Edinburgh lifestyle hotel Kimpton Charlotte Square has announced the appointment of Garry Leask, Head Porter, as its Access Champion, strengthening the hotel’s commitment to making accessibility part of everyday guest and colleague experiences.
The appointment is particularly noteworthy as Leask and his team are often among the first points of in-person contact between a guest and the hotel.
From arrival and luggage assistance to directions, reassurance and practical support, the role of a porter sits close to the moments that shape whether guests feel welcomed from the outset.
As Access Champion, Leask will help keep accessibility visible across day-to-day operations, supporting conversations between departments and helping ensure that both colleague and guest experiences are considered cohesively.
Kimpton Charlotte Square’s membership of Accessible Hospitality Alliance (aha) places the hotel within a growing community of hospitality operators working to advance accessibility through practical, shared learning.
Leask’s appointment adds a further operational voice to The Access Champions Collective, aha’s peer network for named Access Champions across operator member businesses, where progress is shaped through real hospitality experience rather than theory.
Garry Leask, Head Porter and Access Champion at Kimpton Charlotte Square, said: “I’m delighted to be appointed Access Champion for Kimpton Charlotte Square and look forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead – because change is an opportunity.”
Charlotte Evans, Group Partnerships Director, Accessible Hospitality Alliance, said: “It’s wonderful to welcome Garry into The Access Champions Collective. His role places him at the very heart of the guest experience, where small moments of understanding, reassurance and practical support can make the greatest difference. Garry brings a genuine warmth and people-first approach that reflects exactly what accessible hospitality should feel like – thoughtful, inclusive and instinctively welcoming.”
The appointment reflects a clear principle behind aha’s Access Champion model: accessibility is not owned by one department. It is shaped through many guest touchpoints, and often through the people whose work gives them the closest understanding of how guests actually experience hospitality.
By appointing its Head Porter as Access Champion, Kimpton Charlotte Square is placing that understanding at the centre of its accessibility journey.
Royal Lancaster London joins Accessible Hospitality Alliance as operator member