This Scottish hotel has been named the best in the world

Fife’s Balbirnie House Hotel has been named ‘Best Wedding Hotel on a Global Basis’ by the international Haute Grandeur Awards.
Balbirnie House Hotel in Fife has won more industry awards.Balbirnie House Hotel in Fife has won more industry awards.
Balbirnie House Hotel in Fife has won more industry awards.

In addition to securing the acclaimed global title for the fifth year in a row, Balbirnie claimed the titles of ‘Best Classic Hotel in Europe’, ‘Best Country Hotel in Europe’, and ‘Best Function Venue Hotel in Europe’ at the annual awards, which relies heavily on the positive feedback of guests.

The clutch of award wins has been welcomed by the team, who have overcome numerous challenges resulting from the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.

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Nicholas Russell, Balbirnie House Managing Director, said of the achievement: “Our wedding planning team was faced with apparently unsurmountable obstacles when hospitality was closed due to the global pandemic. As 2020’s events continued to unfold, we saw many wedding clients needing to change their intended wedding dates up to five times, and successfully managing that timeline was the single biggest hospitality challenge we have ever seen in our three decades as a hotel. I pay tribute to our wedding planning team, their hospitality and ongoing combined efforts to assist all clients was truly remarkable.”

The Haute Grandeur Award wins have come at an important time for the hotel, which has continued to book weddings and large-scale future events throughout the lockdown periods, with over 330 future weddings confirmed.

During lockdown, the hotel underwent numerous renovations including refurbishments of bedrooms and bathrooms, with over £200,000 being spent to upgrade to the hotel’s four kitchens.

Nicholas Russell dedicated the 2021 awards to the staff, saying: “To the boys, girls, men and women who have made up our hotel brigade over the three decades. We are once again so very proud to have been invited to represent Scotland in the global awards, and we are so very humbled once again by the results.”

The achievement is one of the first to be enjoyed in post-lockdown trading and follows the hotel’s success at the 2020 Scottish Hotel Awards, where Balbirnie House became Scotland’s Wedding Hotel of the Year, for the 14th time in sixteen years.

When asked to comment on the hotel’s continuing achievements, Russell attributes it to there being something in the Markinch drinking water.

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