NHS heroes can get hotel freebie
The world-famous Gleneagles Hotel is offering frontline healthcare heroes some well-deserved pampering with free bed and breakfast stays for the next five years.
As a huge thank you to NHS Scotland staff working tirelessly through the coronavirus pandemic, bigwigs at the five-star Perthshire resort are offering 365 free room nights each year until 2025.
The initiative, called ‘Our Turn To Care’, is to be launched from September 1.
The scheme will be administered by Gleneagles, Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland and NHS Scotland.
Once launched, Gleneagles and HIT will actively look to engage other hospitality brands to contribute stays and experiences to the initiative, for which the Scottish Government has demonstrated its full backing.
Gleneagles already has a strong connection with healthcare workers stretching back over 80 years.
The only other time in its history when a global event led it to close its doors was during World War II when the hotel transformed into a military hospital - which drew as an inspiration for the new venture.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon commended bosses at the famous Strathearn hotel for the kindhearted gesture.
She said: “This is an excellent initiative by Gleneagles to let our health and social care workforce know how valued they are, not only during this extremely trying time, but always.
“They have been working tirelessly on the front line of this pandemic since the beginning and will be fundamental in our fight to suppress the virus going forward.
“I’m sure this generous gesture will inspire many others to show their support for our essential workers.”
As part of this initiative, Gleneagles has also committed to supporting local care homes in Auchterarder and will work with them individually to recognise the carers’ efforts through this crisis.
Sharan Pasricha, founder and CEO of the hotel’s owner Ennismore, said: “In our own small way, we wanted to reward Scottish NHS workers who have risked their lives for others every day through this pandemic.
“As most of us have observed the situation develop from the safety and comfort of our homes, NHS workers continue to battle this virus courageously and tirelessly on the frontline, enduring tremendous stress and spending time away from loved ones, not to mention the threat to their own lives.
“This scheme will give thousands of those individuals something to look forward to – a little bit of pampering and the chance to be the one on the receiving end of excellent care for a change.”
HIT Scotland will work closely with all 14 NHS health boards and partners across Scotland, who will be responsible for distributing the complimentary bed and breakfast stays to their staff.
“We are thrilled to be working with Gleneagles on this initiative, which is very much in keeping with the generous spirit of HIT Scotland,” says David Cochrane, chief executive of HIT Scotland.
“We hope that by having such an iconic Scottish institution leading the charge, we can encourage other hospitality companies in the country to come on board too.”