joanna Blythman

Joanna is the author of What To Eat (Fourth Estate £16.99). She has written about food for over two decades. She has been a regular contributor to many newspapers and magazines, including the Independent, Guardian, Observer, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Times, Sunday Herald, the Grocer, Scotland on Sunday, the Ecologist, BBC Olive, BBC Countryfile, Marie Claire, Evening Standard, Country Living, Country Life and the New Statesman.

She broadcasts on food matters, on programmes such as Women's Hour, Farming Today, Newsnight, Tonight, BBC Breakfast and Today. 

Joanna has won numerous awards for her articles and six books, including five Glenfiddich Awards, a Caroline Walker Media Award for Improving the Nation's Health by Means of Good Food, a Guild of Food Writers Award, a Derek Cooper Award - one of BBC Radio 4's Food and Farming Award - and a Good Housekeeping award for her Outstanding Contribution to Food. 

Joanna researched restaurants for Michael Winterbottom's BBC2 series The Trip with Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden and was a judge on Channel 4's Iron Chef. She sits on the board of the Fife Diet, the pioneering local food experiment and is an advisor to Slow Food UK.

Macdonald Randolph hotel to host 1911 themed afternoon tea to mark Michelin Guide achievement

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The Macdonald Randolph Hotel, in Oxford is celebrating after being named as one of only 30 UK hotels to have appeared in the original 1911 and the current 2011 edition of the Michelin Guide.

To mark this achievement, the Macdonald Randolph hotel will host guests in its sumptuous drawing room on Wednesday 9 November, from 12pm to 3pm, where its famous afternoon tea will be served complete with 1911-inspired canapes, with the afternoon tea on offer at a special reduced £19.11 price - normally priced at £28.95 - inspired by the Michelin Guide centenary celebrations.  

A Michelin heritage exhibition will also take place inside the hotel for visitors to enjoy. Outside the hotel, there will be members of staff dressed in 1911 period costume handing out free canapés to passers-by in the city centre.

Gareth Tebbutt, Macdonald Randolph Deputy General Manager, said: "We are very pleased to have this opportunity to celebrate 100 years of the Michelin Guide.

"As the recognised benchmark publication for gourmet dining and excellent accommodation, we are honoured to have been involved from the beginning and up to the current day in the guide's 100 year story.

"Being part of the Michelin Guide in this rather unique way is an achievement of which we are very proud and we look forward to marking this with our celebration afternoon tea event. "

The Randolph Hotel is home to 'The Restaurant at the Randolph' a two rosette restaurant in Oxford.

The Michelin Guide centenary year began in style in January with a special event for Michelin starred chefs at Michelin House in London. The event featured as part of a week of events to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Michelin House, which also saw the 2011 Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland, launched by retiring Michelin Guide Editor Derek Bulmer.

The first edition of the Michelin Guide to the British Isles appeared in 1911 and was offered free of charge and available from all the Michelin tyre dealers and hotels that were listed in it. From the very beginning, the guide placed its emphasis on practical information and was packed with notes on tyres, car engines, routes and distances - with its straightforward advice quickly establishing it as the motorist's constant companion. 

The Michelin Guide to the British Isles has undergone a number of changes since that first launch in 1911, with 1974 marking the first appearance of the famed stars - awarded for the quality of the food - that have been such a permanent and important feature of the Guide since. The 2011 Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland features a galaxy of stars in a multitude of establishments; from country pubs to Indian restaurants, and simple bistros to luxurious city restaurants.

For further information contact:

Laura Newton PR Executive

Tel: 0116 222 6869  E-mail: lnewton@rkh.co.uk

Injured current and ex-servicemen & women On Course for a future in golf, supported by Macdonald Hotels & Resorts

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Macdonald Portal Hotel Golf & Spa, one of the leading golf resorts in the North West, is proud to have played host to a 3-day career development course for the On Course Foundation - a registered charity set up by John Simpson, former Senior Vice President of IMG.  The On Course Foundation provides training and employment opportunities in golf, for all members of our Armed Forces who have been seriously injured whilst serving.

 

Gregg Stevenson, a double leg amputee, who has now gained employment in his role as National Liaison Officer for the On Course Foundation, explains what the course means to injured men and women who are retired or still serving in the military: "As a proud and devoted soldier, the British Army was my life. I was completely lost and devastated when I realised that my military career had to come to an end. Through the On Course Foundation, I have found a new lease of life with a clear sense of direction. With their help and understanding, I have started on a very different but equally rewarding career."

