Dakota Hotels

Dakota Hotels

Company type	Private
Industry	Hotel, Hospitality, Restaurant
Founded	2006
Number of locations	5 (Edinburgh, Eurocentral, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester)
Key people	Ken McCulloch (Founder)
Owner	Evans Property Group
Website	dakotahotels.co.uk

Dakota Hotels is a UK-based hotel brand with five locations, each with a brasserie-style grill and cocktail bars. Dakota Hotels first opened two boutique hotels near Edinburgh Airport in South Queensferry, and in Eurocentral, Motherwell South East of Glasgow. The brand has now expanded into Central Glasgow, Leeds, and Manchester. The brand was founded by Ken McCulloch and is owned by Evans Property Group.[1]

Hotel Exterior, Dakota Glasgow.

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 Royal Air Force service.

The press have reported celebrities as staying at Dakota Hotels including Hugh Jackman,[3] Arnold Schwarzenegger, Katy Perry, Liam Gallagher, Stereophonics, The Stone Roses,[4] Glenn Close,[5] Melanie Brown,[6] Noel Gallagher, Christian Slater,[7] Gary Lineker,[8] and Andy Murray.

Brand Expansion

Dakota Eurocentral was opened in 2006[9] 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.[10]

A bedroom in Dakota Eurocentral.

A third hotel and the first city centre location was opened on West Regent Street in Glasgow[11] in 2016[12] followed by a fourth on Greek street in Leeds in early 2017.[13]

The largest hotel is in Manchester city centre, near to Manchester Piccadilly railway station, with 137 bedrooms opened in May 2019.[14]

The Lobby in Dakota Manchester.

Founder

Dakota was created by Glasgow born hotelier Ken McCulloch.[15] Other hotels previously launched by McCulloch include One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow, the Malmaison brand, the Columbus Hotel Monaco, and the Aviator Hotel at Farnborough Airport.

Hotel interiors were designed by Amanda Rosa Interiors (Ken McCulloch's wife), who also designed the Malmaison brand and Columbus Hotel Monaco.[1]

The Champagne Room in Dakota Leeds.

Educational partnerships

Dakota Hotels has established links with Queen Margaret University and Fife College to provide internships to hospitality students.[16] Dakota Hotels is part of the Mentor Scheme formed between the Manchester Hotelier’s Association (MHA) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).[17]

The hotel has previously established awards for university students at Queen Margaret University, focusing on dissertations in hospitality.[18]

Dakota Hotels is a 2021 sponsor of HIT Scotland, a scholarship programme designed to support people working and studying in the hospitality industry in Scotland.[19]

Awards

A bedroom in Dakota Glasgow.

• TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2021 – Top 25 Hotels in the UK[20]
• The Caterer – Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality 2021[21]
• The Michelin Guide – Michelin Plate 2021[22]
• The Caterer – Top 10 Best Places to Work in Hospitality 2020[23]
• GQ Magazine 2018 Best Hotel – Shortlist of 5[24]
• TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2018 – Top 25 Hotels in the UK [25]
• The Independent 2018 Best in Contemporary Design[26][27]
• The Times Cool Hotel Guide 2013[28]
• Jamie Oliver Best Kept Secret Award 2013[29][30]
• Condé Nast Traveller Hot list 2005[31]

Ken McCulloch was the 2018 winner of the "Very Special Achievement award" [32] at the Scottish Style Awards [33] and was the 1993 winner of The Caterer's Hotelier of the Year.[34]

External links

• Dakota Hotels official website

References

1. "Evans Property Group Portfolio". www.evanspropertygroup.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
2. "Dakota the Legendary Aircraft - Home Page". Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
3. Fitzpatrick, Katie (25 May 2019). "Hugh Jackman spotted leaving hotel after 'amazing' first live show in Manchester". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
4. "Stay where the celebrities stay in Leeds". 7SL. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
5. "Glenn Close Reveals Her Daughter Annie Starke Taught Her How to Be a Mother". Closer Weekly. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
6. Jackson, Daisy (23 June 2019). "Inside the new luxury Manchester penthouse suite where Hugh Jackman stays". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
7. "Restaurant review: Dakota Deluxe Bar & Grill, Leeds". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
8. "Gary Lineker". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
9. "Travel: The Dakota Hotel, Glasgow". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
10. Alexandra Topping. "Hotel review: Dakota Forth Bridge, Edinburgh | Travel". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
11. "Planning for new hotel, Glasgow". 3dreid.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
12. "Dakota Deluxe Glasgow". Dakota Hotels. Dakota Hotels. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
13. "Approval Confirmed for Luxury Leeds Hotel". insidermedia.com/. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
14. "Dakota - Manchester's Newest Luxury Hotel opening in May". Manchester’s Finest. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
15. "Honorary Graduates | Queen Margaret University". www.qmu.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
16. QMU. "Boutique hotel group recognises hospitality students with new support package". www.qmu.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
17. About Manchester. "Hotel Mentorship Scheme Sees Newfound Success". About Manchester. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020.
18. "Dakota Hotels announces two new awards for university students". thecaterer.com/. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
19. "HIT Scotland — About HIT". HIT Scotland. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
20. Bourne, Dianne (22 May 2021). "The Manchester hotel named in the top 1% in the world". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
21. "Top 30 Best Places to Work in Hospitality..." The Caterer. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
22. "Dakota Grill – Leeds - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
23. "The Best Places to Work in Hospitality 2020". The Caterer. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
24. "GQ Food & Drink Awards 2018 shortlist". British GQ. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
25. "TripAdvisor reveals the top hotels in the UK". HELLO!. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
26. "Seven of the best hotels in Leeds". The Independent. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
27. "Dakota Deluxe Hotel named 'Best for Contemporary Design' in Leeds | Traveleads". www.traveleads.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
28. Chesshyre, Tom. "The Cool Hotel Guide: Dakota, Queensferry, Scotland". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
29. JamieOliver.com. "Features | Cooking guides & how-tos". Jamie Oliver. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
30. JamieOliver.com. "Features | Cooking guides & how-tos". Jamie Oliver. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
31. "British hotels make Cond Nast Traveller Hot..." The Caterer. 8 April 2005. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
32. "Ken McCulloch: the man who made Glasgow a global destination". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
33. "Scottish Style Awards | home". www.scottishstyleawards.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
34. "Aviator hotel Farnborough Menuwatch". The Caterer. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2021.