Who's who

An introduction to The Pierhouse team. We look forward to welcoming you!

About the Pierhouse Hotel and Seafood Restaurant on Scotland's west coast

Fiona McLean - General Manager

Passionate about food, customer service and....whisky!

Fiona McLean - General Manager

Our General Manager Fiona joined The Pierhouse in October 2018, with extensive experience in luxury hospitality and events management across Scotland.

Before joining the team in Port Appin, Fiona was an Assistant Manager of the Cameron Grill and latterly the Great Scots Bar Manager in Cameron House, a five-star resort on the shores of Loch Lomond. During her 5 years with Cameron House, Fiona discovered her passion for all things whisky & became the hotel’s whisky ambassador.

Prior to this, Fiona worked as a corporate event manager, and ran her own wedding and events company, specialising in large-scale vintage-themed events. Most recently, Fiona managed an award-winning seafood restaurant and multi-purpose venue in Glasgow.

In 2016, Fiona was selected for a Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland scholarship, allowing her to study at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, one of world’s most prestigious hospitality management schools. Fiona also holds a degree in Events Management from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Caroline Willis - Operations Manager

The voice of The Pierhouse, and life-long Lismore enthusiast.

Caroline Willis - Operations Manager

Caroline was brought up on the beautiful island of Lismore – just across the water from The Pierhouse. After going to university in Aberdeen, working throughout the UK with a stint in Holland, Caroline came back with her family to live on Lismore once more.

Caroline is the voice on the telephone if you call to book and if you have a question to ask, head for Caroline. She loves to share her enthusiasm for Lismore - telling guests about all the best places to explore on the island and in the area around Port Appin.

In her first year at the Pierhouse Caroline set up our ‘Cooksafe’ system receiving an award from the Argyll & Bute environmental health team, and is now involved with our Green Business Tourism Scheme for which we were given a Silver award on our first grading visit and through Caroline's subsequent hard work this has been upgraded to a Gold award.

Caroline is seen here on the pier after the 2012 Scottish Hotel Awards when The Pierhouse received two prestigious awards - the Seafood Dining Award and a Hospitality Gold Medal. We are delighted that Caroline was awarded the Hospitality Gold Medal, a much deserved recognition of her hard work and commitment to customer service. The hotel and its people and food have gone on to win further awards each and every year - read more here>.

Michael Leathley - Head Chef

Bringing 'the outside in' with dishes that are inextricably linked with the land and the sea.

Michael Leathley - Head Chef

Michael, originally from the North East of England, thinks of his cooking as bringing 'the outside in' with dishes that are inextricably linked with the land and the sea.

“I enjoy letting the food speak for itself using classic, simple techniques. Cooking at The Pierhouse is a celebration of the environment around us with dishes that respect the abundance of local produce and the people who spend their lives working on the land and sea to bring us the finest produce.The real luxury in cooking these days is making use of what's here, now. It's a joy to use produce that is in season, available locally, with known quality and provenance, sourced where ever possible from within 50 miles of the hotel.”

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Rachel McKenzie - Restaurant Manager

An enthusiasm for providing guests with a friendly, efficient service.

Rachel McKenzie - Restaurant Manager

Rachel, a Port Appin local, is a recent graduate from Strathclyde University where she studied Marketing, Hospitality & Tourism. She has loved working in the front of house team at The Pierhouse over the last few summers. In the new role of Restaurant Manager she is excited to be building on the restaurant’s strong reputation and fantastic team, sharing her enthusiasm for providing guests with a friendly, efficient service.

"It’s lovely to be able to build a rapport with guests in the bar and restaurant and know that they have loved their Pierhouse visit.”

Rita Thomson - Bar Manager

Port Appin local with a radiant smile and an infectious laugh.

Rita Thomson - Bar Manager

Rita and her family have lived in Appin for the best part of 40 years with three generations of the Thomson's working at The Pierhouse in that time. Rita started in the hotel kitchen in 1990 and over the following 10 years worked her way up to Head Chef before retiring from chef duties in 2008.

Over the last decade, Rita is the person you'll most likely meet first in the bar during the day. Always happy with the most wonderful, radiant smile and infectious laugh - you'll definitely hear Rita before you see her! Rita, who won Scottish Hotel Awards Bar Manager of the Year 2016 for Argyll & Lomond Region, is known for her great sense of humour and is much loved by guests for her friendliness, personality and efficiency in the bar and restaurant.

Barbara Jane Murray - Head Housekeeper

With an eye for detail, the comfort of our guests is top priority.

Barbara Jane Murray - Head Housekeeper

Barbara Jane is our Head Housekeeper and has been part of the housekeeping team for a number of years. Nothing is too much trouble and she is very happy to talk to guests about any requests they might have during their stay.

Barbara Jane is local to Port Appin with a background in textile design. Her attention to detail in the beautiful products she makes for the local craft shop translates to the care and professionalism that she takes in preparing our rooms for our guests.

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