 

The 3-day course included golf tuition from top PGA Professionals David Llewellyn and Richard Harrison, followed by competitions on Portal's Championship and Premier golf courses, where our injured Servicemen put their new skills to the test, accompanied by members of the golf club and guests invited by the Foundation.  Staff from the resort's golf team also provided valuable advice on employment opportunities within the golf industry.

 

Andrea Newton, Macdonald Portal's Golf Sales Manager wrapped up what it meant to be involved: "It's amazing that our sport provides such an even playing field for competitive sportsmen and women who, due to such serious injuries, might have found it difficult to compete in other sports.  I'm delighted that we provided courtesy of our golf facilities for this programme, which provides a platform for future employment opportunities."

 

For more information about the On Course Foundation visit www.oncoursefoundation.com 

New fleet of buggies arrives at Macdonald Portal Hotel Golf & Spa

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Whilst many golfers prefer to enjoy the walk, there's no denying that hitching a ride on a golf buggy takes a load off your feet, allowing you to concentrate on playing great golf.  The Golf Team at Macdonald Portal excitedly awaited the arrival of a brand new fleet of EZ-GO electric buggies, which are now available to hire.


For more information email golf.portal@macdonald-hotels.co.uk

Up and Coming Local Chef Wins Young Highland Chef of the Year 2011

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Inverness born Euan Walker, age 20, has won Young Highland Chef 2011.  His menu was classed outstanding at the finals which were held at the Burghfield House Hotel, Dornoch on Monday 24th October.

Euan's experience and passion for food has been growing since he joined the team at the New Drumossie Hotel in 2008 and through the guidance and training from Kenny McMillian, Regional Executive Chef he entered the Young Highland Chef competition.

'In my position as junior sous chef at Drumossie Hotel I work with fresh local seafood and game, so I felt comfortable working with the ingredients I chose.  Although I felt nervous in the run up, I was confident of my abilities, and of my choice of ingredients.  I had the most amazing experience, thoroughly enjoyed the whole day, and am now waiting in anticipation to visit Le Gavroche.  I am delighted.   ' explained Euan.

With all the experience Euan has gained he has been promoted to Junior Sous Chef at the New Drumossie Hotel in Inverness.  'Euan has excelled in the team and I am now working with him on the management side of the business.  We are all delighted that Euan has won the competition and are looking forward to his return to the kitchen bearing his new title!' said Kenny McMillan, Regional Executive Chef, Monument Leisure.

Kenny firmly believes that Euan is one to watch for the future!

Euan will be demonstrating his skills as part of the New Drumossie Hotel stand on the 4th December at Tasty Ness in the Ironworks, Inverness replicating dishes from the new Grill Room menu at the New Drumossie Hotel.  He will be joined by Susan Proctor, Restaurant Manager who has recently joined the team after working closely with Heston Blumenthal for over 5 years as assistant manager of the renowned 'The Fat Duck' restaurant, which was awarded 'The best restaurant in the world' in 2005 by Restaurant magazine.

Macdonald Manchester and Townhouse hotels launch trainers' club

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Macdonald Manchester and Macdonald Townhouse hotels have taken business support to the next level with the launch of the Trainers' Club. The launch of the new loyalty programme follows Macdonald Manchester being ranked 6th on the Best for Business travel List, making it one of the top hotels for business travellers
in Europe.

This exclusive club and loyalty programme, for trainers and training facilitators in the meetings industry, offers added value benefits to trainers' experience. Free WiFi a dedicated on site event manager, porter assistance to
unload materials, integrated projection, screen and flipchart in the training room, and complimentary photocopying are just some of the benefits available with the Trainers' Club membership. Members can also receive free breakfast upon arrival, a free daily newspaper, first floor bedrooms situated close to the meeting rooms for extra ease, a welcome gift, and partner rates for just £20 bed and breakfast.

Paul Hutton, head of sales and marketing at Macdonald Manchester Hotel commented: "Offering a full business support service coupled with state of the art technologies and conference facilities, Macdonald Manchester and Manchester Townhouse are recognised by the seasoned business user as hotels that go the extra mile to cater for the full spectrum of corporate needs.

"We are always looking for ways to exceed expectations. While we have tailored one-stop service for meeting rooms, we wanted to extend the benefits to the trainers' themselves and their experiences within these hotels. The Trainers' Club does just that"

Individuals can join the Trainers' Club by completing an online application from on the club's dedicated landing page. Once a member, they can start to take advantage of the benefits available at each hotel, including hotels in Manchester city centre.

New intake of students at the Lee Westwood Golf School

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Macdonald Portal Hotel Golf & Spa is home to the Lee Westwood Golf School, which delivers a unique 2-year programme to young golfers.  Opened in September 2010, this is the school's second year and it's just successfully received it's intake of new students for 2011/12.

