Acorn Awards 2026: Grace MacLeod, Ness Walk hotel
Guests often single out the operations manager for her intuitive approach to service
Position Operations manager, Ness Walk hotel
Age 25
Nominator Iona MacLeod, hotel performance manager, UK and Ireland, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Grace MacLeod has become one of the driving forces behind Ness Walk hotel’s reputation for service, combining commercial awareness with a people-focused approach to leadership.
Having progressed from receptionist to operations manager in just a few years, MacLeod now leads a team of more than 50 people across multiple departments at the five-star luxury Inverness hotel. Alongside operational oversight, she has expanded her expertise into F&B, payroll and cost management, developing a strong understanding of the commercial side of the business.
MacLeod has strengthened both guest loyalty and commercial performance through a highly personalised approach to service. She introduced a cross-departmental guest profile system that enables teams to tailor stays around individual preferences, creating a more consistent experience for returning guests, many of whom now book directly through MacLeod. One guest relationship alone generated more than £38,000 in room revenue after she successfully turned around a complaint and rebuilt trust.
Under her leadership the hotel rose from number seven to number one on TripAdvisor for hotels in Inverness, and she is often personally mentioned in guest reviews, with titles such as ‘Amazing Grace’ reflecting the lasting impression she leaves.
As well as being a mental health first-aider, she mentors others and achieved 100% front office retention over four years. In addition, while coming from a front office background, MacLeod has expanded her knowledge by regularly spending time with department heads to deepen her commercial understanding and gain greater insight into the challenges faced across different teams.
Beyond the hotel, MacLeod supports a range of community and charity initiatives across the Highlands, including Women’s Aid and Highland Hospice, while championing hospitality careers. She took part in the ‘Inverness Big Hospitality Recruitment Drive’ organised by the Highland Hotels Association, which gained significant news coverage.
Q&A with Grace MacLeod
What does winning an Acorn Award mean to you?
It means great deal to me. It represents something much greater than recognition – it represents my journey, my upbringing and the passion that has shaped who I am. It is a reflection of every interaction, every mentor and every challenge that has contributed to my growth.
Who has been the biggest influence in your career so far?
My sister, Iona. She is my confidant and the person I turn to for honesty, perspective and reassurance. We share the same deep pull towards hospitality. In our family, she is known as the ‘hotel inspector’ – instinctive, precise and someone who notices everything. Nothing gets past her and, more often than not, she is right. Our relationship is built on constant exchange of ideas, challenges, passion and an unspoken understanding of the industry we both love. She pushes me to think better, to be better and to never lose sight of the detail that makes hospitality so powerful. Her belief in me has been constant, and she even worked alongside my employer, Ness Walk, to put me forward for this award, something I will always carry with pride and gratitude.
What has been the best piece of advice that someone has given you?
If something truly scares you, it’s often the very thing you need to do most. Growth lives outside of the comfort zone, and that feeling of fear isn’t a sign you can’t do it, it’s a sign that you are about to grow. Feel the fear and do it anyway!
What does hospitality mean to you?
Hospitality to me was a language I learned to speak before I realised I was speaking it. As a child, my favourite game was ‘restaurants’ with my sisters. We would create menus, act as servers and drink our juice out of a wine glass. Looking back, that was a foundation of a lifetime love for hospitality. It was in those moments that I first understood what it meant to create an experience for someone else and how special that could feel.
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