Macdonald Hotels: Excellence in Dining and Accommodation Across the UK

Investing in the future

Through an ongoing focus on traceability, quality and close partnerships with suppliers, Macdonald Hotels is building up an individual reputation for excellence in its restaurants across the UK and Ireland

Proud to deliver a unique experience to each customer that arrives at any one of more than 40 hotels across the UK, Macdonald Hotels achieved the prestigious AA Hotel Group of the Year award for the second time in 2013. Moreover, the company was also awarded the AA Eco-Hotel Group of the year in 2012 for its focus on reducing electricity and fossil fuel usage by 15 per cent in 2015.

By ensuring each hotel branding has its own individual charm while also taking on the character of the area in which it is located, Macdonald Hotels delivers a new experience to customers at whichever Macdonald Hotel they visit. Moreover, from Scotland to the South of England, Macdonald Hotels is run by real hoteliers with a genuine passion and long-term experience to ensure the service, dining and accommodation at each of its 45 hotels is the very best it can be.

Operating as the UK’s largest independent hotel group, Macdonald Hotels recently announced it was in its best-ever shape following the publishing of its annual results for the year to 31st March 2016. With profits of £55 million for its 55 hotels and resorts across the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, the company’s turnover was up five per cent to £163.4 million, while its total operating profit was up five per cent to £17.7 million. As already mentioned, profit after tax was up £49.1 million to £55 million following the sale of land at the Macdonald Botley Park, Southampton, as well as continued strong trading performance, while the company’s bank core debt was reduced to £196 million.

Refurbishments

These significant improvements are the result of a tremendous combined effort by the workforce and management team to put in a strong, sustained performance throughout all hotels and resorts, while also reducing its debts by half a billion pounds in just 13 years. During 2016 the company also invested further into its properties, including the refurbishment of 128 bedrooms at the Macdonald Randolph Hotel in Oxford, the completion of a major refurbishment of the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort, which included 172 bedrooms, public areas and restaurants as well as a major bedroom refurbishment  programme at the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath.

Following these investments, the company is currently in the process of completing the bedroom refurbishment of the Macdonald Holyrood and is completely remodeling the Macdonald Houston House and Macdonald Forest Hills, with the aim of achieving 4 Red Star rankings at each. On top of this, the company has also invested half a million pounds in an online self-serve HR system, which plays a significant part in its overall ‘people strategy’.

These investments in enhancing its hotels and resorts is certain to prove fruitful for Macdonald Hotels, as the results of Brexit and the weaker pound making Britain an attractive place for overseas visitors while also encouraging UK holidaymakers to choose ‘staycations’ over more exotic breaks away.

Aside from providing high quality bedrooms in charming hotels, Macdonald Hotels is also committed to delivering exceptional food and drink to its customers as well as other activities such as leisure, spa, gold and corporate and conference markets. Because of the diversity of Macdonald Hotels’ client base from North to South it offers varied menus; although food tastes vary by region, the quality of the produce and the relationship that the company has with the supplier is the key.

Menu planning

Macdonald Hotels also believes that it is important for a company with a deliberately diverse portfolio of properties to be able to meet equally varied customer dining expectations, without ever compromising on the best possible quality and provenance in its food and beverage offering. Furthermore, chefs at Macdonald Hotels have the luxury of creating the majority of their own menus, which not only reflect the individual hotel’s identity, but also the creativity of the chef.

Differentiated in the market by its dedication to serving only the highest quality of food, Macdonald Hotels uses the finest seasonal ingredients and sources the best produce available. Placing a great deal of importance on the provenance and traceability of its food, Macdonald Hotels expects the highest standards of diligence in product integrity and traceability from its suppliers. For example, meat is sourced from highly reputable suppliers, with 21- day aged cuts of beef supplied directly from Scotbeef, thus ensuring Macdonald Hotels’ new Scottish Steakhouse restaurants deliver delicious food of the best possible quality. Because Macdonald Hotels buys with provenance in mind and prefers to support local businesses, the chefs of its restaurants are given flexibility in planning menus by the season, which thus ensures that UK produce comes first.

Having celebrated 25 years of business in 2016, Macdonald Hotels continues to exceed the rising expectations of customers in all areas of the business, including food, through the delivery of a world-class service. Committed to the development of new food concepts, the company is keen to make Macdonald Hotels throughout the UK the go-to place for fantastic food and a menu that keeps people coming back for more.