For more information visit http://www.leewestwoodgolfschool.com/


Stay and play in 2012

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Thursday and Sunday availability £99.00 per person includes two rounds of golf on the Championship Course and one night dinner bed and breakfast.  Call 01635 581 000 to book

Macdonald Hotels wins the 2012 Menu Innovation and Development Award for Best Breakfast

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For the second time in three years, Macdonald Hotels has won the award for Best Breakfast at The Menu Innovation and Development Awards (MIDAS), held on 22nd March at The Cumberland Hotel,London. The MIDAS awards aim to recognise the outstanding talents of menu development managers and group executive chefs in the multi-unit and chain restaurants sectors of the food service industry.

Alan Swinson, Catering Director of Macdonald Hotels was presented the award by Eamon Flavin, Managing Director of Delice de France sponsor of Best Breakfast.

Alan said:

 "It's an honour to, once again, win the MIDAS Award for Best Breakfast. At Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, we are immensely proud of the quality we offer to our guests and are happy that MIDAS has recognised our high standards."

Anna Longthorp from Anna's Happy Trotters commented:

"We are delighted that Macdonald Hotels has won this award. We're fortunate to work with a hotel collection that cares so much about sourcing top quality, high welfare produce.  A lot of hotels and restaurants are purely fixated on price and our pigs, being free range cost rather a lot more to produce than your average pig but this shows in the quality. Macdonald Hotels could source pork a lot cheaper, such as imported pork, so this just demonstrates their commitment to welfare, provenance and quality!"

The privately-owned hotel group works with a small selection of UK-based suppliers, meaning its restaurant chefs can employ the best raw ingredients to construct menus based on seasonality, sustainability, flavour and provenance, ensuring all food is bursting with nutrients and flavour.

Having invested £120k last year to improve its breakfast menu, Macdonald Hotels takes the most important meal of the day very seriously. Unlike many other hotel groups, Macdonald Hotels' restaurants celebrate the best ingredients on offer across all areas of catering; breakfast, lunch, room service, conference and banqueting, using only the most fresh of ingredients. Breakfast choice at Macdonald Hotels includes:

 

  • A range of healthy organic mueslis, fresh fruit, yogurt and granola
  • Sausages from pigs raised by Anna's Happy Trotters in Free Range conditions, using only back and belly meat from breeds such as 'Duroc' and 'Maximus'
  • Freshly baked all butter croissants, breads and pastries
  • Freedom foods approved John Ross Jnr smoked salmon which is smoked in a 150 year old traditional kiln
  • 100%FreeRangeeggs
  • Graham's dairy milk

 

The group has been awarded over 40 AA Rosettes for its restaurants and its food promise is reflected in the recruitment of the very best in fine dining talent. John Paul Maclachlan, Executive Chef at Macdonald Marine Hotel in North Berwick, learnt his trade with Gordon Ramsay and Raymond Blanc, and Aidan Byrne who established the British Grill at the group's Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel nearChester, remains the youngestUKchef to have won a Michelin Star at the age of 22.

 For further information about Macdonald Hotels please visit www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk

Dinner reviews and customised press trips can be organised for journalists with a strong commission from a national title.

For further information please contact:

Amy Neilson

Tel: +44 20 7392 1992

Email: amy@ing-media.com

MACDONALD HOTELS DOMINATE AT SCOTTISH HOTEL AWARDS 2012

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TheUK's largest privately owned hotel group collects five awards

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, theUK's largest privately owned hotel group, has picked up five prestigious industry accolades at the Scottish Hotel Awards 2012, earlier this week.

The Scottish Hotel Awards, now in its ninth year, is designed to recognise and reward the highest standards, individually and corporately, and to celebrate excellence and achievement.

Macdonald Hotels was presented with the Group Breakfast of the Year Award, and head chef from the four-star Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa,North Berwick, was honoured along with three members of the team from Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Spa, for their individual efforts.

Executive chef John Paul McLachlan from the four-star Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa, North Berwick, beat off stiff competition from restaurants across Scotland to be crowned Scottish Hotel Chef of the Year for his signature restaurant, John Paul at the Marine. General Manager Morag Stark from the Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Spa won Hotel Manager Gold Medal, and her colleagues executive chef Ivor Clark won Hotel Chef Medaille a'Argent award and Gina Clark won Events Manager of the Year.

John Paul at the Marine opened in June 2011, specialising in the finest organic seasonal dishes. With two prestigious AA Rosettes, executive chef John Paul, who has worked under culinary greats such as Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay, served up a host of innovative signature dishes with a modern take on traditional fare. Brasserie-style prices coupled with Scottish-influenced dishes - served against the spectacular backdrop of the Firth of Forth - raise the restaurant bar inEast Lothian.

