Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels celebrated its team’s perpetual outstanding work and achievements at the annual team Smile Awards.

The Smile Awards recognise teams and individuals for their phenomenal work throughout the year, particularly relevant in the challenging climate the hospitality sector has faced in recent times.

The 2021 awards ceremony was held in The Melville, Crieff Hydro Hotel’s new state-of-the-art meetings and events space. The event was celebrated in style with a Willy Wonka theme, and staff were presented with a golden ticket upon entry.

The Melville was decorated with candy canes, sweet stalls and even Oompa Loompas. The incredible entertainment created a night the staff will not forget with magicians, firebreathers and dancers.

The annual awards created the perfect opportunity to gather and bond staff from across the hotel group, and a chance for owners the Leckie family to attend and show their gratitude, reinforcing the family spirit of the company, with lots of fun and excitement added in.

The awards included eight different categories and were spread across each of the eight hotels, which includes Crieff Hydro, Peebles Hydro, Murraypark hotel in Crieff, The Park Hotel in Peebles, Taypark House in Dundee, The Isles of Glencoe, Ballachulish Hotel and Kingshouse Hotel, also in Glencoe.

Employee of the Year awards were presented to Florin Diaconu, Zaneta Falharova, Helen Brown, Tunde Rigo, Clem King and Greg Chisholm for their endless exceptional work.

Stephen Leckie, Chairman and CEO of Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “The Smile Awards is very much about celebrating and rewarding our fantastic teams and individuals throughout the group who have continued to shine through an extremely difficult time.

“We wanted to create a fabulous night to remember for everyone involved and we are delighted with the outcome. Our ethos at Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels is just that – family – and it was fantastic to get everyone from each of the hotels together to celebrate a special night – a night for them.

“We are so proud of every single individual on each of our teams and appreciate them for all their hard work and positivity.”

The full list of winners is as follows:

• The Simple Award – Josh Wellum, Lee Morrissey, Antonin Boisseau, Craig Green, Kayleigh Cooper and Scott McNeil
• The Memorable Award – Alvaro  Leguizamon, Roxana Liliana Vida, Steffi Clark, Stacey McDonald and Saphia Wallek
• The Independent Award – Careen Kahn, Daniela Dobre, Dora Barah, Jennifer Scrim and Molly Law
• The Lean Award – Gavin Hunter, Ryan Hogg, Zsoltne Siska and Jodie Broddell
• The Engaging Award – Sandra Sanchez Navarro, Diana Lopez, Laura Raeburn and Dawn Hunter
• Employee of the Year – Florin Diaconu, Zaneta Falharova, Helen Brown, Tunde Rigo (IOG, Clem King and Greg Chisholm
• Manager of the Year – Ashleigh Pink, Catherine Bull, Colin Grieve, Laszlo Csegedi, Joan Adams and Stuart Cairns

Team of the Year – Housekeeping / Self Catering at Crieff and

• Murraypark, F&B at Peebles Hydro, Grounds Teams at the West Coast hotels and IT/Finance at BP.