Blackfriars Hotel is simply summed up by our signage; Eat, Sleep, Drink. We are a delightful nine-bedroom hotel with a very comfortable and warm atmosphere. Our restaurant and bar serves amazing food which is all freshly prepared by our head chef, Paul Donnelly, and his team.
The bedrooms at Blackfriars are luxurious and every room is uniquely decorated. We have a great team and along with my assistant manager, Alex Thetford, we offer both visitors and locals a friendly place to dine or simply enjoy a drink. I've been involved in the hospitality industry for many years.
I was the sales director of a coffee supply company. Most of my clients were at the higher end of the hospitality industry and I became fascinated by the whole concept of this field. It seemed a natural change of direction from direct sales to running hospitality businesses, especially the front-of-house operations.
I have known the owner of the business, chief executive officer, Billy McAneney, for around 20 years. Blackfriars is part of the Baby Grand Group of restaurants based in Glasgow and also runs the Winking Owl in Aviemore. Billy asked me earlier this year to take over as general manager and it was a pleasure to get involved.
Inverness is a vibrant city in which to run an independent hotel; there is a unique opportunity between the tourists and the local population. Businesses cannot just rely on tourists and we are trying to ensure that local residents and businesses can get better information about .
