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Driving social and economic growth sustainably
The Auchrannie Resort
Auchrannie - passionate about community
The Auchrannie Resort was founded in in 1988 with the acquisition of the then 16-bedroom guest house. This is now the 28-bedroom House Hotel and the resort also includes the 57-bedroom Spa Resort, the Country Club, with a selection of luxury lodges, and the Retreats, offering secluded accommodation on the estate.
The resort was launched with a singular aim of creating the sustainable facilities Arran needed to underpin the community and infrastructure which is needed to support community life on Arran. The business became employee owned in 2018 with support from us and Co-operative Development Scotland.
We've worked with Auchrannie since its early days, providing support towards the expansion of the House Hotel, creation and subsequent expansion of the Spa resort and, more recently, support through the Covid pandemic which allowed, among other things, Auchrannie to complete another staff accommodation block.
Auchrannie is also the major provider of indoor leisure facilities on the island, with both the House Hotel and Spa Resort having 20m pools.
Island impacts
The Auchrannie Resort is a key economic driver for Arran.
Published on 20/12/2023
45,000
overnight visitors per annum
85%
occupancy year round
c30%
increase in turnover since employee ownership
10%
of island's working age population employed at resort
Auchrannie community benefits hit the mark
Auchrannie has helped attract tourists to Arran and to increase visitor spend throughout the island. It has also become the island’s major community hub – open to all and used both formally and informally 365 days-a-year, from early morning to late at night.
Most of Arran’s population, including groups, charities, voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals, in all age groups, rely on using the wet weather and other facilities.
To support community and environmental projects on the island, Auchrannie collects voluntary contributions from guests and distributes these to community organisations. A total of approximately £250,000 has been donated by Auchrannie guests over the past decade. The Auchrannie Charitable Trust, formed in April 2022, has already raised over £53,000 in visitor giving.
The resort’s House Hotel and Spa Resort buildings also remain open for the local community, visitors and the emergency services for community resilience in an emergency. During the famous “snowmagedden” blizzards of 2013, Auchrannie provided a base and support facilities to the Police, Fire Service, Coastguard, Arran Mountain Rescue and SSE personnel.
There are strong links with the island’s schools, with Auchrannie providing, work experience, workshop facilitation, swimming lessons and an annual gala as well as sports activities. The resort supports the local supply chain, sourcing food, supplies, labour, services and goods locally, when available.
You should work and collaborate with your community. Make sure you do things for the right reason and, if you deliver to the very best to the community and visitors, then you will be successful. In a small community, everything is connected.Linda Johnston, Co-founder and chairperson, Auchrannie Resort
Green impacts
Auchrannie is committed to reducing the impact of the business on the environment.
The resort has been affiliated with Green Tourism since 2007 and currently holds a silver award. It has also worked with Resource Efficient Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland to help improve its sustainability.
Over recent years some of the actions to increase sustainability have included the installation of biomass woodchip boilers to supply hot water to hotel, leisure and laundry facilities; increased recycling of glass, paper products, batteries and ink cartridges; the introduction of filtered kitchen fryers to reduce oil usage by 50%; and installation of low energy lighting throughout the resort
Fair work and Auchrannie
Auchrannie strives be one of Scotland’s best employers and an exemplar for Fair Work in hospitality, where every voice within the organisation is valued.
The resort has been a Real Living Wage accredited employer since 2018, meaning everyone in the business, no matter their age or position, is paid the Real Living Wage as a minimum.
The move to employee ownership was made to ensure Auchrannie’s legacy to the community was protected for future generations of islanders. It means the resort cannot be sold (except through insolvency) and must operate in accordance with its current community-facing values.
We are passionate about our environmental commitment and our social responsibilities to the wider community. We are also aware how much this means to many of our guests who continue to return to Auchrannie and Arran year after year.Linda Johnston, Co-founder and chairperson, Auchrannie Resort
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