Crerar Hotels boss only Scot to receive prestigious Master Innholder title

The chief executive of Crerar Hotels Group – an Edinburgh-based company with properties in various picturesque locations across Scotland such as the Glencoe Inn – has been named the only Scottish-based hotelier to this year be awarded the prestigious Master Innholder title.

Chris Wayne-Wills is being given the honour, which was created by the Worshipful Company of Innholders, and is described as being given to those who have proved themselves as industry leaders, having set the standard for the next generation of hospitality talent. Fellow recipients in 2023 comprise a selected group of hoteliers in the UK from companies such as Four Seasons, The Goring and Hand Picked hotels.

This June, Mr Wayne-Wills will attend a prestigious black-tie dinner at the Innholders Hall London where he will receive the award, medal and the Master Innholder certificate. Later this year, he will be granted the freedom of the city of London in a ceremony at Guildhall as a benefit of being a Master Innholder.

The Crerar Hotels boss, who is also a trustee of HIT Scotland, a fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and sits on the Institute of Hospitality Scotland committee, is in addition the current Scottish chair of trade body UK Hospitality. His former employers include Marriott International, Macdonald Hotels and QHotels, and at Crerar Hotels Group he is credited with having overseen its post-pandemic recovery and multi-million-pound transformation of several of Crerar Hotels’ seven four- and five-star properties, including the Isle of Mull Hotel & Spa, and the newly rebranded Balmoral Arms.

Chris Wayne-Wills says: 'It is a true honour to be the only Scottish-based hotelier to be accepted as a Master Innholder this year.' Picture: contributed.

He said: “It is a true honour to be the only Scottish-based hotelier to be accepted as a Master Innholder this year. The title is nationally recognised as a prestigious force for good and a standard-bearer across the industry. It’s also a proud moment as this has been a career-long ambition for me.

“The work I do with Crerar Hotels Group, UK Hospitality and beyond, shines a light on the ambition and willing of hoteliers across the country to help and support each other and their local economies and it is a true privilege to be recognised with this title. Taking on this title will allow me to continue to my work in supporting and influencing the hospitality stars of tomorrow, which is something I am incredibly passionate about.”