Press release -
Setting the standard in Speyside
An 18th century mill conversion situated in Ballindalloch - the heart of Moray Speyside - has been awarded five stars from the national tourist board.
Drawing on impartial and expert advice from highly experienced VisitScotland Quality & Tourism Advisors, Weiroch Lodge has achieved a significant enhancement in their grading. Upgrading from a 4-star to a 5-star Self Catering property, Weiroch Lodge is now one of only two Self Catering properties in Moray Speyside to hold the exceptional 5-star award from VisitScotland.
Weiroch Lodge is a perfect choice for visitors looking for top quality comfort and style. The property has three spacious, en suite bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen/dining room with high quality appliances, and a welcoming sitting room with a high vaulted ceiling.
The Lodge is situated adjacent to the River Spey – an ideal base for visitors looking to holiday with surrounding natural beauty.
As well as taking part in the star grading Quality Assurance scheme, owners Gillian and Keith work hard to provide for a wide range of visitors, as evidenced by their participation in the Anglers and Field Sports Welcome Schemes.
Welcome Schemes have been developed by VisitScotland, to complement star gradings and to guide those visitors with a range of interests to businesses that pay particular attention to their varied needs. Consumers want quality and value for money experiences. Star gradings and Welcome Schemes help visitors make informed decisions and select businesses that meet, and exceed, these expectations.
Gillian Brown, Owner of Weiroch Lodge said:
“We are very pleased to have been upgraded to 5-star for our holiday property - Weiroch Lodge - and feel this is largely due to following the helpful advice given to us by the Quality and Tourism Advisors.
“We have always realised the importance of detail and have tried to style the Lodge in keeping with our target market, i.e those looking to simply escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and those who want a walking holiday, sporting break or plan to explore the Highlands and Moray coast.”
Jo Robinson, Regional Director at VisitScotland said:
“I am delighted to present Weiroch Lodge with their impressive 5-star Self Catering award. Owners Gillian and Keith are doing a fantastic job in delivering a quality experience that meets, and exceeds, visitor expectations, which is crucial in making Moray Speyside a must-visit, must-return destination.
“The quality assurance scheme is about more than just the stars on the door; it reflects the entire visitor experience and drives improvement in that experience throughout the country.
“My sincere congratulations go to Keith and Gillian, it truly is a great achievement to receive one of VisitScotland’s highest accolades and I wish them and their property continued success for the future.”
Developed and improved over the last four decades in partnership with the tourism industry and informed by visitor research, VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme is world-leading and provides trusted, independent and an impartial source of information for visitors.
For more information about Weiroch Lodge, visit visitscotland.com.
For further information about VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme, visit visitscotland.org.
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- quality assurance
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
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- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh) 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
