Hotel staff become community heroes
Furloughed workers take on range of tasks
Thirty-five furloughed staff from a five-star hotel in Highland Perthshire have stepped in to help out the local community during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Employees from Dunalastair Hotel Suites in the village of Kinloch Rannoch have been supporting residents by donating to food banks, shopping for the elderly, tidying up the local church gardens, as well as undertaking landscaping and maintenance work.
The hotel closed its doors at the end of March as a hospitality lockdown was declared with all staff, apart from the general manager, being furloughed.
Those who could not get home were given accommodation and free meals, but were finding that time was passing very slowly with nothing to do.
General manager Richard Deak then suggested the volunteering work to staff, all of whom either live in the village or in hotel accommodation.
He said: “Community spirit has always been great in this little village but during these times we thought it would be good to offer our services to local people and help where we can.
“It started with a nearby resident asking for her gardening to be done and then we went from there, proactively offering our time for free, volunteering to help the locals and in particularly the elderly residents of Kinloch Rannoch.
“The largest town is over 30 miles away and all our local buses have stopped – so we are also making deliveries for those who are cut off.
“The area is renowned for its breath-taking countryside, so we know we are very lucky to have the trails and walks on our doorsteps but by volunteering we can really give something back to the community.”
Village resident Anne Gerber is far away from her family so was happy when hotel staff Gary
Owens, Sandra Darrien and Angela Tunde Gyorgy, offered to help with her garden landscaping.
Anne said: “It’s difficult for me to get on with tasks like gardening, so to have the staff from Dunalastair help me out has been an absolute pleasure, especially as I am away from family.
“I was supposed to be in Australia with them, so having pleasant, young people helping me with my garden and other chores has been amazing and great company too. I couldn’t be more thankful in the current situation.”
The hotel was originally constructed as a Victorian
Highland sporting lodge and in 2014 received a multi-million pound refurbishment from Rogue City Hotel Group, a Henley Homes Group company.
It plans to reopen at some point in July, subject to lockdown measures being lifted.
Nassar Khalil, CEO of Rogue City Hotels, part of the Henley Homes Group, added: “We are delighted to be able to do anything we can at this time to help villagers.
“It is great to see so many of our staff getting on and helping those who need our assistance. Residents can call upon our help anytime.”