Skye hotel group joins UK Living Wage campaign

A group of multi-awardwinning boutique hotels on Skye has become the first hospitality provider in the Hebridean islands to sign up to the UK’s real Living Wage and says its move will help post-Brexit recruitment of staff in one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations.

Sonas Hospitality has agreed to pay employees at least £9 an hour – the figure set by the Living Wage Foundation based on actual living costs for workers outside London.

‘Staff in the hospitality business work very hard and we believe each one should be valued and treated fairly,’ said Anne Gracie Gunn, who heads the group which owns Duisdale and Toravaig House on Sleat and Skeabost House near Portree. ‘All are important links in the visitor experience chain.’

Around two-thirds of Sonas’ staff on Sleat and 50 per cent at Skeabost are not local. The company employs just under 80 at peak season with 48 all year round.

Mrs Gracie Gunn added: ‘Adoption of the real Living Wage shows we invest in our staff as well as our hotels’ infrastructure and helps demonstrate to overseas and UK workers that, no matter what happens after Brexit, there is decent money to be made in the hotels industry which also offers excellent career prospects.’