Paddy Crerar CBE, founder of Crerar Hotels, has been presented with the SLTN Award for Industry Achievement for 2023, in association with Edrington UK.
Mr Crerar founded the multi-award winning hotel group in 2005. In under two decades the company was built into a multi-million-pound business with properties in some of Scotland’s most popular tourist locations, including Inveraray, Mull, Oban and Glencoe.
As well as building the Crerar Hotels business, Paddy spent years fighting the industry’s corner through involvement with VisitScotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, while also serving as a long-time trustee for industry charity HIT Scotland.
Having sold the business earlier this year, he now spends his time working across his two farms in East Lothian.
The SLTN Awards 2023 saw coveted corkscrew trophies presented to Scotland’s top pubs, bars, restaurants, staff and operators.
More than 20 trophies were presented at the event, which was hosted by comedian and writer David Walliams. Winners hailed from across Scotland, from Alness to Aberdeen, Kirkcudbright to Corstorphine.
Paddy Crerar wasn’t the only individual honoured on the night – Simone Keane of Malones Irish Bars was named the SLTN Entrepreneur of the Year, with Steve Latto of The Criterion Bar in St Andrews crowned Licensee of the Year.
Max Macauley of West Side Tavern in Glasgow was named Mixologist of the Year and Zach Sapato, founder of industry group HospoHang, won the Hospitality Hero Award. Ricky Wallace, of The Lochside on Islay, was named Barperson of the Year.
Other winners included The Pot Still in Glasgow, which was named Whisky Bar of the Year, The Station Bar in Alness, which was crowned Community Pub of the Year, The Hanging Bat in Edinburgh, which won the title of Craft Beer Bar of the Year, and Carriages in Kilmacolm, which won the Best Outdoor Area award.
SLTN print editor, Dave Hunter, said: “Hospitality is one of Scotland’s most important industries, employing thousands of people and contributing billions to the economy every year. It’s a force for good in our communities and the backbone of our tourism industry.
“Each year, SLTN is proud to celebrate this vital industry and highlight some of the very best venues, operators and staff Scottish hospitality has to offer.
“We’d like to congratulate all our winners and highly commended finalists. As always, the standards were excellent and the competition tough. Everyone who made it onto one of our shortlists deserves enormous credit; they represent the very best of Scotland’s hospitality industry.”
See the full list of SLTN Award winners here
