Hotel worker awarded hospitality scholarship

A hotel worker has been awarded a hospitality scholarship, less than two years after starting in the industry.

Kira Spofforth is a management trainee with Brudolff Hotels Group in Lerwick, having started as a receptionist in May 2018.

Her bosses have signed her up with the Hospitality Trust Scotland who provide training and advancement in the hospitality sector.

That makes her one of 284 people to be awarded the scholarship this year.

Her work has already seen her serve in the Kveldsro House Hotel and the Lerwick Hotel, as well as the Shetland Hotel where she is currently carrying out duties.

All three hotels belong under the Brudolff umbrella.

The scholarships were awarded at the HIT talent conference earlier this month at the Edinburgh exhibition centre – a day featuring educational and motivational speakers and workshops designed to inspire hospitality leaders.

Different scholarships are available, and Ms Spofforth’s involves spending a couple of days at the five star Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire.

That includes teaching and talks from an expert on customer experience looking at current trends. An overnight stay and dinner in the hotel lets the scholar experience Gleneagles standards.

Further workshops and training are carried out on the second day, finishing with an overview of the Michelin standards of the Andrew Fairlie restaurant.

Regional manager for Brudolff Hotels, Marjory Barrie, said: “We need more people to consider hospitality as a career and to do so we must offer our younger staff the opportunities to mix with others and enjoy the benefits of first class training.”