Hotel collection seeks west coast champion to showcase the best of the region - with free stays up for grabs

What’s happening? The Coast & Country Hotel Collection, which has more than 30 properties across the UK, including the Great Western Hotel in Oban, the Tarbet and Claymore Hotels in Arrochar, and the Caledonian Hotel in Fort William is seeking a ‘County Champion’ who will help convey to those visiting the region just what’s so special about Oban, Arrochar, Fort William and the wider West Coast area.

Ideal candidate: Calling upon enthusiastic members of the public to come forward to help promote the region, the collection is hoping to find someone to work with them in creating engaging content that showcases the things that makes the West Coast so great – be that key local attractions, local dishes, best pubs, restaurants, regional eccentricities and more.

Within this, the collection is looking to uncover some real hidden gems, so is seeking input from someone with a truly in-depth knowledge of the area.

Paul FitzGerald, Portfolio Managing Director of the Coast & Country Hotel Collection, elaborated on what the group is looking for saying: “No one knows an area better than the people living there. Tourists who visit, by contrast, only have a relatively short time to appreciate the best things to do and see.

“This makes it all too easy to miss out on the things that really make an area special and unique – especially if they’re not common knowledge.

“We’re looking for someone who has a more in-depth understanding of the area than that simply offered by TripAdvisor and Wikipedia, and are seeking to work with someone local and on the ground who can tell you the things worth knowing about that aren’t really known.

“Are you a local historian? A tour guide perhaps? Or just simply, a firm believer in and cheerleader of your local community and its surrounds? If so, we’d love to hear from you.”

The collection will be looking for the eventual ‘County Champion’ to advise on the many things that make the area great, giving insight as to what visitors can enjoy during their time there whilst also offering a better understanding of what makes the region special. The collection would then use the information gathered to put together a guide and an advisory video.

In return for the county champion’s input, the collection would offer the choice of either monetary payment or, as an alternative, a three-night break in another hotel in the collection in a region of their choice – offering them the opportunity to explore another part of the UK.

Paul FitzGerald added: “Alongside the West Coast of Scotland, we’re searching for other regional champions across the UK, so it would be wonderful to be able to arrange an ‘exchange’ programme elsewhere, where one regional champion can go to another area and possibly meet up with that area’s champion to learn a little bit more about another part of the UK. It would be great to bring two enthusiastic minds together.”

The search for regional champions coincides with the Coast & Country Hotel Collection’s imminent launch of its Explore & Stay package, which seeks to encourage intrepid holidaymakers to discover some of the sights, experiences and attractions situated near its extensive range of hotels, located in some of the UK’s top tourist hotspots.

In addition to its West Coast of Scotland properties, the collection includes celebrated spots such as the Windermere Hotel in Windermere, The Great Western in Oban, Argyll and Bute, and the Ship and Castle in St Mawes, Cornwall. Many of the hotels, as their collective name implies, are within areas close to coastal or rural attractions and offer guests a base to visit established regional tourist attractions or take part in active outdoor pursuits.

FitzGerald concluded: “It’s not just the West Coast of Scotland that has a lot to be proud of, but elsewhere in Britain too, and we’re hoping to shine a light on some of the unexplored jewels that are found right across the country. By partnering with various county champions, we’re looking to showcase the very best of the UK, using the knowledge of those fully immersed in each location.”

How to apply: To apply for the role of County Champion, please visit the company’s website.

The deadline for applications is the 31 May 2022.