Gleneagles Hotel is a luxury hotel near Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
History
The hotel, which opened in 1924, was built by the former Caledonian Railway Company which also built the nearby Gleneagles railway station. The hotel itself once had its own dedicated railway branch line.
During the Second World War, as with many large country hotels, it was converted into Gleneagles Hospital under the charge of Dr Thomas Ferguson as Medical Superintendent.
The hotel's golf course and luxurious surroundings meant that golf and grouse shooting at Gleneagles had, by the 1950s, become a fixed part of high society's calendar, along with yachting at Cowes and polo at Deauville.
When the hotel was being built, an up-and-coming dance band leader named Henry Hall was involved in buying their pianos, and organising the dance band entertainment. He decided that radio broadcasts would be an ideal way to advertise the new hotel, so was given permission to move his Trafford Band from Manchester's Midland Hotel to the Gleneagles and form a new band in Manchester. The hotel's opening night was celebrated with Scotland's first ever outside broadcast on June 4, 1924.
After the season ended, the band moved to the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool. Summer 1925 saw the band return to Gleneagles, although their commercial recordings were made in Manchester, and the winter seasons were in Liverpool.
Between 1982 and 1986, £11 million was spent on renovation and since 1982 the hotel has been open all year round. In 1986, and every year since, the hotel has been awarded five red stars by the AA. The hotel was owned for 31 years by the international alcoholic beverage firm Diageo, until it was sold to a private investment company Ennismore in 2015.
The hotel was redeveloped in preparation for hosting the 40th Ryder Cup Matches in 2014 played on the PGA Centenary Course.
In October 2017, Gleneagles Hotel won three awards at the 2017 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards - including Best Pro Shop, Best Hotel (Over 50 Rooms) and Best Overall Golf Experience.
Facilities
Restaurants
Gleneagles has 9 bars and restaurants. The Strathearn is the hotel's main and most formal restaurant, and where the guests are served with breakfast. The Century Bar serves over 120 single malt whiskies, vintage champagne and cocktails along with light snacks and informal lunches and dinners. The former Deseo Restaurant was refurbished in April 2017 and renamed the Birnam Brasserie. It now serves French-American brasserie dishes using seasonal and locally-sourced produce in a setting inspired by the grand Paisian cafes of the early twentieth century with an adjacent winter garden. Braids Coffee Bar was also refurbished at this time and is now The Garden Cafe, serving teas, coffees and sweet treats plus small lunch dishes. In addition can be found The Dormy Clubhouse that houses The Dormy Restaurant along with the Auchterarder 70 bar - opened in April 2016 - which serves small plates and local craft beers, as well as The Blue Bar, a heated outdoor whisky and cigar bar. Gleneagles' Afternoon Tea is served in the Glendevon Room, overlooking the front lawn of the Hotel with views of the Ochil Hills. Finally, there is Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, a fine dining restaurant that has been awarded two Michelin stars.
Golf
Gleneagles has remained famous for its world class golf courses: the King's Course, Queen's Course and PGA Centenary Course, previously known as the Monarch's Course. There is also a nine-hole course called the PGA National Academy Course, informally known as the Wee Course. Gleneagles Golf Academy opened in 1994 and in 2010 was re-branded to The PGA National Academy for Scotland. The Jack Nicklaus designed PGA Centenary Course opened in 1993 and hosted the Ryder Cup in 2014. When asked about his work, Nicklaus said, "It's the finest parcel of land in the world I have ever been given to work with."
Significant tournaments that have taken place (or will take place) at Gleneagles include:
- Glasgow Herald Tournament from 1920 to 1927
- Curtis Cup in 1936
- Women's British Open in 1957
- Scottish Open from 1987 to 1994
- McDonald's WPGA Championship of Europe from 1996 to 1999
- Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles from 1999 to 2013
- 40th Ryder Cup Matches in 2014
- European Golf Team Championships in 2018
- Solheim Cup in 2019
Transport links
The closest airport to Gleneagles with scheduled flights is Dundee Airport, 27 miles (43 kilometres) away and operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL). Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports are both approximately an hour's drive away. Gleneagles railway station is a few minutes walk or drive away.
Conference venue
Its luxury and degree of remoteness have made Gleneagles an ideal location for international conferences and as a spa retreat.
Significant conferences that have taken place (or will take place) at Gleneagles include:
- The Gleneagles Agreement on sporting contacts with South Africa at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1977.
- The 1986 meeting ( 25â€"27 April) of the Bilderberg Group
- 31st G8 summit in July 2005 â€" the London tube bombings took place in the middle of the summit. This meeting saw the foundation of the G8+5.
Other facilities
Sir Jackie Stewart, of Formula One fame, developed close ties with Gleneagles Hotel and established a successful clay pigeon shooting school, now known as The Gleneagles Shooting and Fishing School.
The British School of Falconry has been located at Gleneagles since 1992.
Gleneagles also has a dedicated equestrian centre with stabling, indoor and outdoor eventing spaces and cross-country course.[1]
Glenmor Holiday Homes
The village of Glenmor has holiday homes set within the grounds of the hotel.
Awards
Gleneagles Hotel has won/holds many awards, including
- 5 Red AA Stars (since 1986)
- Conde Nast Gold List 2009 - Best Hotel in the World for Facilities
- Scotland's leading resort at the World Travel Awards 2008
- Best Golf Resort in the World (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) - Ultratravel Magazine
- Scotland's Best Hotel - Today's Golfer Travel Awards (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017)
See also
- Golf in Scotland
- Gleneagles, Scotland
- List of G8 summit resorts
- Emergency Hospital Service
References
External links
- Official website
- Perthshire G8 Official website
- Course Guide - 2014 Ryder Cup
- Course Guide - 2014 Ryder Cup
