Crieff Hydro announces senior appointments ahead of £5m refurbishment 

Crieff Hydro has announced the appointment of Przemek Kaminski as general manager and Ryan Whitcut as its new executive chef, as the hotel nears the completion of a £5m refurbishment in April.

Kaminski joins the company following his 13-year tenure as general manager at Future Inns UK, where he joined as trainee general manager, before becoming general manager at Future Inn Cardiff.

Whitcut has worked in various kitchens in the UK and has played an integral role in shaping the hotel’s updated F&B offering.

The refurbishment has been driven by Richard and Charlie Leckie, the sixth generation of the Leckie family at Crieff Hydro. It includes a new day-to-night bar, refurbished dining areas, and updated food and drinks menus with an emphasis on Scottish produce, as well as a fully renovated kitchen at a cost of £1m.

Kaminski said: “I’m very excited to be joining Crieff Hydro during this period of significant change and look forward to working with team to drive future innovation and redefine our dining and guest experiences whilst preserving the rich history and heritage of such an iconic hotel.”

Whitcut said he is “thrilled to bring my experience at such an exciting phase in the hotel’s 157-year history”, and described his appointment as “a career-defining moment”.

Of the new menu, he said: “I’m so looking forward to delivering this exciting new destination dining experience which revolutionises and goes way beyond what people might expect from hotel menus.”

Whitcut will work with executive sous chef Catherine Bull, who has worked at Crieff Hydro for over a decade, and head chef Manoj Panigrahy.

Stephen Leckie, chief executive officer at Crieff Hydro, said: “These appointments represent a new chapter in shaping the future of Crieff Hydro as we move into this new era of change, which this multi-million-pound investment has defined."

Image: courtesy of Crieff Hydro. L-R Catherine Bull, Ryan Whitcut, Przemek Kaminski, and Manoj Panigrahy