To mark the launch of our Fairer Hotels Guide, we’re spotlighting hotels across Scotland that are going the extra mile for people, place and planet. From fair employment and responsible sourcing to deep-rooted community connections, these hotels show what a fairer approach to hospitality can look like in practice. Next up in this Q&A mini-series is The Torridon, a family-owned hotel in the north-west Highlands where landscape, legacy and long-term thinking shape every part of how the hotel operates. We spoke to sustainability officer, Kirsten Locy, to find out more about their approach.
Can you introduce The Torridon and how your location and surroundings shape the way you run the hotel?
The Torridon is a family-owned hotel in the north-west Highlands, set within a dramatic landscape on the west coast which shapes how we operate day to day.
Being so remote naturally pushes you towards a level of self-sufficiency. We have our own kitchen garden, livestock, and borehole water, and we’re quite mindful of resources because you can’t just rely on things being readily available. It makes you think more carefully about how you source, use and manage everything.
At the same time, the landscape itself is a huge part of the guest experience. From our range of outdoor activities to what we call ‘wellness without walls’, people come here to immerse themselves in the environment. That connection carries through into the hotel as well, whether that’s local seafood on the menu, or wood collected from the estate being used in the fireplaces. It all links back to where we are.
There’s also a strong sense of family and legacy here. The hotel has been built up over time with a long-term view, so decisions are made with that in mind rather than short-term gain. It’s about protecting what we have here and making sure it’s there for the future.
You place a strong emphasis on local sourcing – from your kitchen garden to working with nearby producers. How does that influence your day-to-day decisions around food and suppliers?
Local sourcing plays a big role in day-to-day decisions. Seasonality sits at the centre of it, so the kitchen, garden, and local suppliers all have to stay closely connected, even though it’s not always straightforward. What’s coming out of the garden, or the sea, can change week to week, and while we do have a fixed Michelin menu, there’s a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure what’s being grown and what the kitchen, or seasonally available otherwise, needs are aligned well in advance.
Gardening on the west coast comes with its own challenges as well. Winters bring heavy rain, very little daylight and strong storms, and the seasons can vary a lot year to year, so things don’t always follow a predictable pattern. Quite often, the produce is ready when it’s ready, and we have to work around that. This means being thoughtful about how everything from the garden is used, whether that’s preserving surplus or using it for staff food.
At the same time, the kitchen garden gives us something really special. We’re able to grow more unusual ingredients like Scots lovage, botanicals for our Arcturus Gin, or very delicate garnishes that simply wouldn’t travel well. It adds a level of detail and individuality you wouldn’t get otherwise, and naturally pushes you towards quality. When something is grown on site or sourced locally, it’s fresher and you have a much clearer connection to where it’s come from, which comes through in the final dish.
With suppliers, we try to work with people who are aligned with how we operate. That might be local fishermen, small-scale producers, or farms that take a similar approach to animal welfare and sustainability. We prioritise suppliers who can tell us exactly how something has been produced, rather than just treating it as a commodity.
One thing we’re particularly proud of is working with heritage breeds of livestock. On site, that includes our Highland cattle and Mangalitza pigs – which produce incredibly rich, high-quality meat you wouldn’t find everywhere. It also supports biodiversity and suits our environment, as these breeds are well adapted to the harsher west coast climate and tend to require fewer inputs.
Overall, it’s not always the easiest route, but it creates a stronger product and a more authentic story, and that’s a big part of what defines the guest experience here.
Sustainability seems to be built into how you operate, from energy use to waste and biodiversity. What are some of the most practical changes you’ve made that have had the biggest impact?
Sustainability here is a mix of the bigger infrastructure decisions and the day-to-day cultural side of things. From an operational point of view, that includes things like EV chargers for guests, supporting renewable electricity, and our biomass system which provides all of our hot water using a renewably sourced fuel.
We’ve also installed a new TRV system to better control heating across the resort, improving insulation, and investing in a bin scale and compactor so we can properly track and manage our waste. These aren’t the most visible changes, but they make a real difference in how efficiently the business runs. Also on a practical level, our on-site Rocket Composter has also been a great addition. Food waste from the kitchens is processed on site and fed back into the garden, creating a simple closed loop.
Alongside all of that, a big part of the impact has come from bringing the whole team with us. Sustainability has long been part of the ethos here, we often say it’s just the way we do things, but to really level it up over the past year and achieve EarthCheck Silver certification, it’s taken a much more structured approach. That’s included having a dedicated sustainability role, rolling out training across departments, and creating regular opportunities for the team to be involved. We now run monthly ‘green team’ meetings with heads of department to keep pushing things forward. It’s about having strong leadership and direction, but also giving teams the ownership to make improvements within their own areas. It’s that combination of long-term investment and day-to-day engagement that has had the biggest impact.
You’ve invested in training and development, as well as creating a strong team culture. What does that look like in practice, particularly in a remote setting?
Being in a remote location means you have to be very intentional about how you support your team. Many people are living on site, so it becomes more than just a place of work, it’s part of their day-to-day life. That brings a real sense of community, but it also means you have a responsibility to get it right.
This year we introduced a dedicated sustainability induction for all new team members, led by myself, including a behind-the-scenes tour of how everything works, from energy systems to waste and the garden. It gives people a proper understanding of how the whole place operates and how their role fits into it, rather than just focusing on their individual department.
We also try to create clear opportunities for progression. In a remote setting, it’s important that people can see a future here, not just a short-term role. We’ve had team members move between departments, take on more responsibility or step into leadership roles over time, which helps with both retention and overall team knowledge.
But beyond the structure, it really comes down to culture. It’s a close-knit team, people support each other, and there’s a shared understanding of how we want to operate. That sense of belonging makes a big difference to how people feel working here, and you can see it reflected in the guest experience as well.
What advice would you give to other hotels looking to take a more considered, fairer approach to both their staff and how they source and operate?
For us, it starts with the team. The best service comes from people who feel looked after, supported and valued, and that has a direct impact on the guest experience. If you invest in creating a positive working environment, offering development opportunities and giving people a sense of ownership, it shows in the way they engage with guests and with each other.
On the sourcing side, it’s about taking a more considered, long-term approach. Prioritising quality, understanding where things come from, and working with the right suppliers does take more time and effort, but it shows in the final product and in the overall experience you’re offering.
In a small and relatively remote community, those supplier relationships become even more important. You’re often working with the same fishermen, farmers and producers over a long period of time, so it becomes a partnership rather than a transaction. There’s trust, consistency and a level of mutual support, and that’s important not just for the business, but for the wider local economy as well. It also gives you a much clearer, more genuine story behind what you’re serving, which guests really value.
I think it’s also about being realistic and consistent. You don’t need to do everything at once, but steady improvements over time really add up. Whether that’s operational changes, team development or sourcing decisions, it’s about building something that is sustainable in the long term. Done well, it creates a stronger, more resilient business, and a much better experience for both staff and guests.
