IS SCOTLAND’S BALBIRNIE HOUSE ABOUT TO GO NUMBER 1 IN THE WORLD?

Scotland’s Hospitality sector is now poised for the potential unthinkable!

We are absolutely delighted to confirm today, that Balbirnie House has once again been invited to represent Scotland’s Tourism and Hospitality sectors, for the 3^rd annual time in a row, at the annual global Haute Grandeur hotel awards. 

Definitively, we were recently informed that Balbirnie House has made the 2018 shortlist for ‘Wedding Retreat of the Year’, on National, Continent, AND Global contexts. 

To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought, Scotland.

The 2018 awards ceremony takes place in Palazzo Versace - The Versace Palace, Dubai – on the night of the 1^st of November. 

Palazzo Versace has a refrigerated beach. We'll tell you about that when we get there. I have my bikini and high heels at the ready!

Dubai is somewhat different, to our local village of Markinch!

BLUE SMOKE IN FIFE!

The United Arab Emirates is hours ahead of UK time. If a decision is announced, that Balbirnie has been successful in THE GLOBAL CATEGORY, please keep an eye on the main Balbirnie House chimney, because there will be Scottish Saltire Blue chimney smoke!

Following the recent shortlisting, Haute Grandeur subsequently invited Balbirnie House to participate in an online ‘Rate Us’ campaign, across the spans of general public, and hospitality industry. This capability spread through our social media channels, to more than 100,000 people in Scotland alone.

In addition to the general public, during the ‘Rate Us’ camapign, we saw support from across the span of the hospitality industry in Scotland and abroad. We would like to thank each and every person who contributed and supported.

So, there we go. Potential for Scotland to successfully achieve a previously unachieved feat, and go number 1 in the world, for Hospitality. 

We seemingly have difficulty as a country, in getting a football team to a World Cup Finals? Our Hospitality team has however been successful in getting to the World Hospitality Finals! And on the basis of our accumulated history, we will be so very proud to be there for Scotland.

As that is the case, and given a Scotland Global shortlist has never happened before, as Balbirnie’s owners, my very lovely wife and fellow company director Gaynor and I, have made necessary and unprecedented decisions.

We’ve decided that those who have dedicated their careers to working in Balbirnie’s Event planning, therefore becoming those closest to our clients during what can be a couple of years working liaising with each client, should be invited to join us on this future trip to Dubai. If the unthinkable happens, the award will be collected by those continually closest to clients over recent years, in the complete beginning to end client experience. 

Earlier this week we brought our amazing Special Events planning team together, to outline these thoughts. There were no dry eyes at the end of that discussion. We are all so very humbled to think of what may happen. 

As we all know, optimism is the faith that can lead to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. 

We will also use the trip to highlight Event planning, within Scotland Hospitality.  The hotel manager and 5 wedding planners in Dubai, what a trip to look forward to.

Our combined efforts have previously brought some truly incredible results to Scotland, and the heart of The Kingdom of Fife. Balbirnie House is now the 12 time recipient of The Scottish Hotel Awards, ‘Wedding Hotel of the Year’, Scotland’s 2016 National Hotel of the Year, and previous defined winner in 4 Haute Grandeur categories, as Number 1 in Europe. These are for Best Destination Wedding Retreat, Best Destination Wedding Hotel, Best Function Venue Hotel, and Best Romantic Hotel.

We would like to thank all judges and all involved in and around The Scottish Hotel of the Year awards scheme, for relentlessly inspiring our entire brigade each year during the phased inspection processes, to keep on embracing innovation, evolution and Hospitality.

We would like to thank Haute Grandeur for all support over the last 2 years, and for inviting us again, to represent Scotland.

My personal thanks and gratitude to Balbirnie’s brigade, past and present. If we do deliver the unthinkable on 1^st November, it’ll have been made possible by the boys, girls, men and women who have worked here since Balbirnie opened as a hotel back in 1989. 

And every day we are of course assisted by our wonderful associate suppliers, never ceasing to be amazed at what is brought to each and every occasion. 

'The piper finally retires' - Ian Sword, THE DEFINING IMAGE OF BALBIRNIE 1989 - 2017 

(Image courtesy of Ken Paterson Photography, in conjunction with Lifetime Photography)

Over our most recent 5 years alone, we've seen more than 750 couples celebrate their weddings at Balbirnie House. Our thanks and kindest regards to all previous and future clients. YOU make US possible. And YOU also enable US to continually keep on maintaining, safeguarding and improving Balbirnie House, as a Grade A Listed 1777 National Scotland Treasure. A continual never-ending labour of love, and such continuity is the living of a hotelier's dream. 

What was it actually like to attend the 2016 Haute Grandeur awards? 

Here's our film clip: RED CARPET

In 2018 we were asked to contribute to the Haute Grandeur Global Awards magazine:

The interview is on page 174 - HAUTE GRANDEUR

We will of course be live on our social media channels from Dubai, on 1st November. 

And let's remember, as Audrey Hepburn recently said in Balbirnie's bridal suite, 'Nothing is impossible! The word itself says I'm possible!'

Here in Bonnie Scotland, hopefully await some blue chimney smoke! 

Yours, in Scotland Hospitality,

All best wishes, 

Nicholas Russell / MD and owner Balbirnie House  
1992 - present

Balbirnie's main website

'Wildflowers, Balbirnie' - gifted in 2017 by Archie Forrest, Scotland's leading contemporary Colourist