EV CHARGING AND PARKING PORTFOLIO MODERNISING FOR THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Balbirnie House is continuing to make a an ongoing commitment to do whatever we can to help reduce the tourism industry's environmental impact. This commitment is certainly inspired by the 2023 news that The Fife Tourism Partnership has signed The Glasgow Declaration on Climate action in Tourism. 

The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, created at COP26, is a commitment to reduce the tourism industry's environmental impact, led by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and One Planet Network. 

We are therefore embarking on a new project which will deliver 10 brand new Electric Vehicle chargers. This project is on an unprecedented scale for our hotel location in central Balbirnie Park.

 Our initial investment for EV chargers:

In tandem with this, and joining other hotels the length and breadth of the UK, we are also introducing a further circa £40,000 investment, introducing state-of-the-art camera technology with visitor parking charges via App. 

(Our go live date is tbc 7.12.2023)

A huge percentage of cars being sold these days are of course already either hybrid petrol/ electric, or 100% electric. A 2018 - 2023 snapshot of the scale of UK electric vehicle acquisitions alone: 

Balbirnie Park has many annual visitors as is, and no doubt inspired by the tourism success of the North Coast 500, with the amazing news that beautiful Balbirnie Park is featured on the brand new Fife 191 driving route, park visitor numbers are surely only going to continue to increase? 

Perhaps significantly so? 

Here's a map snapshot of the entire 191 mile driving route. Destination 18!

Balbirnie House already has well over 100 parking spaces across the span of the 18 acres around the hotel. On a busy day we can see hundreds of visitors to the hotel, but outwith multiple hour peak daily times, it is a very rare circumstance indeed if all parking spaces are taken 24 hours a day. I struggle to think of any time when we have actually run out of parking spaces, the point being that we clearly have a combined capacity for more parking as is. 

The above is stated as a generality across the span of 12 months. We can however face many parking and ev charging issues at peak arrival and departure times, especially across the busiest summer months when we can eg have very large weddings taking place 7 days per week. 

Standalone EV chargers are installing in front of the wall lower left. 

Technology will also assist, as it currently does with Tesla superchargers, in terms of notifying motorists via App, when full charge is being approached. Same as Tesla, occupying an EV charger after the charge has ended, will incur 'idle charges', the system aligning to ensure as much efficiency and availability as possible. With this in mind, we are also going to make available the current 'No Parking' areas around the turning circle and flags, so that is is possible to charge an EV and then park up longer term just a few yards away. 

Our location will be mapped on Parkonomy, which is defined as the UK's leading Car Park Search engine. 

EV charging and all guest parking will mainly be via App. It is also going to be possible to reserve EV charging in advance. App is of course so incredibly convenient and easy to use. Having installed the Apps on a phone, and registered, a repeat next time is literally a few seconds and a few clicks. EV charging pricing will be at industry norms, and parking charges will be nominal and / or at lower rates than we see today by UK-wide hospitality industry comparisons. (eg Glasgow city centre can be £25 overnight, I have heard of up to £28 in Stirling, Edinburgh £35) 

Head to the centre of St Andrews for an afternoon tea, parking is currently £1.10 per hour. Down to the seaside at Anstruther or Kirkcaldy, payment these days is now via App as well. Head to Edinburgh New Town and street parking is £4.40 per hour! 

Our future guest parking around Balbirnie House will initiate at an introductory £1 per hour up to 6 hours, and £10 for 24 hrs overnight stay. 

The complete summary: 

The perfect parking portfolio would of course never see a parking charge notice being issued, everyone understands the system, and fully appreciates the ease of use. 

The accompanying parking signage is being custom-created and designed to our own in-house specifications. 

As part of the green future, where possible to do so we will continue to encourage car share, and of course there are already many visitors who arrive by train to Markinch station, or by taxi. 

As everything is planned 100% via App, if anyone has technology challenges on the day, (or lack of signal - although we have never seen a lost signal outside), we will of course have handheld tablets and team to assist at front desk on arrival. In what is seemingly an industry first, ability to use the combination of handheld and contactless. 

Suppliers please note, all Heavy Goods delivery vehicles are automatically digitally classified as outwith parking requirements. 

Local taxis please note, please contact us and we will digitally exempt your vehicle. NB Helpful if you have an EV and wish to charge here! 

We also confirm that all wedding industry suppliers of goods and services for events taking place inside or around Balbirnie House, will of course be enabled with complimentary digitalised parking permits. 

