Gleneagles Hotel

Gleneagles Hotel is a hotel near Auchterarder, Scotland. It was commissioned by the Caledonian Railway and opened in 1924. The bandleader Henry Hall performed at the hotel before the Second World War during which it served as a military hospital. There are three tournament-standard golf courses in the grounds and the hotel was redeveloped for the 40th Ryder Cup in 2014. Significant conferences at the hotel have included the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1977 and the 31st G8 summit in July 2005. It is a Category B listed building.[1]

For the Torquay hotel, see Gleneagles Hotel, Torquay.

Gleneagles Hotel
Gleneagles Hotel and grounds
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHotel
Architectural styleGeorgian
AddressAuchterarder
Perthshire
PH3 1NF
CountryScotland
Coordinates56°17′09″N 3°44′51″W
Construction started1913 (paused 1914 – 1922)
Completed1924
Opened7 June 1924 (1924-06-07)
OwnerEnnismore
Technical details
Floor count3-storey with attics
Design and construction
Architect(s)Matthew Adam
Architecture firmCaledonian Railway Divisional Engineer
DeveloperCaledonian Railway
Other designersCharles W. Swanson (interior designer)
Other information
Number of rooms232
Number of restaurants6 (The Strathearn; Andrew Fairlie; Birnam Brasserie; The Dormy; Glendevon; Garden Cafe)
Number of bars4 (Auchterader 70; The Century Bar; The American Bar; Inglenook)
Public transit accessNational Rail Gleneagles
Website
gleneagles.com
Listed Building – Category B
Official nameGleneagles Hotel
Designated8 April 1980
Reference no.LB4570
Gleneagles Hotel
The 9th hole on Kings Course at Gleneagles
Club information
LocationAuchterarder, Scotland, UK
Established1924
TypePrivate
Owned byEnnismore
Total holes63
Events hostedRyder Cup, Johnnie Walker Championship
Websitewww.gleneagles.com
King's Course
Designed byJames Braid
Par71
Length6,790 yards
Queen's Course
Designed byJames Braid
Par68
Length5,965 yards
PGA Centenary Course
Designed byJack Nicklaus
Par73
Length7,320 yards
Wee Course (9 holes)
Designed byGeorge Alexander
Par27
Length1481 yards

History

Construction of the hotel was commenced by the Caledonian Railway (CR), which also built the nearby Gleneagles railway station. However, by the time it opened in 1924, the CR had been absorbed by the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). It was equipped with its own dedicated railway branch line.[2] An up-and-coming dance band leader named Henry Hall was involved in buying their pianos, and organising the dance band entertainment. He decided that radio broadcasts would be an ideal way to advertise the new hotel, so was given permission to move his Trafford Band from Manchester's Midland Hotel to the Gleneagles and form a new band in Manchester. The hotel's opening night was celebrated with Scotland's first ever outside broadcast on 7 June 1924.[3]

After the season ended, the band moved to the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool. Summer 1925 saw the band return to Gleneagles, although their commercial recordings were made in Manchester, and the winter seasons were in Liverpool.[4]

During World War II, as with many large country hotels, it was converted into Gleneagles Hospital[5] under the charge of Dr Thomas Ferguson as Medical Superintendent.[6] In 1948 ownership of the hotel passed from LMS to the British Transport Commission and in 1963 to British Transport Hotels.[7]

In 1980 the hotel was designated as a Category B listed building.[1] In 1981, British Transport Hotels sold Gleneagles to a newly established private sector operator, Gleneagles Hotels plc.[8] In 1984 it was acquired by Arthur Bell & Sons,[9] which came into the ownership of Guinness in 1985 and Diageo in 1997.[10]

Between 1982 and 1986, £11 million was spent on renovation and since 1982 the hotel has been open all year round. In 1986, and every year since, the hotel has been awarded five red stars by the AA. The hotel remained owned by Diageo, until it was sold to a private investment company Ennismore in 2015.[11]

The hotel was redeveloped in preparation for hosting the 40th Ryder Cup in 2014 played on the PGA Centenary Course.[12]

Facilities

Gleneagles has three golf courses: the King's Course, Queen's Course and PGA Centenary Course, previously known as the Monarch's Course. There is also a nine-hole course called the PGA National Academy Course, informally known as the Wee Course. Gleneagles Golf Academy opened in 1994 and in 2010 was re-branded to The PGA National Academy for Scotland.[13] The Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary Course opened in 1993 and hosted the Ryder Cup in 2014. When asked about his work, Nicklaus said, "It's the finest parcel of land in the world I have ever been given to work with."[14]

Tournaments that have taken place at Gleneagles include:[15]

The British School of Falconry has been located at Gleneagles since 1992.[16]

The village of Glenmor has holiday homes set within the grounds of the hotel.[17]

Conferences

Conferences have included:

Awards

Gleneagles Hotel has won/holds various awards,[21] including:

  • 5 Red AA Stars[22] (since 1986)
  • Conde Nast Gold List 2009 – Best Hotel in the World for Facilities[23]
  • Scotland's leading resort at the World Travel Awards 2008[24]
  • Best Golf Resort in the World (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) – Ultratravel Magazine[25]
  • Scotland's Best Hotel – Today's Golfer Travel Awards (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017)[26]

See also

References
  1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Gleneagles Hotel (Category B Listed Building) (LB4570)". Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Gleneagles Hotel and Golf Courses (GDL00360)". Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  3. Hodge, Ed; Nicklaus, Jack (2014). Jewel in the Glen. Arena Sport. ISBN 978-1909715233.
  4. "Henry Hall biography". John Wright. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  5. "The Gleneagles General Hospital - Gleneagles". Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  6. Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  7. British Rail Hotels Limited Railway Gazette 28 September 1962 page 353
  8. Gleneagles sale Rails August 1981 page 19
  9. David Parker (19 June 2013). The Official History of Privatisation, Vol. II: Popular Capitalism, 1987–97. Routledge. p. 438. ISBN 978-1-136-33123-7.
  10. "Diageo sells Gleneagles hotel to Hoxton hotel owner Ennismore". The Guardian. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  11. "Gleneagles Hotel and golf resort sold by Diageo". BBC News. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  12. Simon Brown (1 February 2008). "Gleneagles Announces Launch of New Destination Spa". PR Web. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  13. "The PGA National Golf Academy Scotland | Gleneagles". Gleneagles. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  14. "Gleneagles – Home of the 2014 Ryder Cup". TruGolf. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  15. "Golf championships at Gleneagles". Gleneagles Hotel. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  16. "British School of Faconry at Gleneagles". Gleneagles Hotel. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  17. "Glenmor holiday homes at Gleneagles". Gleneagles Hotel. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  18. "From the Archive: Gleneagles Agreement on Sport". London: Commonwealth. 9 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  19. "Bilderberg Meetings 1986 Conference Report Gleneagles, United Kingdom". Public Intelligence. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  20. 2005 Gleneagles G-8, delegations; "EU and the G8" Archived 26 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Gleneagles' Awards". Gleneagles Hotel. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  22. "5 red Stars from AA". Automobile Association. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  23. "Conde Nast Gold List 2009". Conde Nast Traveller. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  24. "World Travel Awards 2008". World Travel Awards. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
  25. "Gleneagles voted Best Golf Resort in the World – GolfPunkHQ". GolfPunkHQ. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  26. "Gleneagles scores hole in one | DRAM Scotland". dramscotland.co.uk. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
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