JA Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort, the five-star country estate hotel near Glasgow, has appointed Frances Hope as Director of Sales to lead its sales strategy through the next phase of growth following its £20 million transformation in 2025.
Hope will focus on strengthening the resort’s corporate and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) offering, expanding its events business and growing its presence in domestic and international leisure markets. A key priority will be building stronger relationships with businesses and partners across Glasgow and the wider west of Scotland, positioning Mar Hall as a destination for corporate events, meetings and incentives.
She will also look to diversify the resort’s events calendar, making more of its existing spaces to attract a broader range of private and corporate functions alongside its established wedding business. Drawing on her knowledge of Glasgow’s corporate and events market, she will explore opportunities in the sports, music and film industries, and work with JA Resorts & Hotels’ international sales network to introduce Mar Hall to new audiences.
Hope has decades of experience in Scottish hospitality, having held senior sales roles with Hilton, Radisson Blu and Klarent Hospitality. Her work has been recognised at the Prestige Awards, where she was named Dame of Hospitality in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time to join Mar Hall, and there’s a real opportunity to build on everything the resort has achieved following its transformation. My focus is on strengthening our presence in the local market, growing our corporate and events business and introducing Mar Hall to new audiences, both in Scotland and internationally. We have an exceptional five-star resort and an incredible team, and I want to build on those strengths to establish Mar Hall as one of Scotland’s leading hotels. For me, hospitality is all about people, and delivering a genuinely personal experience will always be at the heart of what we do.”
Frances Hope, Director of Sales, JA Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort
The resort says the appointment is part of its plans to strengthen its commercial performance, expand its reach across key markets and build on its position within Scotland’s five-star hospitality sector.
Set within 240 acres of woodland overlooking the River Clyde, about 10 minutes’ drive from Glasgow International Airport, JA Mar Hall has 74 guest rooms, including eight Junior Suites, new Spa Garden Suites and three Grand Suites, as well as lodges, an 18-hole championship golf course, event spaces, a spa and a 20-metre swimming pool. The 19th-century mansion, designed by Sir Robert Smirke, was acquired in 2024 by Dubai-based Dutco Group and reopened in 2025 after its £20 million transformation. It is now part of JA Resorts & Hotels, whose nine properties span the UAE, the Indian Ocean and Scotland, including JA The Bruntsfield in Edinburgh.
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