Similarly, the same will obviously be applicable for all providers of trades services, carrying out works in and around Balbirnie House. 

We have many future clients who have already chosen Balbirnie House for example, as the destination for their wedding celebrations, specifically because of our many combined efforts with sustainability, and how we operate for example with monthly reviews from our own in-house Environmental Taskforce. 

Without doubt, 'the environmental and sustainable tickbox' is becoming more and more relevant to the entire hospitality and tourism sector. Destination travel websites as a further example, are already delivering that very tickbox: 

As part of the Balbirnie project planning, there are also future potentials to see an additional 20 EV chargers being added to the 10 new ones. That overview however, is more complex, as we would firstly require to upgrade our electrical substations. As and when proceeding, the next phases will of course require very significant further investment as well. Simply put, the future will be dictated by how busy the first 10 EV chargers are. 

We are very much looking forward to these new additions around Balbirnie House, and the fundamental main aim of making a very meaningful and revolutionised contribution to global sustainability, as well as a reduction in future carbon footprints. 

All best wishes, 

Nicholas 

MD Balbirnie House 

Scottish Hotel Awards 2023 - 'Welcome to The Most Celebrated Wedding Venue on Planet Earth!' 🐐

How time flies in Hospitality! There we were what feels like literally a moment ago, back in 2019 attending our last awards night dinner for The Scottish Hotel Awards. (Following the March 2020 pandemic lockdown, the 2020 awards were presented in an online format.) What a journey we have been on since then, on the Balbirnie rollercoaster. Lockdown, a well documented £1M financial hit, Brexit's profoundly negative implications for hospitality, very significant food and beverage price increases, a tripling of gas and electric energy costs, interest rates through the roof, removal of rates relief (whilst England continued), and vat today back at an extortionate 20%! Against all of this, the never-ending task of re-investing back into the fabric of Balbirnie House continues, as an ongoing necessity. 

Similarly, the ongoing endeavour to always deliver as much value-for-money for all visitors to Balbirnie House. As an example, a summer 2023 pint of in our Millennium Ballroom £5.95 🍺👍 - significantly less than many venues elsewhere.

My very lovely wife Gaynor and I in Balbirnie's front hall, about to head to Glasgow for the 2023 Scottish Hotel awards: 

It's great to see the annual awards re-establish for 2023, and all results are now live on the official website. Without doubt THE night of the year for Scotland's hotel sector. 

Whilst over recent years we have very sadly seen many hotels not being able to afford to continue operating, the night itself this year, in many ways, was a celebration of the very existence of the 2020 - 2023 designated survivors of Scotland's hotel sector. 

Reflecting on history, it has always been a very difficult set of decisions, as regards who within the entire Balbirnie brigade should be attending the awards and representing what we do. Usually very significantly enhanced by official mid year updates, and extremely personalised judge visits and assessments. 

At the most intense in our history, back in 2016 judge David Welch made five visits, and collated an entire ring binder file on all aspects of what we do, some 400 photographs, personal interviews, and a detailed appraisal of our company margins and accounts. That ongoing process led to Balbirnie House becoming Scotland's 2016 National Hotel of the Year, certainly a career-defining accolade for our entire hotel brigade. 

It was previously my tradition that on the bus on the way to each awards night, (and a massive thanks as always to Capercaillie Travel), that I take the opportunity to say a few words to my 11 fellow work colleagues. In my hands as I spoke this year, were strips of golden glitter which I have kept from the 2016 stage cannon! 

There were 3 distinct themes for my chat this year. 

1. The first truly massive award we received for weddings, first decade of this century, The VOWS Industry award, absolute pinnacle for the entire Scotland wedding sector. '500 guests in attendance, you could have heard a pin drop in the seconds before that final stage announcement of the night!'

2. How incredible it was 2 weeks ago, to visit London for The Independent Hotel Show, and to stay for the first time as a hotel guest, and as a returning former member of staff, at the legendary and iconic hotel where I started my career 39 years ago. I am of course talking of Claridge's. 'The tiling in the front hall remains the same today, otherwise over the years every single square foot of the hotel has been re-thought, re-worked, re-interpreted, re-designed. It is a hospitality lesson to us all on the importance of never-ending change, without ever losing sight of where we've come from. 

