Scottish Serenade - 9
Some things at the 850-acre Gleneagles, Perthshire, have never changed since the hotel was built in 1924 – it cost the Caledonian Railway Company £20,000 back then, for the statuesque building, designed by Matthew Adam. Other things do change. Today, the 232-key beauty, a key-count includes 59 rooms in the adjacent Braid House, is owned by Sharon Pasricha, via Ennismore Capital (he bought in 2015 from Diageo).
What else was new on this visit by Girlahead? Well, the stunningly lovely and super new hotel GM, Rike Erdbrink, a lively and totally capable, German from the northwest of that country, practically by the Danish border. Girlahead first met her in Chicago. She's been with Hyatt for a long time, and she'd always wanted to escape to the country. And here she is, Scotland’s German lass girl reporting to an Irishman, Gleneagles’ MD Conor O'Leary, who overlooks all Pasricha's properties in the UK. Rita’s as lively at breakfast as she is the rest of the day. Who wouldn't be faced with Stratford's Scullery, completely devoted to breakfast, just occasionally supplemented by one-off events later in the day.
It helps to be game for anything at Gleneagles Perthshire – well,, there’s just so much to, even all age biking, as the photo shows.by one of the bikes, just longing for a bike. Girlahead had arrived at Gleneagles in style. A chauffeur in tweeds and plus-fours dropped her off in a Range Rover at the resort main door, where a management delegation awaited. An A4 sheet with a watercolor map of the entire resort has your personal itinerary on the reverse.
They're into soft colors here in room 362 on the top floor of the main block. About 45 square metres total, the space has greeny cream wallpanels showing a cream on green overall leaf pattern – there are complementary curlique patterns on the carpeting. Keys to open the doors of the closet have leather ties. The radio’s Roberts, the over-bedhead print’s a Highland glen and a solid Victorian cabinet holds the mini bar with three champagne brands. The Bijou bathroom has a heated towel rail and bespoke toiletries, wild leaves and Lavandin…...
