A HOSTEL which has been open for less than two years and Scotland’s oldest working brewery have been celebrating national recognition.

The Dolphin Inn and Belhaven Brewery have received Quality Assurance Awards from VisitScotland.

The hostel, on Dunbar’s Queen’s Road, received a 5-Star Quality Assurance Award from the national tourism organisation on its first grading visit.

The accolade means the independent hostel is the first of its kind to receive the five-star rating in East Lothian and one of only two across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The business opened in July 2021 and has 11 bedrooms offering a mix of double, single, bunk and family rooms.

With a strong focus on sustainability, the hostel has developed key connections within the local community and recently hosted a group of international students from Flensburg University in Germany who worked with Sustaining Dunbar, a community development trust on supporting local projects.

Jo Waddell, Dolphin Inn owner, said: "The Dolphin Inn has been transformed from derelict building to five-star independent hostel over a four-year period.

“The vision might have been ours, but the hostel’s staff deserve so much of the credit for our day-to-day operations and five-star reviews.

“Dunbar is a fantastic destination and a great spot for a hostel.”

Meanwhile, Belhaven Brewery, was awarded a 4-Star Quality Assurance Award.

Its visitor centre, which was recognised with the award, opened for tours in 2021.

Rob Dickson, VisitScotland director of industry destination development, and Neil Christison, VisitScotland regional director, along with Douglas Proudfoot, East Lothian Council’s executive director for place, Jamie Baker, service manager for economic development, and Elaine Carmichael, team manager economic development, visited the brewery recently.

Fiona Matheson, Belhaven brand manager, said: “We are bursting with pride to have received such good news about our beers and our brewery visitor experience this month.

“So much hard work goes on behind the scenes and both accolades are a tribute to our teams and the dedication and passion they bring to everything that we do here in our Dunbar home.

“As the summer months approach, we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to the brewery to enjoy the experience we have on offer along with a taste of some of our internationally winning beers.”

VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme is a benchmark for exceptional quality within the tourism industry and operates across accommodation, visitor attractions and food sectors.

It covers the entire visitor experience, demonstrating improvement and investment within businesses right across the country.

There are now 59 tourism businesses in East Lothian that have achieved 4- Star and 5-Star QA Awards.

Mr Dickson congratulated the two businesses and highlighted the importance of tourism in the area.

He said: “The 5-Star and 4-Star QA Awards are fantastic achievements for both businesses, reflecting their commitment to providing excellent customer experience.

“VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme represents world class excellence, helping businesses shine, enabling visitors to make informed choices and driving up investment in quality.

“This is fantastic news for Dunbar and for East Lothian as we look forward to the start of the traditional summer season.

“Tourism benefits every region across Scotland and we’re working closely with regional partnerships to ensure communities get the most out of tourism in their area.

“VisitScotland is focused on building on the shoots of recovery in tourism and events, one of Scotland’s most valuable industries.

“Our marketing, funding and business support activities are all designed to ensure a quality experience for visitors.”