Hello there!

Why should you trust us? And trust us more than other guides?

Well, we’ll try and be brief. These are the facts. We’d like you to know as we’d like you to feel that you have access to real advice and honest guidance, especially if you’re planning a trip – possibly an expensive one – from abroad. It matters to us that Scotland’s guests have the best time possible!

HotelReviewSCOTLAND.com was set up over 6 years ago. It has grown from a ‘one man and a dog’ sort of business, founded in Galloway, to a class-leading operation with more reviewers in Scotland than any other guide; one regarded well by the industry and Scottish Government. We now have considerable back-up but have stuck rigidly to core views: simply to encourage, reward and highlight excellence in Scottish hospitality. At all prices.

All our reviewers are experienced and generally mature travel writers or well-travelled professionals with particular strengths we ‘deploy’ carefully! Cooks, designers, fashion experts, lawyers, British Guide of Travel Writers' members, guide book editors, retired headmasters and tourism graduates, photographers or historians. Sussed, choosy and not at all easily fooled. We all meet up and swap notes and pool info. It works.

Our online merit awards, such as the RedH™ or BreakfastRosette™ are a great guideline for readers: always only ever awarded 100% independently, with no say from the hotel, they give you an at-a-glance idea of the hotel's strengths in quality, food, breakfast, welcome, bars and facilities. And we don't have to include everyone, like tourist boards do. We do not charge hotels commissions on bookings.

Vitally, we simply do not permit non-approved reader feedback to go automatically online, as does TripAdvisor™ - a site that is indeed useful at times but one which is, we know for a fact, ‘used’ by both hoteliers and friends / enemies / competitors, worldwide. Peer to peer sites are great but they have limitations. A recent report by Which? Consumer Association highlighted these problems. But at HRS we do invite comment… and get thousands of items of consumer information each year; more than any other Scottish organisation, in fact.

HotelReviewSCOTLAND.com aims to describe each selected hotel to the best of our ability. We update frequently. We only include good-to-excellent places, or locally important establishments. Not every hotel is strong in all departments - so read the review section that's most important to you! Our team - 16 strong - live and breathe Scotland and Scottish hotels. We know the score. We're not perfect but we try our hardest to get the best info 'out there' so that our readers can choose wisely and knowledgeably about hotels' strengths and weaknesses.

Our annual awards, The Scottish Hotels of the Year, have become the industry standard in Scotland and (lavish Oscars-like party night aside!) that's because the system HotelReview™ has developed of free selection, expert critic review, reader feedback online - and by postcards in 100s of hotels - plus open nominations and voting during the awards (25,000 votes in 2007)... all adds up to a uniquely comprehensive overview. A system that can only operate with local expertise, an ear to the ground – and passion!

All entries online have ‘official’ VisitScotland, AA, Michelin and other guide book results. So you have our view, your view and other guides' views. And we live here, down the road, changing and updating entries every day. All so that we may we wish you a very happy stay in Scotland. Tell us how it goes. Good or otherwise. Any mail gets a personal reply. We do this so that you, valued reader, find the right sort of hospitality and experience for YOU, and that you leave happy, to return again.

Thank you for using our Guide: in other words - your guide!

Gary McLean
Editor, HotelReviewSCOTLAND.com National Network
Chairman, Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards