Cameron House has embarked on a major recruitment drive ahead of reopening more than three years after a fire which killed two guests.
Directors for the five-star resort on Loch Lomond say they want to fill more than 300 roles – including finding a new general manager and night manager – after the hotel was fined £500,000 over a string of safety failings connected to the December 2017 tragedy.
They said they are looking for the “right team” to deliver a luxury experience when the hotel opens its doors again this summer.
Richard Dyson, 38, and partner Simon Midgley, 32, died after night porter Christopher O’Malley, 35, placed a plastic bag of ash from an open fire in a cupboard containing kindling and newspapers. It sparked an inferno which destroyed much of the building.
In January O’Malley was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work and an 18-month supervision order after admitting breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.
Sheriff William Gallacher said the porter did not receive adequate training and that outdoor ash bins for storing fire remnants were
full and had not been emptied for weeks.
Cameron House pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to take fire safety measures which were necessary to ensure the safety of staff and guests.
The court heard the resort had been given two warnings by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service over the storing of flammable materials in the concierge cupboard near a source of ignition.
Prosecutors said the general manager raised the matter with a head concierge and resort manager but the practice remained unchanged, with jackets, leaflets, kindling and newspapers all being stored there before the blaze.
Midgley’s heartbroken mum Jane has demanded a full public inquiry into the deaths, saying the hotel played “Russian roulette” with their lives.
The 140-bed hotel has since undergone major restoration.
Human resources director Jennifer Jurgensen said: “With the hospitality industry facing such a tough time at the moment, it really is a pleasure to be able to announce that we are now ready to start recruiting for over 300 new positions at Cameron House Hotel.
“Having the right team in place that shares our values is crucial to delivering the five-star Cameron House experience.”
