THE Prestige Hotel Awards, Scotland’s most transparent hotel industry awards, is to be hosted at Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel on February 19 and will celebrate the best of the country’s hotel trade.

The finalists have been announced in the 18 categories – which include Best Brand Hotel, Head Chef of the Year and Hotel of the Year, an award divided into eastern and western categories – all of which have been voted for solely by the Scottish public. The awards night, hosted by Capital FM’s Des Clarke, will see the trophies handed out to the winners.

Those will be decided in the coming weeks as independent ‘mystery-shopper’ judges visit each of the finalists to assess their credentials; rooms will be booked, cocktails sampled, service scrutinised and restaurant offerings put to the test. Those shortlisted in the ‘Best Head Chef’ category will also compete in a cook-off, while the ‘Best Hotel Barista’ nominees will each show off their flair against the clock.

Among the establishments competing for Hotel of the Year are, in the eastern category; Carnousite Golf Hotel; The Rox Hotel; and Crieff Hydro Hotel. Cameron House Hotel and Malmaison, Glasgow are in the western shortlist.

Warren Paul, CEO and founder of The Prestige Hotel Awards, said: “It has been very encouraging to see the high level of engagement from top hotels across the country. A lot of the nominations from the public come in completely organically and this is a testament to the impression these hotels are making on visitors.”