Bad hotels or bad bureaucracy?

Arran’s Chris Attkins wrote a pointed response to an editorial in the Scottish Review of June 20th that had called for the Scottish Government to improve the standards of Scottish tourism. With his permission, we reproduce it here.

‘Heaven help us,’ Chris said, ‘if, as Kenneth Roy proposes, the Scottish Government tries to improve the standards of Scottish tourism. From past experience, this will be attempted via crude legislation and additional burdensome bureaucracy.’ He went on to cite the reasons.

‘Previously a member of VisitScotland for 10 years, we welcomed the introduction of “grading inspections”, but were dismayed when these became an expensive annual trauma – the ultimate purpose of which seemed to be to turn every establishment into the same characterless clone. Our local council seems hell-bent on having all accommodation providers rip out any architectural features in their properties for which they do not have fire safety statistics. Such blunt instruments will destroy more than they fashion.

‘In these days of online reviews,’ Chris continued, ‘guests are quick to criticise (sometimes unfairly) so there is no excuse for discerning visitors to book into sub-standard facilities. The reason appalling places survive is because tour operators (and individual visitors) continue to seek out unrealistically cheap deals. Scotland offers a great range of first-class accommodation, fabulous food and an incredible choice of entertaining activities. It’s all easily found and booked with a mere twitch of one’s mouse finger. Let’s not cripple the industry with even more regulation.’

Chris Attkins
Guest house proprietor and restaurateur, Isle of Arran