Jetsettersblog

Loch Melfort hotel offers “the finest views on Scotland’s West Coast” direct from its bedrooms and gardens, and the coming months see the hotel running their second Gourmet Break, battling it out in the finals of the “Hotel Website of the Year” award, and making the most of the publicity surrounding tv star Robson Green’s new series – “Wild Swimming Adventures”.

Owners Calum and Rachel Ross have capped a great season’s trading with the recent Loch Melfort Gourmet Evening and Weekend, which saw over thirty guests enjoy a superb seven-course dinner, with food chosen by Calum Ross and Head Chef Colin MacDonald, matched with fine wines by Mike Cottam of Inverarity Wines. Due to the success of the event, the hotel has just announced a second Gourmet Weekend for 6th March, and it is hoped that over 50 guests will attend this one.

On a national footing, Calum and Rachel have just received word that Loch Melfort has been shortlisted for the prestigious “Caterer & Hotelkeeper” magazine Web Awards – the UK’s hotel marketing “Oscars”. Loch Melfort’s website – www.lochmelfort.co.uk  – has been designed and is regularly updated by local supplier Toltech, and Rachel writes her own Blog on the site, one of the reasons it has been shortlisted for this national award. “We’re enormously proud”, said Rachel, “especially as two of the other three finalists are five-star hotels – including Gleneagles!

Our website has had visitors from as far away as Canada and Australia, and we realise that it’s our main shop-window for the hotel and the wider area”.

As well as running the hotel, refurbishing bedrooms in preparation for 2010, and marketing Loch Melfort to attract future guests,

Calum Ross also finds time to champion the continued opening of Arduaine Garden, the National Trust for Scotland’s flagship garden in the area.

Calum chairs the Arduaine Garden Action Group, and staff at the hotel have been asking all their guests and diners through the Summer and Autumn to sign the petition to keep the gardens open.

Even actor Robson Green, who stayed at the hotel whilst filming his ITV series “Wild Swimming Adventures” this Autumn, was made aware of the campaign by Calum and Rachel and signed the petition during his stay.

“We’re hoping”, said Calum, “that interest in this part of the coast will increase.”