3. And then. 'We know we are on shortlist for potentially winning for the 15th time this year, for the biggest wedding award for Scotland's hotel sector. If we are indeed successful tonight, and adding to the fact that we have now seen 8 best-in world Hospitality awards from Haute Grandeur global hotel awards, including Best Wedding Hotel in the World for the 4th time in 2023, then I am calling it, every single future prospective new future wedding client can be welcomed upon arrival with the brand new phrase, 'Welcome to the most celebrated wedding venue on Planet Earth!' Nice one Scotland! 🐐

For the record, Haute Grandeur deployed research teams years ago, to establish if there was any other hotel in any other country, which had seen wedding recognition in their own country, in any way whatsoever aligned to what Balbirnie House has seen here in Scotland. They could not find any comparable circumstance, as it does not exist. 

It's always cool to keep things somewhat reserved and under-stated, under-promise and over-deliver always works well, but the incredible accumulation of awards history is certainly what it now is. 

And I remember reading somewhere years ago, that if a youthful Lord 'The Apprentice' Alan Sugar was selling trainers out the back of his van in a London market, his sale sign would state 'TRAINERS FOR SALE!' So, with Balbirnie's awards in comparison, it is what it now is! 

Balbirnie's hotel brigade were the recipient of five awards this year, here goes: 

Drinks upon arrival: 

Bars Manager Sean Van Der Westhuizen DRINKS PASSION AND SERVICE. In 2023 Sean is helping oversee drinks purchasing, continuing to evolve and refine new emerging capabilities for cocktails, as well as looking after all bar systems and bar team. 

Head Chef Sharon Munro received CHEF MEDAILLE D'OR. With a history at Balbirnie House all the way back to 2004, and as at 2021 stepping into the role of Head Chef as the first female to do so in our history, this was a very, very emotional award for all of us to be there to see. So incredibly well deserved and a truly wonderful inspiration for all girls (and boys!) heading into professional kitchens today. 

Executive Chef Kris Currie, REGIONAL WINNER EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE YEAR. In 2023 Kris is overseeing food purchasing of £550k cost, all aspects of environmental compliance, addressing sustainability for the future, and new focusses in procurement. 

Our professionally-photographed online banqueting compendium was a first for the wedding sector. Kris was the culinary director for 2021 and 2022's 7 course Orangery dinner evolution, and in early 2023 initiated an absolutely wonderful start for The Grill @ The Orangery, which includes our 3 course The Modern Age menu, Scotland as never seen before! 

The Grill @ The Orangery, REGIONAL WINNER SCOTLAND'S HOTEL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR. The judge assigned to appraise Balbirnie's Orangery this year, was the immensely experienced Consultant Chef Ian McAndrew, who was the youngest ever recipient of a Michelin star way back in 1980! 

When we think about 2023 specifically, we are looking to deliver the many favourites of a wonderful Grill focussed on Scotland's finest Josper oven charcoal-grilled steaks, and The Modern Age menu is a truly great totally standalone compliment for this. The point being, amongst the 2023 cost-of-living crisis, we have blended Grill traditions with practicality and commercial viability, and then brought a totally new innovation with The Modern Age. 

The Modern Age? Very arguably our best dish result thus far, here is the Kris Currie and Head Pastry Chef Neil Dunlop take on a 2023 Deep-Fried Mars Bar: 

Image credit Rachel Gillies of Lifetime Photography

The Modern Age was inspired at outset by the truly epic Chef's Table series on Netflix. 

Balbirnie's 2023 Restaurant award with Head Chef Sharon Munro, and Lewis McNab who is heading up our 2024 front-of-house Orangery team: 

And so, once again on an awards night we then arrive at 2023's wedding hotel awards! Hundreds of hoteliers momentarily go into a hush, and there it is. 

Drum roll please. 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 And that's 15 for Balbirnie House!!! 

The appraisal for 2023 Wedding Hotel of the year was from judge Laura Coventry. As well as considering all aspects of what we are working with for weddings in 2023, Laura also visited for an incognito overnight stay (under a different assumed name), part of which included experiencing a personal property show round from our wedding planning team, with a view to holding a (theoretical) future wedding. That appointment was with Leah Kinnes below, who joined our wedding planning team direct from school, at age 16, nine years ago. 

And back to work at Balbirnie House we then go! 

The 2023 calendar year has been tremendously busy for weddings at Balbirnie House, and from our confirmed future diaries, 2024 is already looking even busier. One very special day at a time, onwards and into the future. 

In terms of weddings, October 2023 has been our busiest ever October for the future, with 21 weddings booked. Memories are Made of This!

With our sincere gratitude to everyone involved with re-establishing The Scottish Hotel awards, our brigade past and present, our customers and our suppliers. 

All best wishes in hospitality, 

Nicholas 

MD Balbirnie House