Growing Highlands hotel group makes some key new appointments
A growing hospitality group boasting two hotels in the strath and an Inverness distillery has recruited a Grantown-based marketing specialist as it targets further acquisitions.
Turas Hotels, which recently purchased the Cairngorm Hotel in Aviemore, has appointed Jennifer Macdonald-Nethercott to propel its brand vision whilst Johan van Heerden has been appointed to its first internal revenue role.
The appointments are part of a leadership refinement which will also see the creation of an overarching director of sustainability position to embed green action across the brand.
Turas Hotels, formerly the J and R Group, offers nearly 80,000 room nights annually, as well as operating award-winning restaurants and a whisky distillery and brewery in Inverness.
Its expanding portfolio comprises the Cairngorm Hotel and Boat Country Inn in Boat of Garten, the Seaforth in Ullapool, the Glen Mhor Hotel in Inverness and McKays in Pitlochry as well as Uile-bheist Distillery and Brewery in the Highland capital.
Newly appointed head of marketing, Jennifer Macdonald-Nethercott, who has 25 years of experience in the Highlands, spearheaded the recent group rebrand to Turas which means ‘journey’ in Gaelic.
She will be responsible for rolling out the group’s ‘Stay-Discover-Dine’ vision and customer rewards scheme while Mr van Heerden, currently at the Boat Country Inn in Boat of Garten, steps into the group’s first ever in-house revenue and operations role.
“This is a really exciting position,” said Ms Macdonald-Nerthcott. “It’s a privilege to create and develop the look and feel of the brand and to impart the vision to our teams and guests.
“A stay with Turas is much more than just a bedroom. Our properties are offering guests quality food and drink, music and entertainment and experiences such as distillery tours.”
Turas Hotels director Richard Drummond, said: “We knew marketing would have a major role to play moving forward. Jennifer understands the vision and was a natural choice for us.
“Through the Turas model, we are able to use our talented people across the whole group while cross promoting our individual properties under the Turas umbrella.”
Victoria Erasmus, who oversaw the Glen Mhor Hotel’s recognition as one of the world’s greenest at the inaugural World Sustainable Travel and Hospitality Awards in Belize last year, becomes overall group director of sustainability.
Co-chair of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, she will now mainstream sustainability programmes across all group properties, developing climate plans and diversity and inclusion policies.
Delia Keating takes up a key role as group head of recruitment, with Fiona Connor leading on HR.
Charlotte Sukhraj, who previously worked with Radisson and Marriot, and Peter Thornton, ex Historic Environment Scotland, are group sales managers.
An accounts team will also work across the whole group.
The appointments, it is hoped, will help the growing business cement its place within the Scottish hospitality sector whilst looking to expand in future.
“Having the advantage of scale is definitely the way we see hospitality going,” said fellow Turas Hotels director Jon Erasmus.
“Single hotels are having to do everything from hiring and purchasing to HR and dealing with complex employment law and red tape.
“Streamlining critical functions across the whole business will free up our General Managers to focus on what’s important: customer experience and quality.”
