Accolade follows global recognition
A family-run Inverness hotel has received a major Climate change Action award just days after being voted one of the greenest in the world.
The 4-Star Glen Mhor Hotel was judged winner in the Climate Action category at the sell-out Highlands and Islands Thistle Awards on Friday, which honours excellence in the hospitality sector.
The accolade comes on the back of its £8m on-site Sustainability Centre, Climate Action Plan and pioneering Fair Work policies securing a global award at the inaugural World Sustainable Travel and Hospitality Awards in Belize.
Seeking to embed climate- friendly policies across its business model, Glen Mhor’s co-owners decided to build a ground-breaking Energy Centre in 2021 – the first of its kind in Scotland.
Using water from the River Ness for heating and energy, the centre removes 250 tonnes of carbon annually, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels across the 126-room site.
The innovation, supplemented by Solar PV systems, also powers the production of single highland malt whisky and craft beer at its Uile-heist Distillery and Brewery, incorporated on the site at the Glen Mhor.
The Distillery project was the first in Inverness in over 130 years, when it opened in February 2023, and a new quarter cask programme has been released to celebrate the revival of whisky production in the highland capital.
It was these innovations which secured the Climate Action Award from judges and the Glen Mhor will now progress to the Scottish Thistle Awards National final in November.
The hotel plans to be fully gas-free by the end of 2024 and all of its 146 employees now hold individual Green job titles.
“It was very humbling to hear people in the industry acknowledging what we’ve done,” said Glen Mhor Co-Owner and Sustainability Director, Victoria Erasmus.
“When we set out to future-proof our business, with sustainability at the very heart of that, it was tough times. We were building an Energy Centre that hadn’t been built before, in a historic conservation area, as well as a Distillery and Brewery.
“The hospitality world was coping with rising costs, rising energy bills and taxes.
“There were so, so many reasons not to do it but we managed to see it through.
“It was lovely to receive the award and the acknowledgement from our peers within the industry.”
The award ceremony was also a memorable and emotional occasion for Mrs Erasmus, on a personal level, as she landed the Highland Ambassador award for her advocacy for the region on both the domestic and international stage.
“It was a total surprise and it means so much to me,” she said. “I feel very honoured and proud for our teams.”
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