What does it take to run a private island?

The Isle of Eriska is a private island off the coast of Scotland, which recently came under the ownership of new general manager Gordon Wainwright. He told SHEKINA TUAHENE what it is like not only to be in charge of a luxury hotel, but also a private island.

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Gordon Cartwright has been the manager of the well-known and secluded Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa and Resort since April 2016. Unlike most hotel manager roles, Cartwright is not only in charge of the property but he is also in charge of the land that surrounds it. The 360-acre island is located off the west coast of Scotland and the Eriska House was built in 1884. It was purchased by the Buchanan-Smith family in 1973, who converted the residential properties into a hotel and resort.

 Last year, it was sold to the Chinese company, Creation Gem, headed by businessman Wayne Rong. Currently, there are only five residential houses on the island which are inhabited by the executive management of the team meaning the island fully and solely runs as a vacation resort.

With 13 years experience as a senior AA hotel and restaurant inspector, Wainwright believes that despite the uniqueness of this role compared with what he has done before, his meticulous attention to detail and ability to “see [the] industry from two very different perspectives” provides him with a “wider, more balanced view” in his managerial approach. He says of his fairly recently acquired position: “Eriska is incredibly challenging. More than a hotel, more than an estate, Eriska is a remote island that almost needs a mini government rather than a management team to run it.” He continues: “I can’t imagine another role like it.”

Drawing on his time as an AA inspector, Wainwright explains that he has learned to be “super observant” and he makes a point of training his 60-strong team to see what he has himself been trained to. “It’s not always easy on the team,” he says, “but they’re developing what I call a ‘constant radar’ to assess everything, perpetually.
“This extends to visualising their day before they start work and to reflect on their day. Awareness is key.” Apart from this, Wainwright insists that his fundamental day-to-day operational responsibilities do not differ too much to that of any other hotel owner, as ultimately, success is found in ensuring the guest is happy. “The primary objective is to wow the guests who visit Eriska and then back track from that.”

He adds, “It’s all about relationships and welcoming guests with super genuine warmth and friendliness.”

Just 10 minutes away from Oban and a two-hour drive from Glasgow, the Isle of Eriska serves as a ‘stress-free’ getaway to many of its guests, with leisure activities sitting firmly on top of the ‘to-do’ list. “We joke with guests,” he quips, “that at Eriska ‘you’ll never be busier doing nothing’” He goes on to explain that one of the charms of the hotel is to “de-stress” the guest from their busy lives to the “point at which new experiences around the hotel become more appealing.”

Treating visitors to a pleasing surrounding view of mountains, valleys and marines, the island is a nature haven filled with various forms of wildlife. “We humans are by far in the minority”, he says, referring to the fact that the island is home to eagles, pine martins, herons and badgers, among other wildlife. “We’re all very privileged to share this island with such a rich diversity of wildlife,” he adds. Owning the fiefdom, tough, means wildlife has to be taken care of by its more longstanding, two-legged inhabitants, leaving the responsibility of preserving the island on the shoulders of the Isle of Eriska team. “Our estate team have a long list of ongoing projects from maintaining the woodland and shoreline to respecting wildlife activities and habitats.”

Because of its unique offering, the location is very popular with some well-known faces, and a cohort of celebrity guests have spent time at the hotel over the years, seeking the solace and relaxation which complements the beautiful surroundings. Unable to disclose the hotel’s famous visitors due to a signed ‘general managers’ code of discretion’, Wainwright insists that the employment of a guest experience manager earlier this year whose sole job is to ‘show them that we know them’ sets out to make every visitor – famous or otherwise – feel at their most welcome.

Wainwright and his team manage this with a personalised approach to each guest, going by the motto: ‘We never ask a guest name and always address guests by name’. He and his staff always make a point to “veer away from generic small talk” with every guest, whilst making it an aim to never tell them ‘no’. “We want our guests to feel deeply cared for in their ‘Highland Home’”, he says.

With regard to the guests who tend to visit the resort, a wide range of people are attracted to the Isle. “Whether it’s an expanding the far eastern market for our winter trade, boosting our US trade for the summer, or contributing to the local community. We set ourselves for all comers.”However,

Wainwright and the current owners have set their sights on making the Isle of Eriska more than just a seasonal destination. Saying that the seasonal operation of the hotel has a “damaging impact on staff continuity”, he hopes the property can tap into the newer emerging markets and become an “all-year round” location. Confidence remains in their approach however, with Wainwright insisting that despite the desire to expand, there are no plans to change their guest experience, other than to “continually polish what we do day in day out.”

As much as the Isle of Eriska offers a stay which isn’t commonly seen across the UK, Wainwright still considers the property to be in competition with other British hotels as well as the hotel’s former and ever-evolving self. The team constantly tries “to be better than we were yesterday”. “Imagine a 100m sprinter on a time trial. It doesn’t mean that because the sprinter is seemingly racing alone there are no robust targets and unforgiving standards of quality to deliver.”
With the entire island under Wainwright’s control, he sympathises with other hoteliers no matter the size of their hotel, concluding on the sentiment that although he sits on an island of relaxation, he rarely gets any time to himself as the manager of a private destination. “Ha! I’m a hotel general manager of a five-star property. My peers will tell you that there is very little downtime.”