Meet the team
Here, at the Dowans, our staff are key to making us who we are. Without their effort, dedication and service professionalism, we would not have achieved the levels of success that we have experienced since we took over the Dowans; for those very reasons, we are indebted to their hard work and commitment. Let us introduce you to a few of those individuals who you may meet on your next trip:
Scott Morton
Quietly spoken but with a wicked sense of humour, our Head Chef Scott is a devoted family man whose second greatest passion is food; on the one hand, capable of producing dishes that are simple yet flavoursome and, on the other, dishes that are equally resplendent with fantastic flavours but catered to those who like the finer things in life. Both styles have been reviewed to the highest of acclaim by the guests that have shared their time with us. Coming to us by way of the Craigellachie Hotel and, most recently, the Highlander Inn, Scott understands the wealth of produce available to us in Scotland, in general, and, more specifically, Speyside.
Elisa Pinto
Elisa is our longest running member of staff, joining us just over 5 years ago. Since joining, Elisa has proven that hard work will reap its reward and we were delighted to elevate her to the position of Head Housekeeper knowing that her dedication to maintaining our high standards is more than just a priority to her, it’s a source of pride. With compliments that extend to declarations that a cleaner hotel has never been encountered by our guests, we feel safe in the knowledge that the housekeeping team are led by Elisa’s commitment to that goal. She is a true star who keeps us all in check!
Dean Pirie
As breakfast supervisor, we often say that Dean has the most challenging job in the hotel – mostly because he leads a team who are responsible for setting up the guests’ mood for the rest of the day! Understanding that not everyone is a ‘morning person’, he toes a fine line of interacting with guests as to how they would prefer which is no easy job; he does it with ease though and, for that, we feel incredibly lucky to have him as part of the team. Additionally, breakfast staff often conduct the most stringent of the cleaning jobs, ensuring that we maintain a high level of cleanliness – not once have we received comments that the hotel does not meet even the highest of expectations when it comes to that and we thank him for his hard work in that department as well!
Shona Nicholson
Shona is, without doubt, a breath of fresh air. Quick with a joyful outburst of laughter, which tends to be your first clue that she is in the building, she never fails to create a feeling of warmth in the team when she is on shift. Approaching us when a position opened for Breakfast Chef, we could not have anticipated the level of dedication, spirited enthusiasm and passion that she would show for the role and we can safely say that our breakfast menu has never been so full of tasty delights! Her creation of dishes and the consistent quality with which they go out to the guests have led to rave reviews and we look forward to them continuing, as they surely will!
Dagmara Astasewicz
Starting in our Housekeeping team, Dagmara quickly demonstrated her keen attention to detail. Eager to please, we soon realised that her quiet, un-assuming nature was less to do with shyness and more to do with her acute desire to ensure that she learns, and subsequently retains, every little piece of information that she is taught. After a few years, and a small break to have her beautiful little girl, Lena, Dagmara returned to us; this time around as the newest member of our supervisory team. Since her inception, we have been consistently delighted with her progress. Demonstrating the same level of hard work as she did in her other role with us, she has shown no less dedication to the job. We know that we will continue to see her progress with the same passion over the coming months and years.
Gemma Grant
Gemma is a glowing, cheery and affable member of the housekeeping and kitchen team. Understanding that she had entered a team who are more family than colleagues, she was very quick to become a strong member of the team who everyone got on with easily often sharing a wee giggle. She has grown in both roles over the last couple of years and although she is pursuing a career in teaching, we know that her time here will be of value to us as a business.
Becky Wigham
Becky came to us by way of Glenfiddich Distillery where, over a period of 7 seasons, she developed her love and passion for whisky, the spirit that brings so many of us together in Speyside. With aspirations to increase upon the recognition of The Still, our whisky snug, as a destination of choice not only for the local market but also for whisky tourists, we saw in Becky an opportunity to spearhead this as one of our central priorities. Since coming on board, Becky has become an integral part of the team – always bubbly, keen to suggest lots of new ideas and fastidious about performing all tasks to a consistently high standard. We look forward to seeing her progress in the role and take on more responsibility as she does!