Dakota Hotels

Dakota Hotels is a growing UK-based hotel brand with five locations, each with a brasserie-style Grill and upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, near Edinburgh Airport in South Queensferry, and outside of Glasgow, in Eurocentral. The brand has now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, and Manchester.

Dakota Hotels
Private
IndustryHotel, Hospitality, Restaurant
Founded2006
Number of locations
5 (Edinburgh, Eurocentral, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester)
Key people
Ken McCulloch
(Founder)
OwnerEvans Property Group
Websitewww.dakotahotels.co.uk

The brand was founded by Ken McCulloch and is owned by Evans Property Group.[1]

History

The brand was named after the Douglas DC-3 aircraft introduced in 1936 for commercial air travel in the United States,[2] which was designated the Dakota in British Royal Air Force (RAF) service. The aircraft changed the face of air travel in the 1930s and is said to encapsulate the spirit behind the Dakota brand by making luxury service and stylish accommodation more accessible.[3]

The press have reported celebrities as staying at Dakota Hotels including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Katy Perry, Stereophonics, The Stone Roses,[4] Glenn Close,[5] Christian Slater [6] and Andy Murray.

Brand Expansion

The first Dakota opened on a Business park at J27 of the M1 in 2004 by Ken McCulloch and David Coulthard, in 2008 after a long-standing dispute between co-owners David Coulthard and Ken McCulloch could not be resolved the company was put into receivership and liquidation.

Dakota Eurocentral was opened in 2006[7] as a new build in Motherwell, off the M8 motorway in Lanarkshire, followed subsequently by another new build in South Queensferry close to Edinburgh Airport by the Queensferry Crossing in 2007.[8]

A third hotel and the first city centre location was opened on West Regent Street in Glasgow[9] in 2016[10] followed by a fourth on Greek street in Leeds in early 2017.[11]

The biggest venture for the brand currently exists in Manchester city centre, very close to Manchester Piccadilly Station, with 137 bedrooms opened in May 2019.[12]

Founder

Dakota was conceived and developed by Glasgow born hotelier Ken McCulloch, who has an honorary doctorate with Queen Margaret University.[13] Other hotels previously launched by McCulloch Unique Hotels include the award-winning One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow, the Malmaison brand, the Columbus Hotel Monaco, and the Aviator Hotel at Farnborough Airport.

Design is a founding element of the Dakota brand. Hotel interiors were designed by Amanda Rosa Interiors (Ken McCulloch's wife),[14] who also designed the Malmaison brand and Columbus Hotel Monaco.[1]

Ken McCulloch was the 2018 winner of the Very Special Achievement award [15] at the Scottish Style Awards [16] and was the 1993 winner of The Caterer's Hotelier of the Year.[17]

Educational partnerships

Dakota Hotels has established links with Queen Margaret University and Fife College to provide internships to hospitality students.[18]

The hotel has previously established awards for university students at Queen Margaret University, focusing on innovative and entrepreneurial dissertations in hospitality.[19]

Awards

References
  1. "Evans Property Group Portfolio". www.evanspropertygroup.com. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-04-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. HOTELS, DAKOTA. "Hotel Careers, Hotel Vacancies". Dakota Hotel. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  4. "Stay where the celebrities stay in Leeds". 7SL. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  5. "Glenn Close Reveals Her Daughter Annie Starke Taught Her How to Be a Mother". Closer Weekly. 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  6. "Restaurant review: Dakota Deluxe Bar & Grill, Leeds". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  7. "Travel: The Dakota Hotel, Glasgow". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
  8. Alexandra Topping. "Hotel review: Dakota Forth Bridge, Edinburgh | Travel". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
  9. "Planning for new hotel, Glasgow". 3dreid.com. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  10. "Dakota Deluxe Glasgow". Dakota Hotels. Dakota Hotels. Retrieved 15 Mar 2016.
  11. "Approval Confirmed for Luxury Leeds Hotel". insidermedia.com/. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  12. "Dakota - Manchester's Newest Luxury Hotel opening in May". Manchester’s Finest. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  13. "Honorary Graduates | Queen Margaret University". www.qmu.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  14. http://www.amandarosa.com/case_studies/dakota/
  15. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16152960.ken-mcculloch-the-man-who-made-glasgow-a-global-destination/
  16. http://www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk/
  17. https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/322680/aviator-hotel-farnborough-menuwatch
  18. QMU. "Boutique hotel group recognises hospitality students with new support package". www.qmu.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  19. "Dakota Hotels announces two new awards for university students". thecaterer.com/. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
  20. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/gq-food-and-drink-awards-shortlist
  21. "TripAdvisor reveals the top hotels in the UK". HELLO!. 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  22. "Seven of the best hotels in Leeds". The Independent. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  23. "Dakota Deluxe Hotel named 'Best for Contemporary Design' in Leeds | Traveleads". www.traveleads.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  24. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/destinations/scotland/article3938807.ece
  25. http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/news/best-hotel-dining-experience/#JOhImGDFUcxyjUfm.97
  26. http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/dakota-beautifully-stylish-food-match/#gVBMT5TsZ7GXGO4D.97
  27. https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/67846/british-hotels-make-conde-nast-traveller-hot-list-2005
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