Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island, a member of Accessible Hospitality Alliance (aha), has appointed Lorna Mathers as its Access Champion, giving the hotel a named point of responsibility for keeping accessibility visible, discussed, measured and progressed across the business.
The appointment moves the hotel’s aha membership from participation into practical operational focus. Located on its own private island off Scotland’s west coast, Isle of Eriska, Hotel, Spa & Island brings a distinctive setting into the alliance’s operator community. The five-star hotel sits within 300 acres of island landscape, connected to the mainland by a single bridge, with 30 individually designed rooms and suites, spa, leisure facilities and destination dining.
That setting matters. Accessibility at Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island is shaped by more than the building itself. It involves arrival, movement, communication, confidence, service delivery, guest expectation and the practical realities of hospitality delivered in an island environment.
Mathers’ appointment recognises that accessibility needs clear internal ownership if it is to become part of everyday hospitality. The role of Access Champion is not symbolic. It exists to keep attention on the operational details that shape whether guests and colleagues feel able to participate fully in the experience of hospitality.
Lorna Mathers, Access Champion, Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island said “I am delighted and honoured to be appointed Access Champion for the Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island. I look forward to working with aha and engaging with fellow champions to share best practice and explore innovative approaches that enable us to continuously adapt and enhance the guest experience for all.”
The appointment also strengthens the developing picture across Scotland, where a growing number of aha operator members are now engaging with accessibility through the alliance. That is significant in a country whose hospitality reputation has long been shaped by authenticity, place and welcome.
For aha, that Scottish engagement matters because accessibility is not separate from authentic hospitality. It tests it. It asks whether welcome extends to guests and colleagues who experience barriers, and whether operators are prepared to learn from those experiences in practical, visible ways.
The appointment also adds to the developing picture across the ICMI Collection, following Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island joining aha after Inverlochy Castle. Both properties bring luxury hospitality settings where accessibility has to be considered within highly individual operating environments, rather than through standardised assumptions.
For Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island, the Access Champion role creates a direct link between the hotel’s own operational learning and the wider aha operator community. It ensures the hotel can contribute to shared conversations while also bringing back practical insight from peers facing different accessibility challenges across hospitality.
As Access Champion, Mathers will join The Access Champions Collective, the peer group created through aha membership to bring together individuals appointed by operator members. The collective enables Access Champions to exchange experience, discuss barriers honestly, and turn shared learning into practical action within their own businesses.
Charlotte Evans, Group Partnerships Director, Accessible Hospitality Alliance said: “We are delighted to welcome Lorna into the role of Access Champion at Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island as the hotel begins its accessibility journey. This appointment reflects a genuine commitment to learning and listening, and to ensuring accessibility becomes part of the guest experience in meaningful, practical ways. We look forward to Lorna bringing her perspective into The Access Champions Collective and supporting Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island as this important work develops.”
The appointment of Lorna Mathers gives Isle of Eriska, Hotel, Spa & Island a clear voice within The Access Champions Collective and adds an important island-hotel perspective to aha’s growing operator community.
It also reinforces the central principle behind the role. Accessibility advances when it is owned within the business, informed by lived experience, and treated as part of how hospitality is delivered each day.
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