Morag, who has been with Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Spa in Peebles for seven years, is celebrating her second consecutive management gold medal from the awards. With almost 17 years' experience in the hotel industry, sales manager Gina Clark has built an impressive career within Macdonald Hotels, starting as a trainee receptionist and progressing from this position.  She won the award for Events Manager of Year for increasing the number of weddings at the hotel by 57 per cent year on year. Chef Ivor Clark has extensive experience from kitchens across theUKand abroad - climbing the industry ladder from commis chef to head chef at Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Spa in his home town.

Ruaridh Macdonald, Sales and Marketing Director at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, said: "We are all extremely proud of these achievements as they reflect the hard work and dedication from not only those individuals, but across all of our 14 hotels inScotland."

www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk

Notes to editor

First established in 1990 by Donald Macdonald and colleagues Macdonald Hotels & Resorts operates over 40 hotels across theUKand ten resorts throughout theUKandSpain. Macdonald Hotels employs over 4,400 staff and operates in excess of 4,500 hotel rooms. Its focus is on developing its strong portfolio of four and five star hotels, with each offering its own character and individuality underpinned with the quality and attention to detail expected of the Macdonald brand. In particular, the company prides itself on the seasonality and provenance of its food within the hotels, from breakfast through to dinner, as well as its wide range of specially selected wines. As testament to the excellent level of  service the Group provides, it has on numerous occasions won several prestigious accolades, most notably the AA Hotel Group of the Year 2007-08 and the National Customer Service Awards for Leisure and Tourism.

 

END

For media enquiries please contact:

Andrea McCallum/Eve Robertson

3x1 Public Relations

amccallum@3x1.com/erobertson@3x1.com

0131 225 7700/0141 221 0707

 

 

 

Junior Team Home Nations Golf Championships 2011 at Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf & Spa

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The Home Nations Championship involves about 1300 clubs across the UK and about 13,000 junior boys and girls.  Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf & Spa is pleased to be supporting this event by hosting a national qualifier on 3 October 2011.

For more information email golf.cardrona@macdonald-hotels.co.uk

Prestigious Industry Awards Confirm Macdonald Rusacks Hotel's Appeal With Golfers

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Golfing greats, including the legendary Arnold Palmer and Roberto De Vicenzo (1967 Open winner) have experienced its stylish interior that includes 70 tastefully appointed bedrooms and the refined dining experience of its acclaimed 2AA Rosette Rocca Bar & Grill.   

And after recently winning two gongs at the prestigious Golf Tourism Scotland Gold Standard Awards, the 4-star Macdonald Rusacks Hotel that overlooks the iconic St. Andrews golf course, has further established its enviable reputation as one of Scotland's top golfing holidays destinations.

For on 3 November, the judging panel of an awards that celebrates the very best in golf tourism, named Macdonald Rusacks as Hotel of the Year (large hotel category) while in recognition of his outstanding customer service, hotel porter Simon Redmond was named joint-winner of the Young Industry Person of the Year category.

Kevin Keenan, who since 2008 has been general manager of Macdonald Rusacks Hotel, commented: "I am very proud of the entire team at the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel, whose passion and commitment to consistently delivering the highest standards of personal service has contributed to the great and the good of Scotland's golfing industry conferring two major awards on our hotel.

"As a team, including our dedicated golf concierge Heidi Orr, we always strive to maintain consistency of service and product for our discerning business and leisure guests and to continually build strong relationships with our key golf operators. 

"Moreover, in partnership with Adrian and Susan Pieraccini, our guests from all over the world savour the reassurance of tasting only the freshest and finest quality of Scottish food, served with an Italian twist and skilfully prepared by chefs using only whole, raw ingredients."

In addition, golf aficionados who come to stay at Macdonald Rusacks Hotel, part of Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, the UK's largest privately owned hotel group, can choose to reserve the Tom Morris or Bobby Jones suite.  Both afford stunning views over the hallowed 18th green of the Old Course and the sweep of the West Sands and North Sea beyond.

And 20 year-old porter, Simon Redmond, is typical of the exemplary service offered to patrons of the St. Andrews hotel.  As Keenan explained: "Simon's attitude and approach to his work is brilliant - and was certainly noted by the judges.  One of our customers, Links Golf, nominated Simon for the award after their group of twelve guests arrived at the hotel well after midnight and Simon personally organised food for them all. He looks after people very, very well."

As the festive season approaches, Keenan and his hard-working team are not resting on their laurels as they focus on further improving occupancy and work with the St Andrews Links Trust to further tee-off business opportunities over the winter months.

www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Rusacks

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