Double award win for Highland retreat

A Highland inn and its sister hotel have won national acclaim following a rebranding campaign which is proving a magnet for every type of visitor. The Torridon Inn on the shores of Loch Torridon in Wester Ross was named Pub of the Year, Scotland on Tuesday, 2nd September at the AA Centenary Awards 2008 held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.

And there was further good news for owners Dan and Rohaise Rose-Bristow when the Inn’s sister Torridon Hotel was awarded four AA Red Stars for its exceptional standard of hospitality, including quality, comfort, cleanliness and customer care.

Dan said: “These honours are a tribute to the 50 staff we employ here at The Torridon; they are recognition of what we are trying to achieve.

“We are attempting to sell The Torridon to all budgets and all tastes; you can dine informally at the Inn or spend a bit more for the luxury of the hotel.

“We believe we have something to offer to every visitor, whether they come here for the food, the outdoor activities, the scenery or if they are just passing through.”

Liz Broome, chef and manager of The Torridon Inn, commenting on the Pub of the Year award, said: “This is a real testament to the hard work and dedication of the team - it means so much to us all at The Torridon Inn to be recognised with this award; it makes all the hard work worthwhile”.

The inn provides all the trimmings of a proper Highland pub – log fires, a whisky bar stocked with 80 different malts and locally sourced hearty Scottish food.

AA Hotel Services considered The Torridon Inn to be relaxed and stylish and the staff friendly, professional and always on hand to give advice on food, wine, whisky or the plethora of activities on the inn’s doorstep such as kayaking, guided glen walks and clay pigeon shooting.

AA Hotel Services Manager Simon Numphud said: “We selected The Torridon Inn as Pub of the Year, Scotland because it really stood out as a truly excellent all-round pub, with the provision of enjoyable food, a great pub atmosphere and a high standard of management”.

Commenting on the hotel's four star award, Mr Numphud said: “Our AA inspectors have searched for the very best hotels in the British Isles, and this year’s winners of the AA Red Star awards have demonstrated excellent levels of service, customer care and quality throughout the establishments.”

Earlier this year Daniel and Rohaise pooled their already award-winning hospitality portfolio to create a contemporary new brand for 2008: The Torridon.

Comprising the upgraded Torridon Hotel; the fine dining Torridon Restaurant; the Torridon Inn; Torridon Activities, and the Torridon Boat House, The Torridon now offers a unique range of quality accommodation, restaurants, bars and activities in an idyllic loch-side location.

The 19-bedroom Torridon Hotel, a former shooting lodge built for the first Earl of Lovelace in 1887, has been sympathetically and stylishly upgraded, marrying the original character of open fireplaces and the wood-panelled malt throughout the previous whisky bar – boasting some 320 malts – with elegant modern fabrics, fittings and furnishings.

The Torridon Inn has 12 simply furnished en suite bedrooms, some sleeping up to six people each.

For more secluded accommodation, the Torridon Boat House provides outstanding self-catering for four people in two spacious bedrooms. A short stroll along the shoreline from the hotel, the Boat House enjoys fantastic loch and mountain views in sumptuous surroundings.

Residing in the hotel, the Torridon Restaurant prides itself in using the finest local produce in season and has 2 AA rosettes and a number of culinary awards.

For further information on the awards, visit AAHospitalityAwards.com.