H O W   W E   J U D G E   &   A S S E S S

Working on the 2011 awards now

Searching out true winners

“The flagship awards for the Scottish hotel industry” - First Minister

Basically, we use consumer opinion, DBB visits, inside info and common sense.

Here’s some background information on how we receive and process nominations for awards, and how we come to judging conclusions. The Scottish Hotel Awards are independent and unsubsidised, and are organised by a professional team the key members of which who have chaired and developed the process and event since 2003. Much input is given on a voluntary basis.

N O M I N A T I O N S

Nominations come from a variety of sources – and over a full year. We receive nominations from our team of reviewers and judging experts; from consumers via this website and others where we place links, and from feedback postcards; from hotels, chefs and hoteliers; and from other industry contacts.

Our task is to shape these nominations into the basis of the awards categories each year so that the final results are as appropriate and relevant to the particular year.

Nominations for the 2011, 8th annual awards are open from now until January 31st 2011.

J U D G I N G

The Scottish Hotel Awards are thorough. Every single nominated hotel is visited and stayed at. No hotel is accepted for an award without being known well to us. Nominees are advised in writing and must accept their nominations. Every individual nominee is met or interviewed. Interviews can last up to two hours. We sometimes spend up to 24 hours on site. An award might come after several years’ input.

Where relevant, we ask for facts and figures as supporting material for nominations. We also carry out our own research and benchmarking. We receive industry intelligence and check out all the main feedback / review websites for trends.

Vitally, our team have a wide range of skills (from kitchen to design and technology to hotel management to marketing) and we are, above all, able to be comparative – for example, if two hotels are contenders for the same award, then the same reviewer will visit each / discuss each with the chairman of the judges.

Judges have this specialist knowledge and each member can veto a nominee or proposed winner within their area of expertise. They can also, of course, nominate and guide the team in selecting final winners. Judges can see the full list of finalists and proposed winners.

It is a thorough, up-to-the-minute and comprehensive system based on expert critic, comparative and consumer input. It is all designed to encourage and recognise the best in Scottish hospitality in all departments of the hotel industry.

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Full list of 2011's Judges to follow.

Gary McLean Quin, Chairman
Vivien Devlin, Deputy Chairman
William Gorol, Assistant Deputy Chairman