When it comes to ideas, Anne Gracie Gunn has no end of them, and her creativity is just one of the reasons why her Skye hotels business is going from strength to strength.
Anne is owner of the family-run Sonas Hotel Collection which includes Duisdale House, now named top hotel in Scotland’s Highlands and Islands.
Other Sonas properties are Toravaig House Hotel, overlooking the Sound of Sleat, and Skeabost House Hotel on the shoreline of Loch Snizort.
Anne is also in the process of developing the Knipoch Hotel, south of Oban, which will be launched in March.
The group is one of the largest employers on Skye and this summer had a staff of 100 people on the island and another 20 in Oban.
Sonas has almost doubled its turnover since 2019 and on Friday, November 10, took home the trophy for Best Hotel Experience at the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards.
After picking up the award at a gala dinner in Inverness, Anne said: “We are passionate about giving our guests a memorable island experience and showcasing the best of Highland hospitality.
“I am thrilled this has been recognised anew through this award in which we were competing against many wonderful hotels.
“At Sonas we invest in quality in all we do and are always trying to improve. Guests have been enthralled with the consistently high standard of service provided by our magnificent staff who go the extra mile for them day in and day out.”
Skye born and bred
Anne, a Gaelic speaker born and brought up on Skye, ran a B&B in the north-west of the isle for over 20 years before going to work for a national company, quality grading holiday cottages throughout the UK.
She also took on a series of directorships, including with Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise, Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board and Leader European Funding for Skye and the Outer Hebrides.
The Sonas Collection started out with Toravaig House Hotel in 2003, adding Duisdale in 2007 and Skeabost in 2015.
From the outset, Sonas has aimed to provide guests with something to do as well as somewhere to stay and activities have included fully-catered yacht trips, even as far as St Kilda, and more recently sea safaris to look for much-loved wildlife such as otters.
One of Anne’s latest innovative ideas is an off-season Dark Skye Romance package at the 22-bedroom Duisdale House.
The package includes two nights’ bed and breakfast for two, a two-course dinner in the hotel’s 2 Rosette restaurant on the first night, private 30 minute hot tub session and late check-out.
Anne said: “I always feel that sky comes into its own when the majority of visitors have gone after the season, and you get the real rawness, wild nature and the country experience back again.
“You see the sky as we all knew it while we were growing up. It was not so busy then. Obviously the bridge has had a huge effect. With those two ferries running you had a 25 cars every 15 minutes, whereas now it’s a constant stream of traffic over the bridge.
“So it goes back to natural raw sky. And I think that in itself is incredibly romantic. Also where Duisdale House is positioned, there are no street lights so we can have this canopy of stars above us.
“Last night was stunning with the Northern Lights and the most beautiful array of stars you could ever imagine.”
Besides what’s going on in the heavens, the Dark Skye package is also “all about log fires, fine wines, whiskies or cocktail and warm, fabulous food”.
The secret ingredient however is the staff and Anne says guests are well looked after as her team are “incredibly good at that” and have the prizes to prove it.
The Sonas Collection won this year’s Loganair Award for Excellence in Customer Service, Care and Experience at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry Highlands & Islands Business Excellence Awards.
Anne said: “Our hospitality that is shown by our staff comes out naturally, it’s the ethos of our business. We want people to just be loved and cared for. And you know, the delivery is coming from the heart, and our people are great at doing that.”
For more information visit skyehotel.co.uk or call 01470-373737.
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