'SCOTTISH HOTEL AWARDS'
A NOTE TO CLARIFY THINGS

Our main team founded the former Scottish Hotel Awards in 2003 and led / chaired the research / judging for 20 years - independently and later subsequently under the positive management of Paragraph Publishing, so are closely identified with that brand name. We put on record our gratitude to former colleagues 2012-2019 Damian Riley-Smith and his staff. Paragraph subsequently sold the brand, which has changed ownership a few times. When we refer to 21 years' continuity, it is to two decades of our core team working together as Hospitality Research Organisation (estd. 2003) on professionally organised annual hotel awards for Scotland adjudged by us. Although we're not now branded 'Scottish Hotel Awards'  nor working with new owners of the brand name, The Daily & Sunday Telegraph Media Group, practically every judge / researcher previously with SHA has moved forward under the rebooted National Hotels of the Year - Scotland.

WE ARE NOT 'SCOTTISH HOTEL AWARDS'
* Brand owned by Telegraph Media Group, London
* We are also not the 'Prestige - Scottish Hotel Awards'
* Our Member rates are c.50% less than the previous scheme

We are a new scheme under National Hotels of the Year & National Hotel Honours brands and our registered trademark, owned and based in Scotland, an integrated program with our forthcoming consumer guide at BestHotels.scot from 2025. Hotels of the Year is a brand that will operate in the future in other countries.

BACKGROUND

After some 7 years in their excellent management, in 2019 the brand Scottish Hotel Awards was bought from Paragraph Publishing by The Chelsea Publishing Company, London - which in turn was in 2023 acquired by the Daily & Sunday Telegraph Newspaper Media Group in London. Scottish Hotel Awards has been dormant for 4-5 years, although it may be revived in some way by The Daily Telegraph Group or subcontracted agency. We did seek to acquire the brand from Chelsea Publishing but, sadly, were unable to agree terms.

Our team hasn't been involved with Scottish Hotel Awards  since the 2019-20 season, when we organised all the judging - and that season's virtual presentation due to Covid. We were not in control of the SHA website, which remained stuck for several years at 2019, or social media, and were sadly disappointed in the way hotels, especially winners, were treated after the event cancellation. None of our team has been involved with business management of Scottish Hotel Awards for a decade.

We appreciate Covid made things extremely difficult for all involved, and regret that we were unable to move the Scottish Hotel Awards brand forward.

However we look forward to using our long experience to make National Hotels of the Year an innovative and lasting success - and to it becoming a Social Enterprise. We are based in Scotland and have Reporters, Researchers and Judges - including Industry Peer Judges - in every part of Scotland.

Thank you.

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